Cooper's Clarksburg register. [volume] (Clarksburg, Va. [W. Va.]) 1851-1861, 1856-08-15

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ence .of this Baltimore, Conference. =, in
Virginia. Including Ftedsfick sbnfg.
they occupy from5t he lower edge OF Staff
ford county, all the territory between thel
ERappahannock aud the Potomac rivers.
westward tor the Blue Ridge. except a
few appointments where the sMethodists
have lett Northern Church, land, are
now supplied by ministers from The "Fir-
ginia Conference" take the liberty of
saying here, that these "Virginia Confer
ence" ministers, are beyond any doubt
GENUINE" Southerners. They are "above
suspicion" Nearly the whole of tho val
ley, and Trans Allegany territory is under
the pastoral care of these Northern. Me-
thodist preachers. and, not only SO, but
they are the most numerous and influen>
tial denomination in all that large portion
of Virginia. Keeping in mind the &C
knowledged opposition to slavery Of these
ministers, it is sad to reflect what pows
full agency for evil we have in our midst.
And yet it is true-so true that, ma:
ny persons, and even. the secular press
in some localities are afraid to say word
against the tendencies of the church on
this subject. Why? Because Methodists
influence would turn instantaneously
against such man or such press-if
they should speak out--and his bread
would be taken from him and bread
with many is much more precious than
principle or independence. Attempt to
write through such press Of the errors
OF this church on slavery, and you will be
very politely told that. ''there is no neces.
sity at this time for agitaing the subject;
it will all work right after awhile the
evil will cure itself" VIII any ''genuine"
Southern man say that when {" the most
efficient anti slavery power in the United
States is in our midst-slowly but GER
tainly working the destruction Of our
whole social SYSTEM ask, will any
sound Southern man say, "better not agi-
tate, better not expose this thing, better
let them alone ?" Better not agitate ! I
would Just rs soon trust the man who-if
my house was on fire and my family
asleepin an upper chamber-;would tell
me, ''do not agitate them now, let them
alone. they will smell the smoke after
awhile, and awake of themselves" And
in my judgment, as certainly as / pen
these lines. we Of Virginia will not only
smell lhe smoke, but ieel the fire which
these Northern Methodist ministers have
been kidding FOR years, unless public SEN
timenL can be aroused, aud that speedily
to check it. ...
l fear the people and press in some
portions of Virginia are already becoming
perfectly satisfied to. be represented by
the sentiment Of this Baltimore Confer
ence, the ministers OF which boldly tell US
they are not g genuine Southern men.
A few days ago, l. happened to see a
Southern, Virginia newspaper, published
away over in the great valley of Virginia;
in glancing over which l saw paragraph
relating to the. discussion Of the slavery
question by the Methodist General Con-
terence, then in session. In this para
graph the Editor remarked that ",the
| South was ably represented by Rev.
John A. Collins and others.'' This was
very simple. plain sentence, and yet my
attention was arrested by it. The
South ably represented by John A. Col
Inns" Of the Baltimore Conference upon
the subject of slavery!. What South 4?
not the Southern South, for Collins adj
mits there is 70 ''genuine Southern par
ty'' in the Northern Methodist Church.
II was not the, pervading sentiment of the
South, " that a minister who turns his
back upon the.cross and becomes prop
agandist of anti>slavery doctrines, is a
minister OF evil What South was t,
tnen? 1t was the Northern South. 1t
was the sickly sentiment OF Shareholders
in the Northern Methodist Church, who
believe slavery to be ga great moral
evil" This is what was e ably repre~
scented by Rev. John A. Collins and 9TH
ers of the Baltimore Conference"
While the fanatical hosts OF the North
are marshalling their forces, for the great
battle against Southern rights, while they
are actually calling the degenerate sons
of the South to lead them in the tight !;
While Northern preachers three thou
sand at 81 time--arey blasphemously
speaking Gin the name ofthe Almighty"
cheering on their political allies while
the Union trembles, and good men are
afraid, should not Virginia know who it
is that is shaping her sentiment, and
Wondering her future? If she will not
know, then Virginia is doomed.
! l--.. .... STAFFORD.