The Democratic advocate. [volume] (Westminster, Md.) 1865-1972, 1922-05-19
THE ANTI-VOLSTEADERS
MEET
REV. MCCONNELL AND Mr.. PACKARD
MAKE GREAT ADDRESSES CARROLL
COUNTY WELL REPRESENTED.

against NOlSJedulSlli Mdo Helu III bii
timore on Friday, May 18th. A Plat
form denouncing the Nolstead En-
forcement Law was adopted. This
Platform will be used as model for
similar state conventions to be held
in the country.
The Maryland Convention was rep
resented by full delegations from Bal
timore City and each county. Ringing
speeches were made by L. S. Senator
A. o. Stanley. of Kentucky, Mr.. Shir-
ley Carter, Chairman of the Maryland
Division, Congressman John Phillip
Hill. Mr.. Joseph Packard, and Rev.
DR.. S. d. Mcconnell, a retired Episco-
pal Clergyman.
The Carroll County Delegates were
Louis f. Shriver, T. NJ. Anderson,
Robert r. Shriver, Horace Reese, Ma
than II. Albert. David j. Yingling, c.
Irving Kroh, c. Walter Wilt, j. NJ.
Hoffacker, w. Frank Thomas, Benja-
min F. Armacost.
In addressing the meeting, the Rev.
Dr. Mcconnell said:
Reverend S. d. Mcconnell: Gentle
men, appear in the capacity of cit
izen and of a Christian minister
(Applause)
| take it as an honor and a duty to
be able to appear in both those capac-
tiles. l may say a word in eXplana-
ton of why it may be possible that
my Judgment may be worth something
on this matter.
have been for forty years the rec
tor of downtown churches in New
York and Philadelphia and have had
the opportunity perhaps as much as
almost anyone in this audience to see
the evils of intemperance. | have seen
them. know what they are. Neverthe-
less, | am persuaded that the Eigh-
teenth Amendment to the Constitution
and the Volstead Act are both wrong.
(Applause) l say this knowing very
well the risk | may run in a profess
sional capacity.
There is a tendency which we all
know and which we denl0re from the
hands of those who ire the most
strenuous advocates of the present
laws to villify and abuse and attrib-
ute improper moral impulses and
purposes to every one who opposes
them. We all run that risk. After all,
I am not sure that the risk is very
3
continued so long and has been so I'M
reserved and so unreasonable that |
think men throughout the country
have come to know how much and
how little it is worth.
| have been observing the progress
q: temperance for nearly fifty years in
place where | think | had the OPP
portunity to observe it. | have seen
that temperance was steadily and
continuously gaining ground. Men
are becoming more and more temper
ant and the use of intoxicating liquors
has been growing less and less for
the nearly fifty years | have been OBJ
serving it. until lately a revulsion has
set in. That gradual process of i'm
prOvement would have continued un
til the evil would practically have
been abolished if it had not been for
the imDatience and intemperance of
a certain number of ungovernable re-
formers. (ApplauseD They have scent
ed water in the desert like the wild
ass and have broken through all the
barricades and gone galloping in
search of it.
| think that the evils which are
standing upon this platform, and |
will mention first one thing l have
not heard mentioned in any observa
ton on this subject, and that is the
evil which | believe that the unreserv-
ed and immoderate presentation of
this matter on the part of certain
churches-the evil that is done and
is being done to the Church herself.
(Applause)
The business of the church is to
win them that are without. The tenn
per and the methods which have been
shown by a considerable number of
the advocates of this movement surely
have not been such as are likely to
win those brethren outside whom we
would gladly win. (Applause) Many
representatives of the churches who
have been urging and eXalting and be-
seeching men to be temperant appar-
emily have become impatient and
they have appealed to the policeman
bludgeon in order to secure by Vio-
lence what they have not been able to
do by persuasion. The reaction is bad
and dangerous for we have the high
est authority that he who takes the
sword shall perish by the sword. Let
the churches look TO it, that their
grasping at the power of the sword
does not in the long run, and not so
very long run after all, turn the point
of that sword toward their own bos-
ON.
The evils 1 believe of the present
Constitutional Amendment and of the
Volstead Law are infinitely greater
than the people of this country real
ize, not so much in the evils that they
are at the present time manifesting,
but because they are towards the first
step along the path which leads ulti-
mately to the absolute destruction Of
liberty throughout the country.
would like to say one word about
the Misrepresentation which we are
continually hearing now about obey
ing the law. We are exhorted that the
majority has spoken, the majority
rules and you must obey. Now, we
will ebey-more or less Qaughter).