Spirit of Jefferson. [volume] (Charles Town, Va. [W. Va.]) 1844-1948, 1868-03-24
After the Dictatorship comes Union Of
Church and State.

Methodist Bishops, is taken from speech,
| lately delivered in New Hampshire, by Henry
| CLAW Dean. 1t seems that there is one demo-
cratic politician who understands the coalition
which is governing the country. 1t is wonder
| ful that SO few see it, or rather that so many
refuse to see it:
This man (Stanton) under whose orders
twelve hundred churches have been laid in
ashes, ministers dragged from their knees in
the most sacred moments OF devotion, and
other ministers shot down like wild beasts
waited upon by Christian Bishop, accom-
panied By discharged military satrap, whom
three Generals were willing to swear they
could not believe upon oath, disgraced by a
| cowardly military career only exceeded by
his monstrous crime as satrap of an usurpation.
| a Christian Bishop, accompanied by such
| persons, call to pay their respects to him
| whose very name startles the quiet of civiliza-
ton. Did Bishop Simpson call to thank
! Stanton for refusing to exchange prisoners,
until thousands, both Northern and Southern,
were perishing from hunger and thirst? Or
it may be to congratulate him upon the burn
! ing OF twelve hundred Christian churches, or
felicitate him upon the facilities afforded to
take possession of other peoples churches
Ames. Or to return his obligations for the
use Of the Freedmen's Bureau as missionary
| board for the extension of the Methodist Il pis-
copal Church among Southern negroes, and
| the building uD of their churches, schools
and ecclesiastical organizations at an expense
of millions to the public treasury? Or for
the employment of preachers like Clinton B.
Fisk and his army of local preachers, ezhor-
| tcrs, class leaders, professors, stewards and
teachers, under pretence of providing for the
negroes and the poor2 This last freak Of his
Reverend Holiness is remarkable even in
Bishop Simpson, who played alternate nights
with Murdoch in Cincinnati theatre, each
in his way, in the political campaign of 1864;
who followed the dead body Of President
Lincoln all over the land, inhaming the vilest
passions of the people in imitation of Mark
Antony; who alternates his harangues over
the star Spangled flag and the blood-staned
banner of the cross. What a sight would
that have been to see Paul walking arm~in-
arm to the chambers of Nero's palace with
Suetonius, to congratulate him upon the
butahery Of $4,000 rebel Britors under
Boadecca. 1t would have startled your Puri-
! tan fore fathers to have seen John Bunyan
walking up to thank Judge Jetfres for the
bloody campaign in which the headless trunks
of dead rebels were scattered over the field of
MOnmOuth's shameful defeat, and the fcsh-
less skeletons of executed followers of the
ambitious adYenturer might have been seen
as ornaments Of charitable civilization at every
cross-road. 1t might throw light upon this
mission to know where this Christian Bishop
was when one of the most distinguished mem
bers of his church-Dr. Edison b. Olds, who
was imprisoned without authority Of law
was incarceratcd in a dark damp, dreary
a. :
lying in the jaws Of death without even
whisper from this missionary angel flying
through the midst Of heaven, preaching the
everlasting gospel" Was not this Bishop at
that very moment paying court visit to the
tyrant who imprisoned DR.. Olds? When
did this Bishop visit the sick or minister to
those in prison who were freezing, starving,
lashed tortured shot, murdered by inches,
in Chicago, Johnson's Island, Fort Delaware,
and the prisons scattered all over the North
ern States under the eye Of this Simon Glrty
of the War Department, and almost within
sight of the dwelling of this inflammatory
ecclesiastical orator did these things transpire.
When did he feed the hungry and starving
who we're gladly gathering up the Offal from
the soldiers table, picking up the crumbs
from the bread wagons, eating rats, mice, cats
and dogs, to save them from the cxtrcmities
of starvation When did he quench the
thirst of those who were forced to drink water
in pools surrounded by sinks of excrcments
when within few rods Of the greatest bodies
of living lake water? Nay, Terily, these arc
Christian virtues quite out of the line of this
representative of Moses and the Prophets of
Christ and the Apostles. His mission is Of
higher type of Evangelism. This heir of
John Wesley is squandering the rich patri-
! of coIf-danVIOT EVAN
gelist-whose keen foresight and wonderful
genius conceived the conversion of the world
by system Of set-propagation.
The meek and quiet Bishop Thompson con-
graduates his people that ",rhen army con-
tracts hare been u,cdrded and grants to
Durchase cotton in reGelliouS States hare been
made. our people haze not altogether been in
different or ignored. The attitude 1rhich
our church has borne to the Government has
materially and necessarily increased her
reahh." These gentlemen are boldly strik-
ing to unite church and State-to put our
State under the control Of their church. At
the same time, in Chicago, the Methodist
Episcopal Church holds its General Confer
ence and the Republican party its Convention. .
This is the solution Of the late visit of Bishop
Simpson to Stanton. This is the keynote to
the song of LOYALTY. Grant and Harlan are
Methodists Their private dissensions will
be healed and the Methodist Episcopal Church
become the guardian of the NEW NATION"
and administer the higher law to the people.
For this purpose these two great ccclesias-
ticaI and political Conventions meet in Chi
cago in May next to nominate Republican
candidate and q Methodist candidate for
President of the United States This is not
mere compliment sought by the church
from the Government. Their Southern mis-
sionary propagardism are dependent upon it.
1.-The money of the Freedmen's Bureau