Staunton spectator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1849-1896, 1865-11-28
For the Spectator.
REPLY TO BISHOP GL0ssBRENNER.

controversy, and the pains took to avoid it
The Bishop has courted it, and on him rests the
responsibility. will, in the briefest space, mar
rate the facts as they occurred. A copy of the
Religious Telescope, Dayton, Ohio, their only
English church organ, came into my hands thro'
friend in Rockingham. 1t contained several
days proceedings of their General Conference
held in Iowa, somewhere. An extract con tanning
the announcement to the Conference of the cap.
ture OF President Davis, with series of twelve
resolutions on the state of the country, were fur
nlshed by me to your paper for publication. Not
word OF comment accompanied them. They
possessed a general interest for our people. We
had no mails. The paper was brought by one
on horse back from the West. A number of
respectable gentlemen Of this and Rocking CHAM
counties, desired the publication. 1t might be
supposed their own people would be gratifed to
know what their highest church iudicatory had
said and done, especially as it was the first time
in four years that it had met. This denomina-
ton, in l84S, had 10000 members. MANY of
them are citizens of the Valley and N. W. Virgin
Ia. The proceedings of their Church, as of Meth
odlsts, or any other denomination, are leaiti-
mate subject of criticism. Because of the pub
cation by me- of this extract, several ill-natured
squlbs, III your paper and the Register, were
aimed at me by some Of the rush-lights, as l
termed them, of the U. B. Church. These i'm
pugned my motives and misrepres ented them
For reasons satisfactory to myself, I prepared
article over the signature of s.Ottobine, !"
in reply. l selected the name out of re-
spect to that great and good man, VIM. Ottobein
q German Reform Presbyterian preacher, who in
divisions, founded the U. B. Church. Before
"Ottobine'' appeared, Bishop Glossbrenner's COM
munication, from the Religious Telescope, ap-
peared. Il was defence of his course in this
General Conference. Weak as it was regarded
by all parties, yet l felt no inclination whatever,
to gainsay it, and at once wrote to you to with
hold Ottobine, as did not desire to be inv olyed
IN a controversy with the Bishop. Ottobipe was
in type, as you have informed me, before my let
ter reached you. | regretted it exceedingly; but
this feeling was much enhanced, on finding that
the Bishop had demanded the author, and in the
face of the explanations, as above made by you,
for me, came out with a second article, which you
showed me. As special favor to me- altho' your
paper was going to press, you suspended the
publication twenty-four hours, to give me time
to communicate with the Bishop This did the
next day, by sending messenger dozen of
miles, to his house and gave him the explanation
more fully than made by you, and deprecated a
controversy. Ireceived the following note of which
this is Ua6atim copy
Floral Hill Nov. 1865
s.Mr J. M. McCue, Dear Sir: Yours of the l 9th
inst. is before me- And would say, to me it is
very unpleasant indeed 10 engage in controversy,
espeacialy in paper controversy. But sir you
could not expect to be silent after reading
your published article, l could not be silent and
do justice to myself my family or the church of
which [ am member. Your requesting the
Editer to withhold your article after you had
read my explanations cOpyed from the Religious
Telescope is not known to The publick conse-
ouently is doing all the injury to that it could
have done had you not ordered its SUPPRESSION.
If you will through the spectator take back your
article signed 'sOtobine' and give your reasons
for so doing and those reasons are of such char
aeter as to releave me from the odium which YOUR
communication has thrown upon my character
& standing as q minister Of Christ will be salts
L 0L,l
article. Most respec fully,
Yours &c.,
J. j. GLOSSBRENNER
By my messenger he sent me word to meet
him in town next day. could not do so in per-
son, but wrote to you, at length, and prepared an
article which went as far as regard for se.f-re-
spect would permit. Altho' my messenger got to
Staunton, as early as could have done-a dis
tance of Is miles-the Bishop had been there, and
left, demanding the publication of his article AS
remarked before, on him rests the response
bility.
| will notice briefly, his defence, for supporting
this resolution ''That we are in favor of placing
every inhabitant of the land, black and white, on
an equality before the law, and hereby pledge our
influence and efforts TO secure the complete en-
franchsement of the negro, with all the rights OF
an American citizen" What are the rights of an
American citizen9 To vote, sue and be sued, to
give testimony, to be Representative in the
State and National councils, &c. If it was the
intention Of this politco religio- Conference, if
may make term comprehensive enough to ex-
press its chara cier, to limit the meaning of
the resolution, as the Bishop defines, it, why did
he use the word political. to express the meaning
he intended He represented large slave-hold-
ing community, and knew how distasteful such a
resolution would be, yet he utters not word of
protest He did not sugar the pill, but swallowed
it, as precious morsel AS it's scope was most
comprehensive and no doubt was so intended,
by the ultra Black Republican majority consti-
tuting the body, we might infer that amalgama-
ton and mscegenation were intended, but as the
Bishop raises his hands in holy horror we will let
him off, for the present, yet will notice his course
as it relates to the other resolutions, presently.
He quotes Col. Reagan, of Texas, in support OF
his views. He is disingenuous here, and eyI-
IDENTIFY hard run for authority. Did he not know
that Col. Reagan, at the time he wrote his ad-
dress to the people of Texas, was in Washington
city, just released few days before, from Fort
Lafayette, and was knocking at the door of the
Executive for pardon He (R.) knew that one
of the conditions the President imposed on Texas
to come back in the Union, to acknowledge
the emancipation of the negro, and hence Col.
eoron ,,appad bis uow1v acOlred sentiments