Evening star., 1928-10-30

League will oppose Norris in future
campaigns If he does this thing"
That is a threat. That is a cold
blooded threat.
All of Senator Norris great work, all
of his great influence in favor of pro-
gressive legislation for the benefit of
the men, women and children of this
country, falls to the ground and is lost
sight of the minute he goes counter to
the narrow, prejudiced and bigoted
ideas of the Anti-Saloon League I
can think Of no greater force for evil
In this country than an organization
which, through any of its spokesmen.
threatens disaster to the public states
man who does not submit to its dicta-
ton. .F
Propaganda in Churches.
Throughout the length and breadth
of this land: the Anti-Saloon League
has been engaged in the propaganda
intended to make God-fearing men and
women believe that the eighteenth
amendment and the Volstead act are
dogmas of religion. know of no
church in this country that makes
Volsteadism or the eighteenth amend
ment an article of religious faith. 1t
is nothing more or, less than legislation
ratified during the excitement of war
and lobbied through Congress by means
Of coercion and threat and has no re-
ligious sanctity about it.
In fact, every religion worthy of the
name teaches the value of temperance,
of sobriety and the danger of self
indulgence and to say the least about
it, 1t should shock the American idea
of right to attempt to use the great
moral authority Of the church to make
sincere men and women believe that
II they attempt to deal reasonably and
open -mindedly with great social prob
lem they are unfaithful to their re-
ligion, or that they have offended
against God
You cannot make new sin by law.
If it was not inscribed on the tablets
Of stone that were handed down to
Moses on the mount, 1t Is not a sin.
The Volstead act was not passed until
1919, and then over the veto of Presi-
dent Wilson.
hind the Republican candidate, while
in the State of Maryland and mindful
OF her devotion to American principles
and to religious freedom, we cannot
overlook, the Ku Klux Khan How
must the American people feel In. view
OF the countless billions of dollars that
have been poured into the cause of
public education, to have organized In
this country a group referring to them
selves as 400 per cent American, who
stand in opposition to any American
citizen because of his or her religion?
They are entirely. to my mind, without
any understanding of the fundamentals
OF American thought and American
ideals. That they are actively engaged
IN promoting the cause of the Republi-
can party nobody would have the hardi-
hood to deny, and there is ablndent
testimony that their activity is encour-
aged by some of the leaders of the Re-
publican party.
Khan and G. o. p. Aligned.
I hold in my hand a notice of
public meeting under the auspices of
the Ku Klux Klan, and it Is stated
that the meeting is to be in conjunction
with the national Republican COM
mittee
Ordinarily I would probably pay lit
tie or no attention to this card, in that
! have nothing to back it up; but its
appearance, published in ths State Il
New Jersey, lends color to its truth
fulness. 1t Is true that the local Re-
publican leaders disclaim knowledge of
1t, but one of them makes the signifi-
cant statement that would like to call
to your ettention. When asked whether
or not the plans of the national COM
mittee were submitted to him for ap-
proyaL in so far as they concerned New
Jersey; he said:
"They are supposed to be, but they
have gotten us In trouble before. Once
or twice they have gone over our heads
on that religious question. I know alb
solutely nothing about this meeting"
What did the Republican leader in
New Jersey mean when he said that
the national committee got the local
leaders In trouble by going over their
heads on the religious question2 If
that means ANYTHING to me, 1t means
that some of the plans formulated in
the national committee. without the
consent Of the local leaders, have had
TO do with the question of religion.
Names Washington Publication.
Agnewspapcr A published in Washing
ten. known as the Fellowship Forum.
Is the official publication of the Khan.
and its every edition contains the most
contemplate and the most OUTRAGEOUS
ebuse directed against millions of
American citizens because Of their re-
l.gion.
One Of the known owners of this
scurrilous publication, the chairman of
the Republican State committee CT Vir-
ginia,. the public prints tell us, was in
the party Of Mr.. Hoover on his trip to
El1zabethton, in Tennessee.
was born In the United States, and
my father and mother were born in
the United States, From the time that
/ was old enough to understand any-
thing my mother told me that the
, great browning glory Of this country
| was, the noble expression found In the
Declaration of ndependence-that all
,, men are created equal. have served
the largest State in the Union for a
quarter of a century and for eight years
| during that period have been its
chief executive. That have given to
1t the very best that is in me has been
times without number publicly attested
by members of another political faith
than my own. t&s
+, On my recent visit to Indiana my at
tention was called to a blazing cross
alongside of the railroad track where
the car in which was had to pass.
and, I was informed that this was in
tended as defiance by the Klan of my
presence in the State, although came
there not only as the candidate of
great party for the highest Office in the
Nation but as the chief executive Of
another State.
What a hollow mockery-men pro-
fessiys a belief in Christianity and In
Americanism to find 1t necessary to
raise between heaven and earth the en-
b,erf OF the Christian faith as def
euce tn me because of nv religious be-
liefl Nothing would be so out of line
with gAmericen tradition and American
history. Nothing could be go far re-
moved from the thoughts, the espira-
tions>, and the ideals OF America I
would rather go down to ignominious
defeat than to be raised to the greatest
position in the gift Of the people by
any influence that may be exerted by