St. Cloud Democrat. [volume] (Saint Cloud, Stearns County, Minn.) 1858-1866, 1859-01-06
That Imprisoned Colored
EXhOrter.
To the Editytojriae y. Y. Tribune.

To the EditogtotMe y. Y: Tribune. :*s--
SIR: lnryour issue Of the 9th inst. "a
Methodist refers to the case Of the Rev.
Samuel Green, a colored exhortcr Of the
Methodist Episcopal Church in good stand
ing, and now lying in the Maryland State
Prison under ten years sentence, FOR hav
ing in his possession a copy Of Uncle TOMS
Cabin. The facts alleged are beyond
question. Mr.. Green is in prison as rep
J. esented, with nine long years Of confnc-
1nert yet before him, and for no other
| crime than the one above-named
But "a Methodist" who evidently
sympathises with lis brother in bond<,and
desi gned to write correctly, is mistaken in
one or two points.
/. The only attention paid to the mat
! ter by the Philadelphia Conference wasal-
! most to hiss the Rev. j. n nIcCarter for
even naming it. 10 committee was ap-
pointed to consider it; no petition to Gov.
Hicks circulated; no resolution of sympa-
/ thy with the martyr was even offered
This Conference Of 200 Methodist minis
ters scorned to give so triAng a matter !;
moments consideration, and blew it aside
| as they would have done some vagarv of IL
''mcdium"
2. 1t is hardly correct, however, that
nothing has been done by the Methodist
public. A respectful petition was got up
embracing about zoo Methodist ministers,
entreating Gov Hicks to interpose his
Executive clcmency and release Mr. Green
from confinement. 1t was 81 yned by so;iie
! ll3 ministers, l think, and forwarded by
myself to Gov. Hicks, with {. respectful
private letter, neither Of which the Cover
nor has condesccnded to notice.
8. As to "our Bishops and Chief Min
: listers" whom "a Methodist seems to
blame, it is true that the Black River
Conference voted to have the petition for
Mr.. Green's liberation presented to the
:: Bishops present for their signatures and
when so presented they refused to 81 yn it.
But they had what seemed to them valid
, excuse. Thcy verc not SATISFIED as i" the
t;,ct* "l'jcd. They both declared that
uh~n .oti*f~l that Mr. Green was so i'm
prisoned, and for such cause, they wou',!
sign the petition. 1t is true, also that the
Rev. j. D. Lony and the Rev. !. S.Iamc
both Of the Philadelphia Conference, and
recently from Maryland. were botl, at the
' Black River Conference, and ready tt
make affidavit, if necessary. to the alleged
fact; but it is nowhere laid down III tho
i'isci pl!nc, among the duties of 4 Bishop
that he should be prying into such ''polit-
1 ical' matters. They had their doubts
and hence, declining to sign the petition
Que took the cars for the East and the 9th,
, for the West Of course the Conference
could not wait six months for them to be-
become satisfied OF what might have been
;, settled, had they desired it III two minutes
and SO the petition was sent on without
their signatures.
For myself, regarded it as most pitt
ful dodge, and was mortified and ashamed
Of such an utter want Of concern for Il
} brother i'll prison, by Methodist Bishops:
merely, as it seemed to me, because he
had black skin. But leave them with
God, the righteous Judge, who, in the
last day may say, Sick and IN PRISON ye
visited mc no." an 'inasmuch as yc did
it not to one Of the least of these my
brethrcn"-cven to Il poor colored brother
in his dungcon-''yc did it not unto me. v
II. MATrIsoN.