Brownsville herald. [volume] (Brownsville, Tex.) 1910-current, 1928-10-11
CLAIM CHURCH
Is Being used
BY POLITICIANS
Sensational Charges
Made B. Sena
Glass In Address at
Roanoke, Va.

ROANOKE, Va, Oct. 1l.-AEencies
Of the Methodist church are being
used for %"illicit political purposes
charged a statement read last night
By Senator Carter Glass at the big
democratic rally held at the city
auditorium. Senator Glass said that
he had prepared the statement in
written form so that there would be
no danger of giving an impression
other than that intended.
The statement, one Of the most sig
nificant sections of his address, Is as
follows:
More than . hundred years ago
Edmund Burke declared that "the re-
ligionist in politics and the politician
in religion are equally a curse TO hu-
mar society" Multiplied evidences
of this fact abound before our very
eyes today.
Virginia newspapers were recently
the recipients OF an article sent out
from Nashville BY the Secular Press
Bureau OF the Methodist Episcopal
church, South, broadcasting an auth
orized statement by Bishop James
Cannon, Jr., charging certain dis
tinguished democratic senators and
me with betrayal Of the prohibition
cause for the sake of a purely par
tisan victory" The imputatlon was
not absted by the accompanying as
Sertion that Bishop Cannon very
highly respected" Senator'S Robson.
Swanson, George and Glass and for
mer Secretary Daniels. The two de-
clarations constitute a contradiction
in terms. No man of sense or Of
sensibility could highly respect men
when had betrayed a moral cause tor
an evil end.
This aside, the real significance OF
the incident is in the fact that y
furnishes incontestable evidence OF
dragging the Methodist church into
partisan politics by using its agen.
cies for Illicit political purposes
Upon the L timony Of a responsible
minister Of the church / learn that
this Secular Press Bureau is main.
tanned by the funds of the church
contributed by the membership gen.
orally. IL is here used to purvey &c
clesisstical defamation Of designated
members of the Methodist church
together with hundreds of thousands
of other loyal laymen, who, at the
ensuing election. will refuse to follow
Bishop Cannon's trek into the camp
of a political party the shocking i'm
moralities of which but recently
startled the nation.
The literary agencies of the Meth
odist church, sustained by the con
tributions OF its members, should No
more be used to circulate the vi
Imperative aspersions Of a bishop in
politics than TO convey kindred false
reproaches by laymen against
bishop Of the church. In either event
the pursuit would be disgraceful, as
IL distinctly is in this case. IL rs
giving currency 10 an accusation de.
void Of every semblance Of the truth
IL il prostitution Of 4 religious in
strumentality. II is a misappropri-
alton OF trust funds. II II no whit
less than malfeassnce Of authority
against which. a. a moderate con
tributing member Of the Methodist
church and it's institutions, | enter
protest IN my own right and IN the
names of thousands Of other lsymen
who do not intend 70 be driven, BY
bishop or prelate. into the support OF
q political party that has hated and
oppressed our people and whose EN-
bidAEAG0 ekNhE0ANth az NAh1 hNN"AN
are threatening, If they elect Hoover
10 reenfrsnchise millions Of negro
voters so as 20 insure for all time
republican supremacy.
Practically and in principle | was
prohibitionist long before these We.
hement churchmen were ever heard
Of in the cause and when It vas not
a popular fight 20 pursue. Nevei
in my life have I touched a drop OF
intoxicating drink nor have ] ever II
my life failed when occasion pre-
sented TO vote for its extinction
With this unimpeachable record
challenge the integrity Of any mar
Who asperses my fidelity 10 convic'
ton. and IL he be a bishop Of my
church or any other, so much the
worse for him. He will have dis.
carded the sacredotal nature Of his
office and descended 70 the level o.
those chesp politicians who have de.
PRAYED this presidential campaign BY
rersistently bearing false witness
against their ~neighbors.