Staunton spectator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1849-1896, 1867-08-20
To the Public, North and South.

In circular recently published at the North,
pecuniary aid to erect a Northern Methodist
church in the city of Richmond, is paragraph
of endorsation written by F. Ell. Pierpoint, Gov
ernor of the State of Virginia, in these words:
'There is great need of the church building
Just referred to. The spirit of the Southern
pulpit is thoroughly disloyal active in the prop
agandism of rebel sentiments, and in cherishing
the hope that the lost cause may be regained
by the destruction of a republican government
in the country"
1t is the unanimous opinion of the undersign-
ed ministers of the Gospel, speaking in behalf
of ourselves, and representing, as we believe,
the sentiment of our Southern pulpit, that the
relations which we sustain to the allegations Of
Governor Pierpoint, our fidelity to the cause of
God, and our sincere desire for the peace of the
country, require that we should promptly and
firmly assert our actual position in the premises;
and for the following special reasons
These allegations are made, not by a private
individual, but by the highest officer in the
State, and carry with them, to those abroad,
the influence of his oHiial station. They are re-
ported, not as the utterances of an incidental
conversation, but as the deliberate and mature
convictions of a resident amongst US, whose po-
sition is presumed to entitle him to credit; they
inculpate thousands of pulpits and hundreds of
thousands of Christians, many of whom are the
constituents of the Governor. Besides, mas
much as Governor Pierpoint, transcending the
proprieties of his office, has represented the
pulpit of the South as peculiarly antagonistlc
to the paci6cation of the country, it is our sol
emn duty to vindicate our sacred vocation from
so unwarranted an aspersion, and to repel so
uniustifable an attempt to throw the response
bility of the existing political disquietude upon
our impracticability as ministers of the Gospel.
As to the propriety of the erection of church
es in the South by christian denominations In
the North, we have here simply to say that the
tain religious institutions of their own choice.
But we do object to and protest against the
manner in which he has arraigned the South
ern pulpit before the Northern public.
In the charge, quoted above, are three dis
tinct specifications
First-That ''the spirit of the Southern 1,ul-
pit Is thoroughly dtslOyal;;'' -
Second. d.-That it is sdctiUe an the prop0gan-
disn of rebel sentiments;;' -
Third.-That it is active I'm cherishiag q
hope that the lost cause may be regaaned by the
destruction of q republican government an thas
country"
These are grave allegations, and were evident
" designed SO to be- IF they were true, we
should be implicated not only IN the crime of
positive and outright dlsloyalty TO the GoVern-
ment of the United States, but In the far great
er sin of prostitutng our calling to political pur-
poses. We do not propose at present to argue
the Injustice of these allegations. The burden
of proof obviously does not fall on u.s..
In the mean time, we take the christian lib
erty of saying, that to each and to all of these
allegations we offer a unanimous and an une-
ouiyocal denial. Further, we affirm that scores
of unimpeachable witnesses are ready to testify
that they are totally without foundations in fact
VIZ: that since the restoration OF the Govern
ment of the United States over the Southern
States we have in no instance exhibited disloy-
atty in our pulpits, or used them as political
agencies against said Government; that we
have in no instance propagated from them what
are termed ''rebel sentiments !" that least of
all have we, in the discharge of our ministerial
duties, expressed directly or indirectly hope
of the establishment of any other than repub-
lican form Of government in this country. In