Evening Republican, Volume 20, Number 170, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 17 July 1916 — Twenty Signed a Petition to Hang Preachers [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

Twenty Signed a Petition to Hang Preachers

a NNISTON, AT.A-—To demonstrate the truth of his contention that the A average business man is so compliant he will sign almost any petition put before him in evident good faith, one of the most prominent business men of

Anniston circulated among 30 leading business men of this city a petition that the city council appoint a committee to hang every minister of the Gospel in the town, and 20 signatures were promptly attached. The petition started by asking th£ city council to adopt an ordinance ext eusing the ministers from paying a ■Unitary tgx. The document was couched in legal language and ambled along with numerous “whereas” and

“wherefore" until the final paragraph - - 4 was reached, when it shown that, in order to make paytnent of the tax unnecessary, the mlnlsterkwould have to be hanged. After the joke on the signers, many of whom are conservative, influential bankers, manufacturers and merchants, became generally known some of them san to cover by declaring they knew all along it was a joke. \ „