The Washington herald., 1918-05-15


politics?
Is the church not too active in
politics now?
What Is the future of Church
political activity?
All Of these questions have been
asked in one way or another in
Congressional Offices during the past
year or more. and probably have
been asked previous to that.
So far as these questions are be-
ing discussed now we are willing
to venture an opinion in the mat
ter which we think will meet the
approval of church folks, and which
no men. commonly supposed to be
against church participation. will
dispute.
Moreover. we are conceited
enough to believe that our statement
on the subject will stand for many
hundred years to come in this ma
tion-at least so long as our or
ganic act is respected.
Church participation in politics
is virtually forbidden under the
constitution. That is, it is contem-
plated under the constitution that
a complete separation of church
and State shall always be had
and inferentially that IL q union
should ever place between them 1t
would be disastrous to our form of
government.
But this does not mean that
church members as individuals-as
Christian individuals-shall not take
part in politics. In fact or con-
stitution means just rs plainly that
they shall take part as individual
taxpayers and citizens interested in
good government. And they may
rightfully combine to gain their
ends.
There Is a dividing line, then.
which must be perfectly discernible
to all citizens. That dividing line
essentially means that 6enomina-
tional politics shall not be instilled
into our form of government. When
church men enter the political
arena they are supposed to do. so
as members Of one great church. II
they do otherwise, they lay pitfalls
into which they themselves may
later be plunged. Church partici-
patton in politics, to inject into
politics some of the Christian prin-
ciples supposed to be missing. Is
allowable when there Is no distinc-
ton between the various denomina-
tions. But only as that distinction
Is obliterated can the participation
be in the best interests OF the en-
tire people.
Pastors who endeavor to teach
their members the principles of
democratic government are doing a
good work, and they should con
tinue it. But they should feel just
as free to cooperate with their
brother pastors in this work as they
would In the work of the Lord. Just
as they can further the Lords cause
by assuming a tolerant attitude in
their religious field. so they can
further the cause OF good govern
ment by assuming the same toler-
ant attitude in public matters.
There are many details of gov
ernment where no high principles
are at stake in which communities
have often been split because Of
petty church rows. The ardent par
ticipation by leading church mem
bers, along denominational lines, and
having more earthly ends in sight
than the furtherance of good gov
ernment, brought defeat and igno-
miny. Such affairs can easily be de-
tected by discreet church members
and are to be Stunned II real head
way Is to be made for good gov
ernment.
The genuine cooperation of all
church members in the efforts to
give us good government and effi-
cient government will always have
the approval of those forces out
side the strictly church member
ship group. But the efforts Of
church members to build up denomi-
nations or to encroach upon domain
which the constitution contemplates
they should not invade will always
have the opposition of the voters.
Only in the proportion that the
church members are united in all
efms and in forgetting church DIFF
ferences when they work for good
government can they te successful
in their work for such a govern
ment.
Farmers still think they have a
Just complaint against some phases
OF governmental action and they are
generally not adverse to speaking
OF Il any time and any place.
Edward E. Chapman, Of the
National Grange. believes that he
understands the troubles precisely
and from the extensive and intimate
surveys he has made Of the entire
farming sections OF the country, he
believes he can boil them down to
about these:
TOO great discrimination against
a.