North Carolina Newspapers

THE CHARLOTTE NEWS, DECEMBER 27, 1914 11 fill Germany And Russia Form Alliance? uch Is rk. Dec. -o. International tion, the pact will join the "scraps of 'ale? in New York have Paper" which litter Europe. K.ni,.j ntn H is known that both Russia and 1 "nl fi VnrUn V, Z FrSnCe haVe alread' bee restiVe UQ' ''!' renoT tha" L'otia"- der the faiIure of EnSIand to aid in 1 f ,ot for an adfustment 'protecting Belgium from Germany by ' 'M , n Ruilf and Ger-rushins lare masses of troPs across ,,; ,01 Kubsia s itnarawai toward the -Allies as evidenced by her . "brins the two nations to 1 VeCTUiUSg fher Ja?U-re l u .;;, viu are being mafle German fleet, which m the Baltic Ve of the most powerful in- lsf -a constant m?nace o Russia, and "be world, a medium friend- th masons might readily be given ,! , ' t for Russia s withdrawal from the war. f- is definitely known that . . , ,.., .nH , ir, c,i, rfc v: "orm u ion ..,,irU-r' Whave caught the atten- ' ' nations ation given the preliminary indicates that there may .:v.orse from Europe a new . s ialiering all predictions ' , outcome of the present war , on the maps of Europe J " vtrica new boundaries and i :-.nd T''- . unthought of when the i"V" " T " y U1" LCU ""'' wi" "?v i'Unsuess of Russia to con-; eaco tiact with Germany is i ihe failure of the Austrian '; i e lpren?lnttrv1io found thernselves united ' Pv-Im fishing Germany, will be suddenly j mobilization. With Servia's o: ibilitv to protect her own Russia real interest in the j cMeflv tS aid the world for the seizure of the connecting rail i: o"GreL MHi a the fear that Russia, '": which Russia has had an i at psace lth Germany, will again a - - husla nas naa an move to secure warm ports in the Pa- version. i cxsct terms on which the nego .hp being conducted are not -.Civvr.. ; :t it is understood that the Zlr ir-rusite of Russia is the unfet- ; of the Black Sea and the PrW in peace or in war. It is ;crt-: eapd that the Czar will face T j rcr : ct" Great Britain and France v : exacting a huge quid pro quo 4;; ft-rrziiany, and the warm water The lower Black Sea, which E::.;a ras desired for years, will be ar ' tl'.e price of peace. Hft- lack of warm water ports has a:3 peu regarded by Russia as '.::ef reason for her failure to be ,c;: as important on the seas as Eng ani. .acking a more direct outlet ;i:-:c::t for them' on the Pacific n::: Japan drove her from Port Ar ?':e is now double-tracking the Traa; Si' erian Railway, and later the i:;erio'a of her acquisition of 'ports .jn Pacific is expected to be re- )Ian.vhiie. there awaits on the Back Sea a haven for Russia's Navy ai unsold commercial opportunity if :;.e freedom of the Black Sea and the Dardanelles can be secured. The cerroleura and minerals of the Cau tasus. the cereals of the steppes and he crowing manufacturing activities o: R-sia all would have an outlet. Iniev such conditions Batum on the lower Black Sea, would probably soon ci'-nin Odessa and other Russian tcrts less favorably located- Thar Germany is now in a position to ia-rr.re Russia's plans for extension on Black Sea is believed by those i.ave followed developments m Ttt: 'ar. Ir has been demonstrated : :dr Germany practically governs a .;ey. Gen. von der Goitz, recently , ahary Governor of Belgium, and j ro trained the Turkish armies from t to ls5. is now in Turkey on i in. ' i rant mission. He is by offi :ai .'p; 'ointment a Turkish pasha, d i a: this moment the Turkish -: y of War. in;p th; outbreak of war between una the Allies, Egypt, nomi il'.y .i-der the sovereignty of Tur- lias Veen taken over as a posses .' ot Great Britain. This carries i- the Suez Canal, which, under 'Ki:t- of the original agreement, 1 ;! i huve reverted to Turkey in .derstood that the return or he Suez Canal to the com- ros.-v-ssion of Turkey is the re- ru whira is being held out to the sovernment for acquiescence '' H-.ss.Vs. designs on the Black Sea. '' : warded as certain that if the : ions now under way are con-. 'te-o'i it' tie difficulty will be met with ;n. ;ri!-jr Turkey's consent to any n:;:; Cerrasny may demand. German rr! .e;:, with Turkey which rose tri : win over that of England .:a"fj''.?; the decisive diplomacy of 's'schai von Biberstein, is now such ; at Germany's lead will be blindly fol- !' t- ! ointed out in connection with ! lc "recent situation that Russia has t- opposed Germany"s commercial illfbisf rial aoHvitioc in TnrlfftV . in- '-nu fir plan to extend her rail-; and commerce to the Persian Great Britain, on the contrary. "as i.nvavs hitterlv nrntested asainst j c ' -.lioiuii Ul VJCl tXICLLI lUllUllvv an explanation of Russia's pas siveness it is hinted that long before present war broke out German fad Rup-ian diplomats had discussed sn agreement practically along the I'es of the negotiations now pend- The seizure of Egypt by Great cruam has given Germany the final . erase needed to brin i'r-te infn fVio Iot. .Turkey com- Tke iniportance of the pending ne ?oua!ions on the future of Europe can not Hp minimized. It has become latent, since the war opened that Ger many g real objective in the war is wear Britain. There has been no petial QTiarrel or grievance against J large extent a friendly tone to av'i Doth these nations has been aiatained by both the press and oflft--lais of Germany, against England the j . 01 enmity have been increased '-';'e'Ty means in Germany's power. j,1' pact between Great Britain, va and France entered upon portly after the opening of the war nl under which it is agreed that the e nations shall act jointly in mak- eaCe flnH nnt cunnratuiT is Tirvt Terra A ' ji-cxi w-ij , j .w- -eai-dea as an obstacle to the negotia 'oii.s between Germany and Russia. u is pointed out that this is an eeit founded upon self interest, JJJ. tnat if it is found by any of the ati.jna concerned that its self interest s more stronaly in another direc-'of ihe Retort, In the event that this happens, Ger many will bend all of her oower to the disruption of England France .wi18168" as m?re or less negligible quantity, and with augment tJ'JX?6 S$W ea8tef der; nd Wlth tne fighting popula- " v. . u quality Germany will continue the "l . , &Ti T UU.BU uas hadmv fro the beginning. Tn withdrawal of Russia from the an luiyunaui eiLtJcu upon tne situation in the Orient, and indirectly affect the United States. The growing cor- JJi? ?w Ja?an and . Rsia, shattered - Dtiau me Li! SffU.f cific as a connecting link with the commerce'which she plans to build up through the Baltic Sea. Bryan Just Escapes Violating the Law of The Old Dominion Washington, Dec. 26. Secretary of State-Bryon locked his peace treaties in his desk Christmas morning, took down his shotgun, and declared war on rabbits. He hunted manv miles through snow in the Virginia hills and then came back without a single cot tontail. He had not even seen a rabbit's track. . He was horrified to learn on his return to Washington that his ill luck as a hunter was all that prevented his being a law breaker. He didn't know there was a law in Virginia for bidding rabbit hunting while there is snow on the ground. "I am glad to say that I returned guiltless of any rabbit's blood," said Bryan; "but I enjoyed it just as much as if we had caught something.' New Jeweler at Roark's. Mr. R. E. Ford, formerly of Cumber land, Md., has been engaged by B. F. Roark, the jeweler, as watchmaker and engraver. Mr. Ford has teen a resident of Charlotte before, having been with the Little-Long Co., as well as Roark-. ADVERTISEMENT To The Charlotte News. ; I am of the opinion that King David was fighting something likecigarettes. coca cola or tainted money when he wrote the thirty-eighth Psalm," for in the nineteenth verse he exclaims: "Mine enemies are lively!" "Mine enemies" are not so very num erous for most everybody seems to' be with me, but those that are against me are certainly "lively." I have had scarcely a dull moment since shortly after my now famous discourse on tainted money" was first published. By the way, it is interesting to note how often the battle line has shifted since the "war" first began. As every one knows, my primary purpose was not to go particularly after coca-cola or cigarettes either, but assuming or arguing that both of these were perni cious, my primary purpose was to get rafter the Methodist church for accept ing the proceeds of the sale of articles whose use was harmful, and thus well nigh destroying the ability of the Church to combat successfully these growing evils. This primary purpose has in a large measure been los sight of, somewhat to my regret, but I pro- nns lntpr nrt in thi nrtiHp nr "'war rep0rt," or whatever you may term it, ito Come back to a discussion of my original proposition and to disclose , i. 1 t juiiicw licit iiiui c jjitaiiv Liie uuiuuoc a have in mind in all this. ' .T . An Explanation. To those a'my friends who might be disposed to criticise me for what seems, to be- the unreasonable length of this communication,-1 beg to -remind them that I am replying to num erous attacks, from several different sources! I am trying to make one "bom bardment'r,answer all of these attacks and, therefore, it is necessarily long. However, gentle reader, I flatter my self by saying that if you will begin reading this article, I believe you will read it to the end, notwithstanding its length. It gets hotter and hotter un til down towards the end you will al most be able to smell something burn ing! Go on, and see. While you are reading, don't forget my four Forts: My Anti-Cigarette Fort; my Anti-Coca-Cola Fort; my Anti-Tainted-Money Fort; and my Freedom-of-the-Press Fort. I am com pelled to fire from all of them today. A good many guns have been fired on me since my last report, and I think the tmblic is entitled to a fur- ther. report of the progress of the war. I shall find it necessary to mix my metaphor and violate all rules of rhetoric; but then war, like poetry, knows no rhetoric. So here goes. Fort Guthrie. I am glad to report that the guns Fort Guthrie have ceased firing. PETROGHAD SAYS R 1 1 HT II I ft 1 1 fl B H H n I I n 1 1 ill H Hllim L a MnlLnl nuui inn. a univii mum HAS COLLAPSEI Petrograd, via London, Dec. 26 The war expert of the Novoe Vremya, in a summary of the war published to day refers to what he calls the "col lapse of the Austrian campaign in Galicia; the lack of cohesion on the part of the German armies to the north of Cracow, and the dogged perserver ance, but with waning spirit of the Germans at Sochaczew," which he says describes the situation inxPoaad. Going into details this observer says: "The lack of the success of the Aus trian army on the Sanok-Lisko front devitalized all thetAustrian operations in Galicia. The fate of Przemysl has been a weighty factor with the Austrian general staff, which placed great importance on the co-operation of the garrison of this fortress with the army advancing through the Pez laboretz pass. The unsuccessful sor ties of the garrison of the fortress and the failure to effect a junction with the field army caused the collapse of the entire Austrian plan. The Przemysl sorties were the last feverish efforts of the garrison's expiring energy. "Following the failure of the Aus trian army on the Sanok-Lisko line. the writer in the Novoe Vremya, goes . on, "their "entire campaign weakened so that our counter attacks became more and more effective. Finally the Russian armies took the offensive along the entire front. The Austrians lost all interest in their third Galician campaign when they failed to relieve Przemysl." ZEPPELIN DROPS I BOMBS Oil CITY OF NANCY Paris, Dec. 26, 3:55 p. m. A des patch received here from Nancy says that a Zeppelin airship flew over that city early this morning and dropped a total of fourteen bombs. Two persons were killed and two others wounded. Several houses in Nancy were slightly damaged, but none of the public buildings was injured. This is the first report of any hos tile activity by a Zeppelin airship against a French city. The last nota ble exploit of a Zeppelin was over Antwerp when such a ship flew over that Belgian seaport in the early weeks of the war and threw down bombs. . Nancy has a population of about 100,000. It is due east from Paris, and about ten miles from the German frontier. The Berlin official announcement of today said that German airmen had thrown medium sized bombs into the outskirts of Nancy In retaliation for the throwing of . bombs by a French airman into an unnamed German vil lage. " This denouement came most unexpect edly one night this week. While I was watching Fort Guthrie I saw, very much to my gratification, that a shell was being fired from this source in de fense of my Freedom-of-the-Press Fort, and this was followed by another shell from the same source which rose high and, burst in the Heavens and there ap peared in great fireworks letters, the words: "Love to everybody! Good night!" I then saw the commander of Fort Guthrie withdrawing for good from his fort. After such a brilliant exit from the field of battle, I hated to call him back, but was compelled to do sc.-1 have requested him to remain in the fight long enough to get for pub lication the letters that passed be tween the Coca-Cola Company and the Charlotte Observer relating to the act of the Coca-Cola Company in with drawing its advertising patronage from the Observer on account of my ser mon on "tainted money." After that is done, we are going to excuse Reverend-Captain Guthrie for good and all. Fort Everything. This Fort has been exceedingly ac tive. The Commander has not only been firing broadside after broadside through the columns of his own pa per, but has "butted in" to the Char lotte News and published his attack on me there at so much "per quod era." I regret to say that Col. Fairbrother has allowed some vitriol and mudto get mixed in with his ammunition. - I do not know him very well, but I am informed that he is a courageous and high-toned solider, and this being true, he must have allowed these ingredients to get in by oversight. My experts tell me, however, that no ammunition fired at us which contains either vitriol or mud does any of my Forts any harm. My own guns are not yet equipped with a mud-slinging attachment, but perhaps this may be added at the arse nal. Col. Fairbrother convinced himself that cigarettes were harmful and he, therefore, declined any advertisement of cigarettes, which was very credita ble to him. He examined into coca cola and became convinced that it was harmless and accepted the advertise ment, and surely no fair minded per son could complain of him in this re spect, except as to the fulness of his Investigation. The point of complaint, however, is that he should become so enamored of coca-cola as not to be able to discuss the question without casting aspersions upon men who are surely entitled to as much respect as he claims for himself. Any person who will take occasion to read his at tack on me will see the pertinency of these remarks. I "coould but feel my head swelling Just a little when I discovered that Col. Fairbrother was getting after the editors of the state for following me in the matter of the freedom of the press. My position, which I believe is the same as that of all the editors -who j have spoken, except Col. Fairbrother, is that a newspaper should not become a, sla7,e of its counting room; that it A commit itself t0 any ad vertiser that it would feel compelled in protection of him to exclude from its columns any criticism of the adver tiser's business. As I have stated be fore, the provision in the Constitution as to the freedom of the press, was in tended to protect it from the foes without, but if the counting room is to be the dominant factor in running a newspaper, then we need some consti tutional amendment to enforce the freedom of the press against the foes within. A Ridiculous Canard. But as a last resort Col. Fairbroth er and some others who are attacking me say that I was au "anonymous scribbler" because my sermons were not signed with my name. In the light of the facts this is the most ridicu lous charge of all. When I handed in my first sermon to the Observer I told the editor that I was signing a pen name not for the purpose of conceal ing my identity, but to make my pro ductions impersonal and I told ! him to tell who I was to any one wishing to, know. The jjay I handed in my Tainted Money sermon I distinctly sug gested to the editor that he make an editorial reference to the article and tell that I was the author, because as to that particular sermon I wished it known that I was the author, but the editor did not see proper to follow this suggestion. The next day after it was printed in the Charlotte Observer I sent copies of it to the News and Ob server and the Statesville Landmark, requesting the editors to publish it and requesting them to state that I was the author of it, both of them com plied with both of these requests. Be sides that two (2) weeks before my Tainted Money sermon appeared in print I stated to a crowded church on Tryon street that I ( was the sinner. But apart from all this the 'thing that makes the charge grotesquely absurd is that the article which was rejected was not an anonymous article, but was signed as follows: "Charles W. Til lett; Alias, Carolus; Alias, The Sin ner." I do not know what other ridicu lous charges are being brought against me in various parts of the state, but I hope this explanation will dispose of the canard above mentioned. Fort Candler. There is an ominous silence at this Fort. I would like it much better if I could hear the "barking" of the guns of Fort Candler. It may be that instead of sending the steam roller which the Superior Court Judge "warned me against, they may be fitting up a Zep pelin and suddenly this monster of the air may appear above me and drop bombs upon me sufficient to destroy ' all of my Forts. Or, it may be that Fort Candler is preparing to send out its best submarine, U-ll, for the pur uose of torpedoeing Commodore John eon's" battleship. I shall have to send a warning at once to Commodore Johnson to protect my Navy against such a disaster. Mount Duko. Nothing doing. The Commander of this, Fort is a veteran of many such wars as this. I have about come to the conclusion that he thinks "discretion is the better part of valor," and I really do not believe we are going to have any shots fired on us from this direction at least none such as anybody can see. Fort Charlotte News. This, Fort, after having remained quiescent for two weeks, has opened up and fired on me from four stand points, viz., the News and Observer, the Statesville Landmark, the Greens boro News, and the editorial columns of the Charlotte News. The headlines in the News and Observer above Col. Dowd's attack, read, "W. C. Dowd goes after C. W. Tillet." Col. Dowd's complaint is the one which become somewhat hackneyed, viz., that I am violating the rules of equitable warfare. He charges that I am wrongfully putting him before the people of North Carolina as an editor who was unwilling to open his columns to me for the purpose of discussing the moral questions which underly this controversy. Dropping for a while the allegory, let me say that Mr. Dowd will not deny that he published my communi cation very reluctantly, even as an advertisement, and he will not deny that in his editorial "reply" to my "ad vertisement" he defended both cigar ettes and coca-cola. He certainly does not mean to make the impression that he was willing to publish my. reply to Mr. Guthrie free of charge as a -com-municaton, because that would put me in the attitude of being forty-nine times an ass in insisting on .paying him forty-nine "plunks" for that which I could have had published free of charge. Mr. Dowd contends that he has al ways 1 stood for righteousness on all public questions. I do not care to deny that proposition further than to say, that on these particular publio questions he has stood for cigarettes and coca-cola. Col Fairbrother has attacked cigarettes; Rev. Mr. Guthie has defended the freedom of the press; Dut Mr. jjowa aione oi au who are opposing me, has not said a solitary word in defense of any of -my positions. If he is willling to come out and help me on any one of these great questions, then I beg him to Fire one clear shot, - From out a clear sky, That goes to the spot, "And hits the bull's eye! (Poetry original). Fort Clerico. Fort Clerico is a new fort that is attacking me, Reverend Captain C. S. Kirkpatrick, of Mooresville, N. C, commander. He is firing through tne columns of my noblest allyr the Statesville Landmark, - a paper that very properly prints everything pro and con without charge. The griev ance of Reverend-Captain Kirkpatrick is, that I have insisted that the Meth odist church does not go after the cigarette business as it should. He seems to think he has completely de stroyed my position - when he . has quoted at great length the somewhat intermittent resolutions passed at the various sessions of the Methodist Conference condemning cigarettes, l have no doubt that brother Kirkpat rick (I shall not give him a mili tary title any longer) is a fine young man, but when he has attained the experience which "the sinner" has, arising out of a long and varied career, then brother Kirkpatrick will find out that the most usual way to put a question to sleep is to give it "dope" (not coca-cola) by passing resolutions and stopping there. These are generally like the resolutions ot respect for the dead; they are the last thing done. What I want to see the Methodist preachers do is go after the cigarette business and the manu facturers of cigarettes like our own "Bob" Glenn goes after the whiskey business and the manufacturers ot whiskey. Suppose, brother Kirkpatrick should go after cigarettes and - the manufacturers of cigarettes and tell these manufacturers of cigarettes that they were engaged in a . perni cious and damning business; and sup: pose, while he was going after the cigarette manufacturers in" this way be should have Mn Duke in his audi? ence and Mr. Duke should arise and ask him how he - could ' have the "cheek" to talk that way when the Metuodist church was enjoying the profits of the sale of cigarettes and when the church had pronounced Mr. Duke as perhaps the greatest bene factor and -philanthropist that the South has ever known; what Teply would brother Kirkpatrick make to such a question from Mr. Duke? General Conference on Tobacco. But brotner Kirkpatrick in order to show how vigorously the Methodist church is . going after " tobacco, has seen fit to refer to the action of the last general conference upon this question. Well, according to this sin ner's view, that was about the fun niest performance that any great Church Council ever "pulled off." It is worthy to go down as the great comedy of Ecclesiastical history. This great Legislature of tne Church solemnly enacted a law in words as follows: - "Section 148. The Committee on ad-1 mission shall require all applicants! for admission on trial to agree to ab-, stain from the use of tobacco." Now comes the funny part. At least thVee of the Bishops smoke like tar kilns, and Heaven knows how many other high dignitaries of the church. Some of these smokers are my inti mate and close personal friends, but this does not keep me from seeing the humor of the situation. The fact that the enactment above quoted says nothing about those who are already addicted to the use of tobacco, im plicitly grants to them what, in olden times among the Roman Catholic Pon tiffs, used to be called "indulgences." Here stand two preachers at the an nual Conference, both addicted to the use of tobacco. One of them is on the inside of the Conference and the other one is on the outside. No church legislation affects the man on the inside in respect to this habit and he can go on smoking, at least, to the end of his days; but the poor fellow who is on the outside may knock in vain for admittance and they will nev er let him in until he "swears off." Can you imagine a funnier situation than to have one of these ' "Holy Fathers" who is now a smoking BishoD taking: into the Church preacher who is already addicted to the use of tobacco, and refusing to admit the aforesaid tobacco user as a member of the Conference until he vows total abstinence, and as soon as the Bishop lays his hands on the minister and pronounces the benedic tion, he seizes a cigar and proceeds to fill the air with tobacco fumes. Really, brother Kirkpatrick, aren't you sorry you alluded to that action of the General Conference on tobacco. .Must be Convinced Beyond Doubt. But the funniest part of Mr. Kirk Patrick's article is that part in which he in effect says that he will not attack coca-cola until we can prove "beyond any doubt its baneful effect." When did, the Methodist preachers begin to talk that way aDout warn ing people against dangers? He means to resolve every doubt in favor ot coca-cola. How different he is from another Methodist preacher in this state who, writing me warm words ot commendation, says: "I am so glad that you have at tacked the coca-cola and cigarette business so bravely. As teacher and minister, I have been brought face to face with those two pernicious, habit forming stimulants and am persuaded that they are, next to the whiskey traffic, two of the greatest evils in existence Stand by your forts and many of us will rally to your aid, for we are just awaiting an opportunity to turn loose our best guns upon the common enemy of our uprising generation." Really, - brother Kirkpatrick, . that letter is from a man in whom no doubt, you have the nighest confi dence and .whose judgment you would follow in- everything . else except his opinion of coca-cola. How many tes timonials like that would it take to cinvince you "beyond a doubt" as to the evil effects of coca-cola? Lake Junaleska Assembly Grounds. Here is something else for; brotn er kirkpatrick to reflect upon.' He does not know, perhaps, that the Board of Directors, or Central Man agers of that great Methodist sum mer resort, Lake Junaleska Assem bly Grounds, have, by common con sent, forbidden the sale of either ci garettes or coca-cola anywhere upon the Assembly grounds. These Direc tors or Managers took that action un questionably because they thougfit coca-cola was something more than merely "delicious and refreshing" and they believed that its use, like the use of cigarettes, was pernicious. All glory to them for this action! But in what position does this leave our great Church? Here we have the Church refusing to receive any profits from the sale of coca-cola and cigar ettes provided the sale is made upon the Church property, but if the sale is made anywhere else except on the ' Church property, then the Church will accept as a gift the. proceeds or gust as many sales as the Candlers and the Dukes may see fit to bestow upon the Church; and upon the acceptance of every such gift there will be great thanksgiving and rejoicing ana great pfaise of the noble, Christian benefac tors However, a little thing like that would doubtless be no embarrassment to brother Kirkpatrick. Demolishing a Windmill. On the-other hand, instead of supporting- me in my attack on edea cola, Mr. Kirkpatrick joins Col. Fair brother in trying to cast contempt on my argument against coca-cola. Both of these gentlemen take.-my little joke about the glass of coca cola that I drank some eighteen years ago, and out of this little joke thev make a great windmill, and tnen these two, like Don Quixote and Sancho Panza, as Knight-Errants de Coca-Cola they assault the wind mill and demolish it, and then stand ready to proclaim that they have "won the war" and vindicated coca cola. , There is something about this coca cola that seems to blind its advocates so that they cannot see the force of any arguments against it.. They seem to ignore the statements of great ex perts like Dr. Wiley, the great educa tors of the country who have charge of the young men, and the social ser vice workers and eminent physicians. Well, all I can say is, that if they will not believe these testimonials against coca-cola, then they would not believe though one of these victims should arise from the dead and should tell the gruesome tale Of how this D-O-P-E brought him to the Charnel house through the tortuous course of wrecked nerves. -'Brother Kirkpatrick "protests in the beginning ofv his article that he is not going to " defend coca-cola, and ; yet he" uses about one-fourth of Eis space in doing that very thing. Methodist Preachers Embarrassed-' Reverend Kirkpatrick is also pro mulgating which should not appear to .be an old "gag", that. I am attacking the Methodist preachers as a class. I have asserted, and I still assert, that Methodist preachers, one and all, feel either estopped or greatly embarrass ed in making any attack on cigarettes and coca-cola, because the Church to which they belong is "feeding" in part on both cigarettes and coca-cola. Who is there that would not be embarrass ed by such a situation? If the Meth odist preacher attacks coca-cola and cigarettes and he does a complete job is he not obliged also to attack, the Church that is profiting by the very thing that he is condemning, upon, the ground that the Church ought not to encourage any pernicious business by accepting the proceeds arising from the business. Not Attacking Methodist Preachers. Let me make my position clear. I do not believe that the Methodist preachers as a - rule are under the dominion of the money power, and as I have stated frequently, I will trust the rank and file of these veterans to do the right. They will when aroused, push the battle line forward and "the gates of hell shall not prevail against them." However, as stated , above, I think all Methodist preachers are em barrassed by the situation in which they are placed, because I do not .be lieve that while many of them are now attacking both cigarettes and coca-cola, they all do, nevertheless, suffer from the embarrassment of the situation, In this connection, I would like to refer to a great Methodist, revival that was held somewhere in North Carolina not a great while ago. It was reported that there was at this meeting a "gracious outpouring of the Spirit" and God forbid that I should controvert that fact. I did not attend the meeting, but I have information from the most reliable sources that at this meeting which was conducted by two of the "high-ups" in the Church, every form of sin and wickedness, in eluding drinking, lasciviousnes.s, gambling, and the like, and not omit ting dancing, card playing and theater going, were boldly attacked; every thing you could think of except, cig arettes and the 'dope' habit, I won der if my brother Kirkpatrick will not agree with me that these subjects were omitted on account of the em barrassment that the aforesaid minis ters experienced in attacking the Church's sources of revenue? We could hardly reach the conclusion that the omission to mention these was "accidental." I have an humble purpose to aid in liberating these noble Methodist preachers from the thraldom of these untoward circumstances. My motives have been assailed from every stand point, out I nave a set purpose to ac - compnsn, u possiuie, a great lasn. i hear some derisive voice ask how I, who am but a pigmy, expect to ac complish a task fit only for one who was able to perform the labors of Hercules. It does, indeed, seem a great undertaking for one occupying my position, but "Tall oaks from little acorns grow!" Theological Demagoguery. In praising the Methodist preachers, please bear in mind that I do not in tend to praise them all. I had a let ter a few days ago from one of the foremost young Methodist ministers of this state, and in this letter, while speaking of the manner in which a certain church problem had been han dled, this learned young Doctor of Divinity said that the proper settle ment of the matter had been pre vented "through ecclesiastical dema goguery and dictation." Right you are, my worthy brother. I go you one bet ter. There are more thaflfone of these Ecclesiastical Demagogues high up; indeed, still higher up. I go a little further and ' say that, in my humble judgment, no ecclesiastical body has ever suffered quite so much from ec clesiastical demagoguery in high ranks as has the Southern Methodist Church. I said something then, and you will please watch the result. . If you throw a stone into a flock of chickens, the hit rooster is going td squawk. Listen for the "squawk"! -The Tocsin Has Been Sounded. . All Methodist preachers who take a bold stand upon these questions lay themselves liable to counter, attacks from the aforesaid theological dema gogues who-may be over. them. That is where a layman like myself has the advantage of the preachers in making this fight, because there is nothing that these political Fathers of the Church can do to me. But I do not believe that I would be deterred even if I were subject to their authority. However, thank God there are preachers who stand ready to "speak out in meeting" and boldly express their honest convictions. : Some of them have already done so. Yes. the tocsin has been sounded; the alarm has been-rung! Hear what a brave' preacher occupying the pulpit of one of the foremost churches k in the Western North Carolina Conference has said within two "weeks' passed. J find it quoted in the Statesville Land mark of December 18th. This man of God preaching upon the courageous words of Saint Paul. 'Where the Spirit of the Lord Is, there is liberty, closed his brave sermon with these words: "The question before America today, is not the question of 'tainted money, but a question of tainted men. It. is a question as to whether money alone can control American manhood, whether money can control the chan nels of American thought and the sources of public opinion in this country. It is a question as to whether we shall allow the colunms of our newspapers to' become directly or in directly subsidized; it is a question as to whether the faculties of our Amer ican colleges can be trained to hear their Master's voice, before they, speak to the young men in their class rooms; it' is a question as to whether the 'source of endowments shall have any influence in the " shade' of . opinion taught in our theological seminaries, or proclaimed from American pulpits." ; Does it hot make yonr Methodist blood tingle to read words like that? Does it not make you hold your Meth- a more wefied atmosphere? Many more are talking just in that way, and the time is coming rapidly when we i are not going to accept either a Duke or a Candler as the Lord High, Almoner of the Church. For myself,-1 want to say that I am A against accepting these munificent benefits from any source, whether a Duke, a Candler of a Carnegie, if any of them come in such way as that the result is brought about to which the brave preacher above quoted from re- ' f ers, viz.,' that "the source of endow- ments shall have any influence in the shade of opinion'taught in our theolog ical seminaries or proclaimed from ' and out to the acceptance of any gifts 'from any sources that will in the slightest particular embarrass us as a' Church, in attacking any form of wrong; I want to see our young men -come out of our institutions of learn- n? nrt that thev mn v stand "fnnr. square to all the world" and not feel. ; themselves under any obligations to any man or class of men whOBe busi- ti ass h narniotniis ' Not Attacking VYine of Cardtri. But : this article is getting so hot ' that the printer -may have to use as bestos DaDer unless I cool it down.. I, therefore, shift, over to another subject and ask leave to, say to the written me in reference to the fight going on against the. Wine of.Cardui : and the good Methodist brother who is, manufacturing and selling it, that I have all that I can attend to in my x scrap with the cigarette and coca-- cola people, and in discussing tainted money and the freedom of the press. It seems that this Wine of Cardui has bo mucn oi me reverend in it, tnat - 1 J! KlL it . ml m it is troubling the . reverends, but T ask that you will, kindly excuse , me from . "butting in" to the fight . on brother Patton out in Tennessee . Finally Brethren. ft CfKlT finally Hl"Ck4'1-l-t'n T Am vs. ceivlng letters from all over the state saying, "We read ith pleasure all you say." "Write some more." "Hit 'em again!" On the other hand, nearly all of my critics speak of my long dis courses which evidently are very bor- mg to them. I have no doubt that ii i. ; i . i . :. . i r inese amcies nave ueen too long, Dut i have had so mainy attacking me from so many different standpoints that it has been impossible to be brief. Be-1 sides that, I rather feel flattered, that my communications are boring to the "enemy." I am reminded of a story which is frequently told and which runs on this wise: Hon. F. I. Osborne, of this city, was formerly Solicitor prosecuting criminals in the Judicial District which included Charlotte and Monroe. It is doubtless true that there : never was a, uoiuer or more.eioquenv prosecuting, officer than he. On one occasion in the town of Monroe, he was trying a defendant charged with some offense and was making before the jury a terrific and scathing ar- oner at the bar. While Solicitor Os- : borne was speaking, the defendant '- went out on the streets of Monroe and told his friends that that fellow Os borne was making the most boring speech he had ever heard! I hope "mine enemies" will see the point of the anecdote. CHAS. W. TILLETT. i charlotte, N- C. Dec. 24th, 1914, To the Public: advertising colums of the Charlotte $30 this time. While this article Is a good, deal longer than the other one, vet. it. seems that. T et rpriiipA raten i . - o r WVWS. on account of Its length.- Thus, I am . glad to say a "long haul" cost me less than a "short haul," which is very grat ifying to a man who is as long-winded as I .am. ' jvir. uowu lniorms me tnat ms rea- m T- 3 s B j t ' t sdn for declining to put this in free as a communication is that others on the other side of the question are try ing to get into The News, and he. is refusing to admit them unless they pay. I do not know whether he is at tacking them in the editorial columns of his paper, but if he is, I think he ought to let them reply to his editorial attack without, charging them. - You people perhaps read Mr. Dowd's protestation that I was treating him nnfairlv in TnVin tr 4t gntuor fhat ha wouia not give me access to nis paper . without requiring pay from me. I am , nut oyer ueic m iub au y ei using uoi U ill 11 J.1UJLU V-UUitC, UUl II um UClBBllJ. The only Vthing in connection with mis waoie an: air which mr, jjowa aas notice that I gave out to the Press of the state that I was not going to run for governor or any other office to which the people could elect me. For some reason that notice went -in The News free. " , Up tor date the; benefits derived by the Charlotte News from this con- v ajr .axe C.E3 iuuvno. First: An ODDortunitv for the News to pose before the public as the great aavocate oi qivic ngnteousness- - i i t : Second: An opportunity to defend cigarettes and a retention of the ciga- rette advertisement.-.--. Third: An opportunity to defend coca-cola and a retention of the coca-" cola advertisement. ' - Fourth: Getting from me in- all about ninety dollars of my hard-earned money, in consideration, of publishing for me "two pieces" (including this one) and' a "witty little ditty'' and let ting me. have a few hundred copies of the News.. j? ii ill. vjrcLiiiig uuui vui. r oil uruw- Truest-. n.iti. ni -m: v er about $30 for publishing his at-r tack on me. . Sixth:. The- criticising of :me in" its editorial columns and forcihs me to reply in advertising columns. , ' , You see I am criticised editorially, but have to reply advertising-ly. . And then 1 am. criticised again editorially and have to reply again, advertising-ly. Thus the News has made for itself one of these endless chains, with cups od It, which goes down intermittently into ualiy drawing iip my "plunks" ;. and throwing, fchem over into the great big tin bucket which the paper has at the The only thing I am now concerned a?iAiif tc rv laorn tirvur lrm r f will Vko at the present rate, before. the Char- l.ii. . " .",11 1 IT T . . , lotie iNews wui nave an 1 possess vls a result of this .newspaper, coritro-' versy. - ' - : CHAS. , W, TILLETT. 'Dec- 26th, 1914. , - T. .