Buchanan County bulletin. [volume] (Independence, Iowa) 1869-1891, 1871-07-07

o'AAS AS"eS' A""PPA " PiA''sSs eiiN " AASAA
one mutual friend might not say
to another. We think that the
great majority Of the Methodist
clergy of Iowa will see something
clearly inconsistent and degrading
to their high vocation in manipu
lating primary meetings at the be-
hest, or in the interest of unscrupu-
lous politicians, and that they will
refuse to make their organization,
so honored by the zeal and devotion
of it's members, SO powerful for
good, the mere stepping-stone Tor
Senator Harlan's ambition.
AS we remarked before, the Sen
ator's letter is full of the manifesto
lions of his demagogism. He APP
pears anxious to make it appear
that he is prosecuted for righteous
ness sake. He ENORMOUSLY COM
plains that of all the public men in
Iowa, he alone is "badgcred'' be-
cause of his church affiliations. He
has been hunting up the religious
leanings of all the leading politi-
clans who have held office i'll this
State for the past dozen years, and
parades them in his letter for the
cunning, but concealed purpose OF
sho wing that the Methodist church
has not had her share of the Offices,
and at the end of the list again pro-
pounds in the minor key:
I ask again, in what respect arc my
religious views and affiliations exceptional,
that and my fellow church members
should be so specifically and persistently
paraded in each political campaign, when
my name happens to appear.
Mr.. Harlan harps on this plea
that he is prosecuted because he is
Methodist for considerable space,
seemingly regarding it as his best
point. After mentioning the fact
that Allison is a pew-holder in the
Presbyterian church of Dubuque,
Howell a member Of the same
church at Keokuk, and Merrill and
Palmer Congregationists, he says:
If it should be rumored that any one
of their divines or leading members"
may have written private or confldcn-
tan letter to brother, couched in kind
ly terms of Allison, Howell, Merrill, or
Palmer, recommending his election-not
on religious grounds, but for personal
merit-why not "go for it, with a search
reward?" And, when it is found, pub
lish it with flourish of trumpcts and
gibbet the author as an objectionable
"busy- body" and ''intermeddler in other
mems matters?" And, if this generous
attention is not given to the ministers
and ''leading members" Of other denomi-
nations, is it merely because Methodists
need political guardians more than other
religionists?
"Not on religious grounds" says
Mr.. Harlan, in the face Of the fact
that the principal ground upon
which "early and earnest action"
is urged for Mr.. Harlan in the New
man letter, is the fact that he is
Irregular in his attendance at church,
and his influence is in the right
direction.'' The Methodist church
does not "need political guardians
more than other religionists," but
certain politicians who are en-
deavoring to drag it down to their
level, do need watching severely.
Not content with the endeavor to
set himself as, par excellence, the
candidate of the religious element,
he makes the complementary effort
to create the impression that M
Allison is the candidate of the 81
thinkers, and here his demago
crops out again. Selling "
paragraph q paper IN
Davenport, viii peaks Of Allison
as "a favorite candidate Of all lib
eral circles of the Republicans" he
puts his own Interpretation on the
language used and pretends to see
plot of the free thinkers to place
one of their number in the sacred
seat now occupied by Rev. Jas.
Harlan. We do not pretend to in
terpret the language Of the German
paper, but we suggest as Mr.. ALI
son is known to hold liberal views
on the tariff and other political
questions that it is as likely to re-
fer to those subjects as to his re-
ligious opinions. At any rate it is
entirely safe to say that Mr.. Allison
is as orthodox in principle and prac-
tice, particularly the latter, as Mr..
Harlan.
The Accident to DR.. Bulls.
The DEBORAH Republican gives
the particulars of the severe acct