Daily Ohio statesman. [volume] (Columbus, Ohio) 1855-1870, 1866-05-21
Letter from St. Louis.
Correspondence of the Ohio Statesman. ]
N Mo. Il.

EDITORS ONO STATESMAN:
/ love to travel; and so leaving the East
find myself In this city, The trip was as
pleasant as 1t was expeditions. OntheWay
saw much of which would like tospeak'
but time and space forbid. There was,
however, one thing did not see, and sorry
am to say that was soheat. OF this great
staff OF life there is literally next to none
in such portions of Ohio, Indiana and llli-
nois as passed through.
The day spent in Cincinnati was delight
full. We visited the Enquirer office and
were most cordially received by its Editors,
who, need not tell you, are menof "back-
bone" politically, and of much energy and
enterprise financially, or they would long
ere thiEhave succumbed to ianaticlsm and
fire. But out of both the Good Lord has
delivered them, so that they now stand
more erect than ever in the midst of f"shod-
dy," and on the borders of the "burnt dis
trict." The destruction by fire of Pixies
Opera House greatly Injuries the architec-
tural magnificence of this Western Queen.
1t leaves an ugly scar on her beautiful face,
that will require months to remove. Many
men and mules are at work removing the
debris, and it is in prospect to re-erect struc-
lures of "Fiith avenue" elegance on the
site. s"r 8. a..s.t.
But, am in St. Louis. Of'itI would
write. Nor need say to your readers that
it is rapidly improving, and that 1t has the
rush and rattle of business, reminding one
of New York before the war. Its remark
able steamboat and railroad privileges
its position making it the great gateway
to the "vasty" West, keep it constantly
filed with strangers; and this makes an
unusual demand for large hotels, numerous
boarding houses, eating houses, saloons,
&C., so that the traffic In produce is i'm
mense.
The city, always croeded, is now filled
to oyerhowing from two causes Of radi-
cally dissimilar character. The first is,
both General Assemblies, Old and New
School, of the Presbyterian Church in the
United States, are in session. The second,
the spring races.
Another reporter may detail to You the
doings of the jockeys; l turn to the
divines.
Both the Assemblies were once one.
Thirty years since they separated on ac'
count of doctrinal and governmental differ
ences. The Old School claimed and got the
name and all the property of the original
church, by a unanimous decision OF the
Supreme Court given in Philadelphia in
the year 1888. A few years since the South
ern portion Of the New School left their
Assembly because their Northern brethren
continued from time to time to insult them
on account of slavery. In 1861 the South
ern branch of the Old S hoOl left also, be-
cause of certain harsh and unfortunate dec
larations contained in paper presented to
the General Assembly of that year, on the
su ject of "loyaltY," known as the Spring
resolutions" so that both Assemblies
though comparatively large, are not what
they once were, either in numbers, talent
or influence and what is worse, both are
radical in the bitterest, broadest sense Of
the term. The New School has no conserv-
atives in 1.-THE Old a few, perhaps about
one-third of the whole.
DR.. Stanton is Moderator OF the latter.
He is a most unrelenting radical. He was
recently Professor in Danville, KY, Theo-
logical Seminary. His Presbytery refus-
ing to send him to the General Assembly,
he got dismissed from it to Presbytery in
Ohio, which was as radical as himself, "ld
so in this way secures his appointment to
the Assembly. Nor is this all. A Conven-
ton, through him and others, is called to
meet in this place two days before the AS
sembly, to cut out radical measures for the
Assembly to mature when it subsequently
met; and 10 and behold, one thing deter
mined on by this Convention for pray
err" is the election of DR.. Stanton
to the Moderatorship of the Assembly
So, then, he now sits by this pious
strategy! His competitor was DR.. Gurley,
of Washington City, the pastor of the late
President Lincoln. The loyalty, piety and
charity of the Doctor may be inferred from
the following: Not long since, in public
speech in his Synod, he is reported to have
said, ~ hope to meet Drs. Palmer, Robin
son, Wilson, &C., in heaven, but not till af-
ter they have been hung, and first having
the pleasure of adjusting the rope!" And
this man is called to preside over the great
General Assembly of the Presbyterian
Church in the United States 20 tempora,
O nores I" to what are we coming. But
enough. More tomorrow.
20 q SIG.
r No. III.
l. IL l. 1