Graham guardian., 1919-09-12
FREEDOM OF PRAYER

OANb SAiAiN NAASPhSahA w r. ~
League of Nations may be formed
to prevent future terrible dis
asters" of similar character. So,
to typify the opposition of certain
of the republican party leaders
to the League covenant, the
Speaker reprimanded the chap
lain, himself a republican and a
Union soldier, who lost his eye-
sight in battle during the Civil
War. Despite service for sixteen
years under Speakers Cannon
and Clark, the Rev. Henry N.
Couden never had his prayers in
terfered with, but, when moved
by the carnage attendant upon
the world war, this old soldier
implored the Almighty. and said:
"We bless Thee, our Father in
Heaven. for the wise, the true,
the noble men who have Witnessed
the terrible disasters a world war
has left in its wake, who are
striving to form a League of Ma
tions to prevent its recurrence
in the future. Let those who
object to a League of Nations
visit Arlington, ournational ceme-
taries and those in Esance where
our American dead lie in abun-
dance. Let them witness the
wounded and MANNED, with arms,
legs, eyes, health gone; ponder
these unsightly scenes - before
they lift their voices against those
who would prevent such scenes. "
Representative ]. Thomas Hef-
lin, of Alabama, arose to the de-
fense of DR.. Couden on hearing
of the episode and held that the
prayer was exactly in line with
the teachings of Christ, who
preached the doctrine of peace on
earth and good will toward men. "
There is consolation to the
blind chaplain in the fact that
One more powerful than the
Speaker of this House has said,
Blessed are the peacemakers,
for they shall be called the child
rem of God, said Mr.. Hefiin.
In response to my charge that
the chaplain had been forbidden
to pray in this body for the sue
cess of the forces fighting to pre-
vent war and promote peace, "
said Mr.. Heflin, "the speaker is
quoted as saying, I did speak to
him about it because | did not
want any controversial matters
injected into prayers Gentle
men, we talk about the liberty of
the citizen and the freedom of
the press. What we need now
is an untrammelled chaplain and
the freedom of prayer. "
Mr.. Heflin then quoted from the
naval bill of 1916, for which
Speaker Gillett voted, and which
provided that the President is
authorized and requested to in
vite, at an appropriate time, not
later than the close of the war in
Europe, all the great govern
ments of the world to send rep
resentatives to conference
which shall be charged with the
duty of formulating plan for a
court of arbitration or other tri-
bunal to which disputed questions
between nations shall be referred
for adjudication and peaceful set
tlement, and to consider the ques-
tion of disarmament and submit
their recommendation to their
respective governments for ap-
proval. F."
''The chaplain of this House
has been praying in line with that
vote of Speaker Gillett's ever
since 1885, said Mr.. Heflin,
land the other day, after the
President had done what the pro-
vision that Speaker Gillett vo-
ted for requested him to do. and
had returned with the covenant
to submit to his government for
approval, and the chaplain, hap
py over the outlook, prayed for
its success, why, he is censured
and humiliated for a prayer out
of harmony with the changedatti-
tude of the Speaker.
In scrutinizing the opponents
of the League of Nations, Mr..