Washington sentinel., 1856-07-26
From the Chicago Times.
A Reverend Falsifier.

Some time ago we received through the post
Office printed copy of sermon, delivered by
the Rev. j. L. Roy, at the Plymouth Church in
this city. We made some extracts from it at
the time, to show the utter recklessness Of as
sertion displayed by the reverend gentleman.
With considerable reluctance, we pronounced
some Of the statements contained in that ser
mon to be wilful falsehoods.
Since that time the sermon of Mr.. Roy has
been peddled in the streets, and offered for sale
at the book stores in Chicago, without any
qualification Of the falsehoods, or any retrac-
ton OF them. The false and deliberate misrep-
reservations contained in that sermon, respect
ing Senator Douglas personally, induced him
to address letter TO Mr.. Roy stating the facts,
and requesting him to correct the misrepre.
sentation. That letter has been received by
Mr.. Roy, and that gentleman has had full op.
portunity to comply with the request. Having
failed to do so, and thus indicated his purpose
not to do an absent opponent justice, we feel
1t to be our duty to lay before the public copy
OF Senator Douglass letter to Mr.. Roy. That
letter is as follows:
WASHINGTON, Friday, July 4, 1856.
SIR learn from the newspapers that on
Sunday the lst day Of June, in sermon
preached by you in the Plymouth Congrega-
tional Church of Chicago, you deemed it your
duty to assai me personally and by name.
Referring to the affray between Mr.. Sumner
and Mr.. Brooks, you say: Douglas, Of giant
nfamy, stood by with his hands in his pocket"
Although have no personal acquaintance
with you, or knowledge Of your character as
citizen or minister Of the Gospel, my respect
for your profession and for those Christian
principles which it is your duty TO proclaim
and observe, induce me to take il for granted
that you would not knowingly utter an uumiti-
gated falsehood in the pulpit on the Sabbath
day. with the intent to injure the character of
fellow. citizen, and that, having committed
such an act Of injustice, you will feel it both
duty and a pleasure to repair the injury, in the
same place and before the same audieuce where
the injury was done. With the view Of ena.
bling you TO do me and yourself and the cause
Of truth the act Of justice indicated, ! now
state to you that it is not true that stood by
with my hands in my pockets at the time that
was not in the Senate chamber when the
affray took place that did not witness any
part Of the transaction that was engaged in
consultation on public affairs with several Sem
ators and Representatives in another part OF
the Capitol at the timey and had been so en-
gagged for more than an hour previous; that
had no knowledge, intimation, or belief that
any such transaction was to take place at that
or any other time nor had / any knowledge
or reason 10 believe that either Mr.. Sumner or
Mr. Brooks was in or near the Capitol at the
time; and when | returned to the Senate
chamber the affray had been over and quiet
had been restored for some time.
These facts are not only susceptible OF proof
by the Senators and Representatives referred to-
but are so well known to the Senate and TO the
whole community here, that no gentleman
would hazard his character for truth and We
racity by intimating his belief in the truth Of
the charge which you, under some strange
Misrepresentation, have made against me in
the pulpit Of Christian church, on the Sab
bath day.
You are also represented As having made
another charge against me, equally unfounded
and untrue, which / quote from the newspa
pers, not having seen copy Of the printed
sermon "This and the Kansas crime reveal
new step in the policy of slavery that physi.
cal force must and shall be used to carry out
its measures The instigator OF all this crime,
| (Douglas) n short time since ventured TO
divulge the secret policy, when he declared to
its FIRST victim, We will subdue you, sir, and
no one knows but this very thing was in his
mind at the time.n
In this passage you attribute to me language
| which | never uttered and n sentiment which
| never conceived or harbored. IL is true that
the New York Tribune and other unscrupuous
partisan sheets attributed to me several months
ago the same sentiment, but it is also true, and
the official debates Of the Senate attest the
fact, that promptly denied ii in open Senate,
in the presence of Mr.. Sumner, and all others
to whom it was alleged to have been directed,
and mono Of them intimated or pretended that
the charge was true. Yet this same charge
! which had been thus branded in open Senate