Methodism In Politics

The tirón to invoive liio .ueuioui.-i Episcopal Cluirch in support of the prohibitlon party h;is not been i brilllant It lius bcL'ii shrewdly worked by nominating at the lieail of the ticket the past two campaigns two of the leatling Methoilists in the State, Preston and Dtokte. Two years i niiny il' not all the Methodist pastora of the state were furnislied with and solieited to dlstribute prohilntioM party literatura and the slips of its candiiUtes! And the pnblUhed list of speakers for the prohibition party contained the names of severa) Rev. (?) gentleiuen - someof tin-m Ifethodistl - whose serylccs were rated at from three to four dollars a night-ïeveral times Ic.-s Üihd the rate for the regular professional polltical speakers on the sanie list, wlio were not Reverend - nor peihaps reverent either. And this year we huar of the candidato fr Governor on the prohibidos ticket electioneerinr at the setdong of the conferences of the state. Yet notwithstanding these ftnd ollier atteinpts the gtttX inass of the Methodist church do not belicve In a politica! church any more than a state churob. And from v.uio.is paitl of the country we liear protesU against atteinpts to niisrepresent the church In this regard. Tliose who Iiave read the only official orran of the church "The N. tian Advocate," will have observed, that despite efforts of correspondcnts and professed temperance papers and prohibition party organs to the contra ry, Itl editor has clearly apprehended and concisely stated the differcnce betwoen belief in proliibition and fkitb In the proliibitiou polit.ical party. And he has just ab clearly and forcibly shown the dlffereace between expressins; tlie opinión of the Advocate as the organ of a great ('liurch - whose membership includes memben of all political partios- and expressiug the personal opinión of its editor who i8 perfectly tree to hold and exercise any political opinión he chooses, consistent with the religious belief of his church. (And it will not be asserted tliat the position of the Methodist Church is doubtful on the question of temperaoce more than upon other moral virtues.) Tliis relution of official and personal rlghta and datlei In an officia] editor its practically identical wlth tlie satne rights and (iuties of the pastor of a charge. And the Intelligent pastor has no more dilliculty in discharging of both dutiee than bas the intelligent editor. The Methodist church is too great and he cause of temperance too sacred to be limited by the narrow linos of any pollllcal party. A church that has given "a mlllloo dollars"' (lacking about seven thousand) the year just closed "for mUslons" and is building "more than two cliurches a dny" cannot afford to relinquish any of its broad dómalo, or to depend on any party however great or sraall. 'The world is its parlah"and thewhole people, rcgardless of political belief, alike eligible to its benefils and to share in its ministnitions, its uork, and ils lionor. lts discipline iinposcs no political conditions to membership. There is room and welcome, and freedom in the Metliodist Episcopal Cbarcfa to wolk for Methodism - not as ii1 il icians but as ('hristians - for democrats and repubücaus, greenbaokeri and prohl bitlonists, protectloaUta and free traden. Uut the churcli cannot be ridden or tradei or sold or deliveied. And it will be as sad a day fot a clinici as for .1 poHtloal party when eithei comes to depend only on the other for support. There is a contest over the ]luce of liiililing tlie next reunión of the Soldien and Sailora of South-Eastern Michigan, sii:ce Coldwater, Adrián, Junesvillc, l)v U's Lake and a score of ollier piare-; want it. Now Ann Arbor alsoought to t;o for it. Todo so $1,000 should be raised, for the other pluces offer to gire that sum. It would bring sevcral thousaiid Vtlitora to the city in the lummer-timi when everything is chili, and as there is no bette r place in the state than here at the seat of the uuiversity it can and should be brouglit to Ann Arbor. Col. Dean, Ciipt. Manly, and J. Q. A. Sessions have been Bppointed by the O. A. Ji. Co lee abont nldog the collateral. Mr. C. V. R. Poud, the present Labor Coiumissioner of the state bas tilled bis office with credit this term, and lic is a candidato for reuomination. It would be no more than right to give hhu a second tcrin ai be ¦ a entlemanof ability, ezperii'iice and good judment. The Demorcat tblnks that many democrats in this county refrained froni votin last electiou because they wished to rebuke President CJeveland'ii civil service policy.