The times-news. [volume] (Hendersonville, N.C.) 1927-current, 1933-07-08
.BAPTISTS ARE
ASKED TO AID
IN DRY fight
President Dodd Of South
ern Convention in Stand
Against Repeal

SHREVEPORT. July 8.-Dr.
I'M. E. Dodd, president of the
Southern Baptist Convention, to-
day issued the following appeal to
the four million Southern Baptlsts
who are members of the 24,OOO
churches of the denomination TOR
their support against the repeal
of the 18th amendment.
Dear Brethren: -,
"Since various states in the
territory of the Southern Baptist
Convention will soon have the OPP
portunity to vote again on wheth-
or or not the 18th amendment
shall be retained or repeaieu'
and, 80 .
! "Since Southern Baptist pas
tors evangelists, deacons. Sunday
school teachers and other leaders
and members, in the past, had
much to do with creating a South
solid against the liquor business;
! at seems imperative to me TO
issue the following statement ana
appeal as president of the South
ern Baptist Convention; :,
"The liquor traffic is a legal
outlaw, an economic outcast, an
intellectual imbecile, and a moral
derelict.
at is an outlaw because it is
not now, never has been, and, by
it's very nature never can be sub
ject to any legal restraint, regula-
ton or prohibition. Give it moth
ing legally and it will take an inch
but if we give it an inch 1T VIII
take a mile, liquor leaders being
witness. The Brewers journal Oh
May l, 1910 said: -
Ono matter what laws are
made to cripple beverage indus
tries, they cannot and will not be
observed by those managing these
industries
"You had as well try to regu-
late a rattlesnake, raging flood,
wild forest fire. The only thing
to be done with any of them is to
destroy them.
"The proposal to regulate the
liquor traffic is an apparition OF
ghostly dreams, hallucination of
illogical minds. fantasy of wild
imaginations, a chimera of eve
ming carousals.
"The liquor traffic stands con-
demned as a constituencies crlml-
nal before the bar of an enlight-
ened public conscience.
"The liquor traffic is an eco
nomic outcast because it cannot
be justified by any definition of
legitimate business. A legitimate
business transaction is one in
which both parties profit. In a
liouqor transaction both parties
lose oftentimes the seller more
than the buyer.
"The liquor traffic is an intel
lectual imbecile because no mind,
individual or group, can be nor
NAL when under the influence of
! intoxicants, directly or indirectly.
"The liquor traffic is a moral
derelict with no friend to do it
honor on moral grounds.
at is on moral grounds that
the battle must be fought out and
on these grounds liquor has al
ways lost.
"To repeal the 18th amend
ment would be to turn the wheels
of progress backward, to unseat
reason, to overthrow righteous
ness, and to upset social advance.
"What was once morally wrong
is still morally wrong. What is
morally wrong cannot be political
ly right. Sentiment may vacillate
but principe never changes.
"The writing of the Eighteenth
amendment into the Constitution
of the United States was the
greatest achievement in social en-
gineering and construction since
Jesus said: Love your neighbor
aS yourself,
practically all of the territory
comprising the Southern Baptist
Convention voted out the legal
lied liquor traffic. prior to the es-
tablishment of the 18th amend
ment.
"Our Baptist people have al
ways been opposed to a union be-
tween church and state-we are
still opposed to it. 49,.
"We are also opposed to the
union between the liquor traffic
and the state, and as good citi-
zens who love our country, love
our constitution, love our flag,
and who love the youth of the
land and the future welfare and
happiness of our people must
take our stand against the legal
lied liquor traffic. ~
81, M. E. Dodd, president of
the Southern Baptist Convention,
appeal to every Baptist pastor,
deacon, church officer and mem
Der to exercise the utmost of their
spiritual, moral, Intellectual and
political influence against the re-
peal of the 18th amendment to
the Constitution of the United
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