Salt Lake Tribune | 1919-11-11 | Page 12 | Preacher's Words Arouse Anger in Los Angeles Church

PREACHER'S WORDS AROUSE ANGER IN LOS ANGELES CHURCH By Universal Service. LOS ANGELES. Nov. 10. Federal authorities au-thorities today had under consideration charges made by persjns in the congregation congre-gation that the Rev. R. A. Torrey. dean of the Los Angeles Bible Institute, In his I sermon Sunday had voiced an attack against President Wilson and otherwise I made alleged seditious remarks. United States Attorney J. Robert O'Connor O'Con-nor slated he had been informed by a number of men and women who were present at the church services that they would voice a formal complaint. "This charge against the Rev. Mr. Torrey will he sifted to the bottom." said Mr. O'Connor. O'Con-nor. Persons who listened to the rermon quoted Dr. Torrey as declaring the league of nations to be "visionary, Impossible and deceiving." The subject of Mr. Tor-rey's Tor-rey's sermon, "How to Have a Qjilet Hour In These Troublous Times," was delivered de-livered at the "Church of the Open Door" in the Bible Institute building. In the opening chapters of the sermon Tomy described certain of President Wilson's accomplishments at tho peace conference concerning the league of nations na-tions as "visionary, Impossible and deceiving." de-ceiving." This started a buzz, of lll-r"pressed In-Idlgnatlon. In-Idlgnatlon. Then came another startling 1 utterance' when the preacher styled the i rnetnbers of the peace conference as "self-seeking, "self-seeking, cunning, cruel and unscrupulous men." A number of men and women arose and left the congregation. The preacher continued, con-tinued, saying, according to "I" manuscript manu-script given to the press: "America Is trailing her honor in the dust to gratify the ambitions of a president presi-dent who has sacrificed his country's Interests In-terests and his nation's honor and the acred rights of a fnlthful and trustful ally to bis own personal ambition and obsession." ob-session." Scores of the eongrrgntlon left the building build-ing nnd there were cries of "Traitor!" "Have him arrested!"