Atlanta semi-weekly journal. (Atlanta, Ga.) 1898-1920, 1917-11-06
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AMERICAS GREAr4T TROUBLE
LACK OF MORAL PRINCIPLE

Bluntly put. my friends, 1 think
this: The trouble with. America is the
lack of moral principle. New moral
statutes may be needed but statutes
cannot put morals where morals do not
exist.
You cannot raise the standard Of
morals by raising the scale of wages:
you've got to go higher than the pay
envelope to find out the cause of vice
and of virtue-and it's in the hearts of
men and of women.
I tell you men of Atlanta tonight.
the thoughtful business men all over
this land are awakening to the perils
that threaten our cities and our civili-
zation in the widespread disregard for
the old-time principles of integrity
honesty and manhood and business men
everywhere are recognizing as never
before that if civic righteousness pre-
walls, if graft in high places is over
thrown, If the great avalanche of vice
that threatens our nation is stopped,
if the tidal wave of intemperance and
dissipation that threatens the young
manhood of our land and imperils our
destiny as a nation-if these evil forces
are going to be defeated it will be done
and through the religion of Jesus
Christ. That's the only religion.
why call We me Lord, Lord, and do
not the things 1 say" in politics?
1 am not a partisan. 1 believe in the
man instead of the party. Although /
am a Republican. anti-saloon RepubE-
can, 1 vote for a Democrat If he is 4
| better man than the Republican.
didn't vote for Wilson, but I'll back
| him to the last ditch, because he's a
great man.
why call We ME Lord. Lord. and do
not the things 1 say" in politics?
The trouble Is, my friend. that the
Lincoln, the Clay, the Webster, the
Sumner, the Calhoun and the Douglas
| type of American statesman have been
supplanted by the good-for-nothing,
God-forsaken, rat-hole, tin-horn. weasel
eyed, peanut-grafting politicians of our
day; and yet the day of politicians of that
kind and of that brand is over with;
they are through with that type of pol
iticians in America. We are getting
through with that class of fellows.
! Jesus Christ will, abolish lust, drunk
enness; Jesus Christ will regulate every
tariff; Jesus Christ will regulate every
social and financial question. Oh, my
friend, there, is no reason why the pol
| itics. of today should not become the
communion of tomorrow.
DOES NOT APPROVE UNION
OF THE CHURCH AND STATE.
| The trouble is we have no God IN
American politics; we've got a gang of
devils. We've got the devil of office
seeking, we've got the devil of fraud
we've got the devil of graft, we've got
| the devil of injustice, we've got the
devil of wastefulness: we've got no
God; we've got plenty of rum. we've
got plenty of rye. we've got plenty OF
beer, we've got plenty of pork barrels
we've got plenty of city. plenty of state,
plenty of national frauds-no God.
1 do not believe in the union of
church and of state. No, sir! And you
never can unite. sir. and dictate and run
| this government by any ecclesiastical
power on God Almighty's dirt. Naver!
| Never!
We will swim our horses; my friends.
in blood to their brides first! 1 don't
| believe in the union of church and OF
state, but I'd like to see party recos-
nize open and above board, without
disguise, without cant-the God in
whose name Columbus discovered Amer
| lea, the God in whose name George
Washington and the continental army