, 1874-04-11
THE BAPTIST COUNCIL.
The Other Side.


| The Other Side.
| To the Editor Of The Chicago Tribune:
SIN: While the finding Of tile Council on Mr.
Mccarthy is almost universally regarded as just,
| by one man it's methods Of procedure have been
criticised and denounced. This critic, while de-
| cla1ng that bis pulpit has been barred against
Mr.. Mccarthy for two years; and, moreover
| charging him with having "preached sermons
which disgraced the pulpit and insnlted every
Baptist minister in America" and having &C.
knowlcdged to the Clerk OF tho Council his
agreement with tho verdict,
without just provocation, ribhes into print. and
| holds up bis brethren in the ministry, together
| with the representatives OF the churches, to the
condemnation and ecorn Of the world, as hay
ing perpetrated great outrage in this
Christian age and land And all this, observe,
because they did what he acknowledges ought to
! hare been done. His position with regard to
tins matter appears to be this: Because, for
sooth, he Vas not permitted to dictate the method
OF procednre,-with all the teuacity and obstnacy
OF his Scottish character he opposes it. Some
| men imagine themselves born to lead, and such,
we take it. il the inference or tho protestor. But
! this in not the conclusion OF the mattor. Ills
church is forced into position wherein they
must either yindicato hin mode OF procedure, or
dispense with his services.
| It seems necessary, therefore, that the friends
| OF the Council should speak in its behalf, and
vindicate its members from misrepresentation
aud faleehood. 1t is highly probable that, #
those Who composed the Council had their work
to do over again, they might take different
course. But it is not conceivable that they
could, by any possibility, have reached \ dlner-
ent result. No one WHO lmpartlally considers
the difficult and embarrassing circumstances un-
der Which they labored, together with tho chnr,
| roF FCrYn hA rc111
disposed to irnpugn their motives, criticize their
| COURSE OF stignaatize their action
| There are several very important coneldera-
| tons to which the attention OF tho public has
| decision
F5rst-No Council was ever moro regularly
| called In accordance with the advice OF the c1
parte Council, the church, with absolute unan-
unity, and in the precise manner specified IL
Crowells Manual, called to its aid tlis Eeclssi-
astical Council.
| Second--It was constituted so as to meet with
tho appreciation OF Mr.. MCCARTHY aud his friends.
/ Tho church wished to include the call num-
| ber OF suburban churches OF the Fox River and
Chicago Associations. The accused aud his ad-
| herents objected, and requested the restriction
Of the call to the city churches. The church &C
ceded to their wishes, 30 that the Council, to all
iutentB and PURPOSES, WAS Of their OWN selection,
-as much their own As though they alone had
| issued the call.
| Ihird-Esch church included in the call Sc
1ectcd its weest and best men as representatives.
Twenty-cight more fair, conscientious, and clear
! headed men cannot be found in the BAPTIST
| churches of Chicago. And these are the men
| who are held up to the rdicule and condemnation
OF the world bT QUE Of the most youthful mn-
listers in tho city, a. consprators md assassins+
That minister's position is not an cnviabe ono
who becomes the false accuser OF his brethren.
FouyUa-Thc Council acted with almost perfect
unanimity from first to last. It selected Nod
orator who WAS thoroughly conversant with
crI ,for r.,1au
| and sustained him in ali Of his decisions, It has
been represented that there Was frequent
disorder and confusion in the meetings. Tho
fact is pateut to all who watched the proceed
ings that the maj ority OF tho Council acted with
courtesy and moderation, strictly observing the
rules Of order. One man repeatedly, day after
day, throughout the sessions: sought to obstruct
tho proceedings and introduce discord, and he
"the accuser OF his brethren"
FifIh-No body of men was ever moro patient
under abuse The defendant permitted no op-
portunity to pass without accusing, browbeating,
and insulting tho very men whom his friends
had invited to investigate MS conduct aecalod
in question their intelligence, impusnea their
motives, and charged them with conspiring to
blacken Ills good name, and even " murder
him. One other man, from time to time, joined
in this TRADE Of abuse,-1e protkstor. The
Council, with Christian forbearance and patience,
endured it MI, occasionally Offering dgnifcd
and courteous rebuke.
iyiril-The Council proceeded throughout on
one principle: It appeared to them that tho
greatcst kindness they could possibly exercise
toward the accused-whether innocent or guilty
would be to introduce all the evidence for tho
prosecution in his presence, and then allow ann
ple tima for lis defense. An innocent minister,
il accused Of lying or cmbezzlemcnt, would not
insist on having the day, the charges, and tho
witnesses, specified before submitting to trial.
He will ask that the evidence be introduced, aud
then, If necessary. request time to secure coun-
ter-testimony. This was the principle upon
which the COuDrj1 ncta6 cHt1rt 0f An11itV
believing that this course wor1ld insure justice
to the accused. They wanted all the facts in the
case brought before thcm, aud then directed the
Secretaries to furnish Mr. Mccarthy with a
verbatim copy of all the testimony. which con-
tanned the specifications complete. They then
allowed the defendant all the timo requested for
the purpose of preparing his defense. No min
lister was ever treated with greater considers
tici or allowed better opportunities to meet the
c' k.es preferred and Vindicate himself.
: .rerut-The Council went into private session
j. ~ when literally compelled to do 30. Mr. Mc-
3arthy desired them to act with open doors. It
was to crafty his iesire that they consented
But tho deliberations OF the body were con-
stantly interrupted by the friends Of the accused,
proposing irrelevant questions. insulting the v1t-
nesses and attorneys, objecting to the rulings Of
the Chair, jeerng, threatening. utterly preclud-
ing the possibility OF trans2cting business; in
short, converting tho court Of justice into very
Babel. In cheer sclf-defense, tla Council wa4
obliged to close ths DOORS permitting, At tue same
with several OF tha defendants friends--e. e.,
Messrs- Bu1tiR Brigham, Parent, aud others 10
remain.
Eighth-While tho prosecution Was utterly
prohibited from introducing l,earsay testimony,
much wider latitude was granted the accused in
AiA defense, If the testimony Of Mrs. Curti.,
for example, and Ut the accused himself The
prosecution objected, and protested that that
kind Of testimony had been ruled out when of
fered BY them but the complaint was not con-
sidered.
Ainnt-The greatest liberty OF speech was
granted 3lr. Mccarthy. He WAS permitted to
teRtity in his own Defense question all witnesses,
speak on all motions; and in this way occupied
more time than all the members OF the Council
put together, II Mr. II 'Prores. be excepted.
Tt11M-The case Was not prejudsed. "Pro-
test alone confessed that he went to tho Council
biased against the prisoner ut the bar. 1t ia pos
sible ~ that the public believes this. At
tho opening Of the secret session, on the las:
evening, no member Of the body knew how hia
brother felt. l1r. Gordon WAS tile only man Who
expressed opinion. When the result Of the
informal ballot WAS announced, all were sur