Spirit of Jefferson. [volume] (Charles Town, Va. [W. Va.]) 1844-1948, 1868-12-08
The Loyal at Loggerheads.


We make room for the following racy
account of the feud between the Rev. Chap
lain Boynton, the bowling, pulpit: bangor of
the Rump House, and the pious Gen. Howard,
of the negro bureau. 1t is SO eminently
truthful in its description of the characters of
other loyalists, as we'll as those engaged in
this row, that an application of its spiciest
points can be made to fit thousands of other
shining lights in the church of loyalty. We
take the account from the Chicago Tribune,
one of the most ultra and intensely loyal
Abolition sheets in the country. The Wash
ipgton correspondent of that paper says:
A fierce contention has sprung up here
between the Chaplain of the House of Rep
resentatiyes, the Congressional minister, DR..
Boynton, and the celebrated one-armed Cen
eral double o" Howard, Of Maine. The
subject seems to be the ancient one, as to
whether the pastors position shall be perma>
nent in the church, or whether the capitalist
and patron of the church enterprise shall
whisker as he will. You have probably cases
in Chicago of similar remark some public
spirited pieiist resolves to build temple to
God and himself. He concludes that he will
prescribe the doctrines, expel his enemies and
'.antagonisms," and otherwise be ''little
God" as David Crockett familiarity put it.
This particular church question is compli-
Gated by many interests which l have no
| business with. Your correspondent has taken
the popular position here assumed by Elihu
| Washburne, of whom Donne!ly said that if
he should die there would not be tear
dropped in all Congress. IF you catch any
one out of my little crowd dropping tears for
me when 1 am gone, ''stop him"-he wants
something! The fact is that 1 find many of
the newspaper press people here deep in
swindlcs, and their favor is of no more con-
sequence to me than anybody's else. But,
because Rev. Mr.. Boynton is an author and
attached to the press, that is no reason why
| should not tell the absolute truth, as it seems
| to me.
Gen. Howard has been at fault in this mat
ter from the beginning. The rcnown of his
name is widespread. He entered the war
poor man, comparatively, and, being tenn
perance man, church member, Freedmen's
Bureau man, an antisavcry man and finally
wounded man, he got the support of New
England and Henry Ward Beecher, raised
money started grand Congregational Church
here, and also negro university accessory
| to it.
DR.. Boynton called to the church-a Gin
cinnati clergyman, born in Massachusetts, in
poor health, and fond Of historical writing.
| General Howard soon found this fellow-coun-
tryman of his to be as decided in opinion as
himself The General meantime, had be-
come rich and his arrogance increased with
his temperatures. He wanted docie preach>
err, so that people passing the new temple
should not say, "This is DR.. Boynton's
church," but, This is General Towards
church" Finally a collision occurred. Gen.
Howard was negrophobist, believing in the
absolute social equality of white and black.
Boynton also was intense Jucobin, but he
advised the colored people Of his church, who
were growing numerous, to organize them
selves into a separate society, believing that
they could do more in this way. Then fierce
quarrels began, Gen. Howard "going for ="
Mr.. Boynton once, even at the communion
table. Mutual scandal began. =. The General
refused to advance money to the church I'M
less Boynton ate his words or resigned. The
| congregation backed up Boynton. At last
| grand council Of clcrgymen has been called to
judge between Boynton and Howard, and the
papers are full Of elimination and recrmina-
ton 1t is singular to me that man can not
build a temple without wanting to play the
organ in it, A large per centagc of churches
in the United States were raised by the per-
sonal energy. of some one layman, who lost
his crown of honor at last for personal tiara,
and made more infdels by his example than
he ever made converts by his monument.
General Howard has built himself superb
dwelling north of Washington City, upon an
acre Of ground given to him out of one hun
dred acres belonging to the Howard Univer-
siy. This house is visible from Capitol Hill,
two or three miles distant. He is generous
man, with many friends; vehement upon
certain questions, fortunate in life, illbalanced,
and his piety in the present instance is based
| upon that of the middle ages, when princes
founded religious establishments and then
wished to expound the gospel for them.