Richmond times-dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1914-current, 1918-06-17
BRANDS LAWBREAKERS
AS TRAITORS TO NATION
Illicit Whisky Sellers Worse Than
Bcrnstorff or Benedict Arnold,
Says DIR. Wicker.
OFFICERS OUGHT TO RESIGN
III They Cannot Keep Their Oaths
of Office They Should Get Out,
Says Minister in Sermon on "Huns
in Richmond"

OF Leigh street 1japtlSt Church,
preached to n packed church last night.
from the significant subject. "liuns In
Richmond" taking for his text that
most appropriate passage from Joshua
vii. 1915.
when Joshua came up to the Jor-
dam said DIR. Wicker. 'he found Mat
he had two cnemics-thc heather be-
fore him and the trait.r in his own
camp. We find ourselves in the same
position to-day. We nave no fear OF
the enemy abroad. but we do have much
apprehension of the Hun at home. We
want 10 win this war in the shortest
possible time and with the smallest loss
OF life. Every Achan in our camp will
prolonE the war and destroy the lives
of our boys.
I'VE are in war or righteousness.
I am glad we arc in il and my regret
is. We did not get in sooner. Every
man and woman in this country is in
the war. whether he thinks so or not.
Every man and woman in Richmond is
either helping President Wilson to
win this war. or assisting the Kaiser.
There is no neutral ground these days.
when our country called for men.
our boys responded. ready and glad.
to make the supreme sacrifice. Our
money is gladly surrendered by the bill
lions. Liberty bonds. war savings
stamps. income tax and all other tax
are a joyous luxury for every patriotic
American. We have our millions for
the Y. NJ c. a. and our millions for
the Red Cross. and our sons and daugh-
ters will gladly go with our dollars.
We have our mcatless and our wheat
less days. and every man who is not
Il Eluttonous traitor will do all that
Mr.. Hoover asks.
EVERY UNRIGHrEOUSNESS
Is a GUN FIRED AT OUR BOYS
Now in the light OF such patriotism
and sacrifice on the part Of the men,
women and children OF our country,
what Shall we say OF the man who
undertakes program of selfish money
making, and that, too. ut the expense
of all the home holds moral and dear?
This war is no less in America than It
is in Europe. We must sustain the
men in the trenches or the battle is
lost.
III this is righteous war; then all
unr!ghteousness is in the nature OF
direct aid to the enemy. We must be
consistent. We cannot serve God and
mammon. Every unriChteousness is
a gun fred at our boys. II there is a
righteous God, we cannot join hands
with the devil at homo and fight sue
cessfuliy with jehovah on the western
front. No minister Of the Gospel can
preach like an angel in the pulpit and
live like the devil at home. We can
not hope for our boys to clean up
Berlin. while we at home pollutc Rich
mond.
Any man who will sell whisky In
Richmond is worse than Bernstorf or
Dernburg or Benedict Arnold; he is in
the class with Judas Iscariot--with
apologies TO Judas. And right here |
want to say that. legally. officers may
not have the right TO ask man to
open his baggage on the train. station
or street, without 4 warrant. but every
man who loves deccncy and wants 10
uphold the law. will come down from
his perch and take the chip from his
shoulder. and like good patriotic
citizen gladly open his baggage for an
officer. All men who want to aid the
unla wful sale of rum can do so. by
refusing this simple request. But the
man who refuses. or the corporation
that interfercs. aids lawless bootleg
ging.' They arc helping the Kaiser by
aiding the whisky man. II is the
Hun at home.
PHYSICAL CORRUPTION
WORSE THAN HUNS IN BELGIUM
"Any man who will countcnance the
moral and physical corruption OF our
boys IL worse than the Hun in Belgium.
1t is poor policy to destroy the honor
OF our boys at home while we die for
the virtue of the women of Belgium.
The Hun in Belgium overpowers virtue
by physical force, while Huns in itch
mond employ the subtle power of the
serpent TO use the mentally deficient
10 crafty his greed for gold.
The worst Hun in America is the
citizen in blue coat and brass buttons
joining hands with the lawlcss. Gen
cral Pershing begs for men morally
clean. He had an American soldier
10 i1 nf
of the law at home who joins the
'slackers
THE allies have told the world that
the Hun at home has killed more men
than the German bullets. The officer
of the law who cannot enforce the
law ought to resign. If he can and
will not. he should be taken in hand |
by some other officer.
ANY institution OF organization de-
signed or permitted to destroy the
moral character of our boys is a thou
sand times worse than German auto
cracy The most diabolical thought is
the suggestion of n segregated dis
trict" would rather my boys be
killed a thousand times by clean Ger
man bullet than to have them moral
w corrupted by an American woman.
The least that Richmond can do is to
use every possible means to keep our
boys safe while preparing for the front
CAN HINDER sC,IEMEs
THAT MAKE MEN BAD
IVA cannot force men to he good.
but we can hinder the schemes TO make
them bad. If there is a God He has
much to do with this war. 1t Is fact
that when Joshua took Achan out Of
the camp and put him to death. the
Lord gave Israel the victory little
Eunpowder purifes the air at times.
Ii behooves every true man and woman
to join hands with the good forces to
uphold the law and the fair name of
Richmond and without fear. favor or
mercy to hunt down the Huns in Rich
mond and sec that they quickly get
their just deserts.
/ Let us calmly get together. We
/ need no Trades. We need no excited.
emotional. reform orators. But what
we do need Is for number Of right
! thinking. strong business men. to-
gether with the men in authority. to
lead every good citizen into a hearty
| CO. operative cleanup. for our city. and
| the man. organization or corporation
| that fails in every possible way to aid
| In catching mi MI N isb n ~cvi1docra he