Buchanan County bulletin. [volume] (Independence, Iowa) 1869-1891, 1871-07-28
Another Clerical Champion.

Rev. w. A. Chambers, of Iowa
City, Methodist clergyman and
State Agent of the American Bible
Society, feels impelled to rush into
the Senatorial controversy, and ac-
cordingly writes letter to the Des
Moines Register, the purpose Of
which purports to be the correction
of some statements made by Andy
Felt in regard to q letter from DR..
Newman, written to an ex-presiding
elder, and by him shown to Mr..
Felt. The statement of Mr.. Felt
was published in the BULLETIN last
week. Mr.. Chambers was present
when the said letter was shown Mr..
Felt, and takes no issue with that
gentleman with regard to the con-
tents of the letter, but differs with
him as to the difference between
the text of the epistle and the sigma
turc. Mr.. Felt states "that the most
casual observer could not fail to
note the fact, that the hand signing
the letter had no connection with
the one printing or writing the body
of the epistle." This difference Mr..
Chambers failed to perceive, and
states that the "dissimilarity spoken
of resulted from the fact that the
signature was in a holder hand than
the body of the lctter-a common
circumstance" All this of course
is to relieve DR.. Newman of the sus-
picion of sending out circulars in
the interest of Mr.. Harlan.
AS to the contents Of this second
Newman letter Mr.. Felt says, that
it covers all the points made in the
first, published in the Dubuque Her.
AID, with the addition of an app cal
to Methodists to support Mr.. Har-
Ian "for the reason that there are
now but seven Methodists in the
Senate and it is necessary to keep
the number good" and also sug-
gestion that Mr.. Allison is Uni
cersu7;st. To this statement of the
character of the letter Mr.. Cham
bers does not interpose a specific
denial, but says:
Now | desire to say upon my personal
knowledge" of the letter in question, de
rived from two or three attentive peru
sails. there was not in all it contained the
sh1htest evidence of a desire in the writer
to manipulate, or to induce any one else
to manipulate, the Methodists in Iowa in
to the support of Mr. Harlan; and, more
over that it bore no evidence Of having
been written at the instance of Mr.. Har
Ian, or any other second party, or by any
other hand than the one that penned the
signature; and, that while it expressed a
decided personal preference for Mr.. Har
Ian over Mr. Allison, it contained no IN
kind word, nor disparaging allusion to
Mr.. A., not even to his reputed licentious-
ness.
We know something of this Rev.
Chambers, and from that knowledge
do not hesitate to express the belief
that the main purpose Of his letter
was to make it the vehicle for the
shameful, lying insinuation contain
ed in the last line Of the above par
agraph. This is the first time which
we have ever heard such a charge
made against Mr.. Allison's person
al morality, and we cannot but be-
lievc that it is here manufactured to
order, and to reinforce the general
plan Of arraying the religious com
munity against Mr.. Allison. If the
charge Of ''reputed RIGHTEOUSNESS"
were true, Rev. Chambers should be
the last man to make it. The lar
gcst charity in such cases would
emincntly become him.