Knoxville journal. [volume] (Knoxville, Iowa) 1874-1986, 1875-12-23
The Methodi>ts and the 1'hird
Term.

L fa P"pNso udNc ucCu
making great fuss over the report
that Bishop Haven and the Boston
Methoist preachers have recently, at
one Of their meetings, renomins.ed
General Grant for third term. And
the most Of the papers referred to,
Republican and Democratic, are dis.
posed to hold the whole Methodist
church responsible for the alleged
action of the Bishop and tho Boston
Preachers meeting.
Fuller information puts the matter
In an entirely different light, and re-
veals fully the unreliability Of "made
up dispatches and reported inter-
views" with prominent men.
AT first II was reported that IL was
the parties attending the anniversary
nf the Methodist Episcopal Sun
day School Union, consisting Of
about two hundred ministers and
members Of the denomination from
different parts Of the country, who
had taken the offensive action. This
being denied ig toto. 1t was next
sought to be fixed upon the Boston
Preachers meeting and to give eol-
or, for political objects, to the thing,
q mendaci0us reporter represented
himself as having interviewed Bish-
op Simpson, who was said to have
Expressed himselfin favor OF Grants
reelection for the third term. It Is
sufficient tossy that the Bishop staste
that no such conversation took place,
and expressed himself as not In favor
Of that precedent.
| 1t now turns out that no such re-
nomination OF General Grant WAS
ever made. What occurred took
place at the Preachers meeting re-
ferred to. That meeting Is volun-
tary and unofficial gathering of the
Methodist clergy of Boston and its
vicinity, consisting of perhaps forty
members who meet for the inter
change of views, and for purposes
purely Of Oliterary, social and reli-
gious character, and In manner
wholly unofficial. ......
This meeting had invited Bishop
Haven, who resides at Atlanta, Ga,
and who has a more perfect aequain-
tance with the work OF the church in
ths Southern States than perhaps
any one else, to address the meeting
In reference to the operations OF the
church In that region. In the course
OF his remarks he bore testimony tothe
iirmness and efficiency OF the admin
istration of the President In the
Southern States, and said that the
msicontents Of the South know that
they were defeated by one man and
that man Is President Grant; and ad-
ded that "if the people throw him
over mt the command Of the politi-
cian, they will rue 1t. Having thus
expressed himself, persoDly In favor
OF Grants reelection he eyhOrted
the audience TO "pray that President
Grant may be reelected"
At the close Of the speech, which
embraced review ofthe entire work
Of the church In the South, and with
reference to the whole Of the address,
and not with any particular referenc.
10 the remarks Of the Bishop, Incl
dentalIy made, with respectIto Pres
ident Grants reelection. Roy. DIR.
Sherman, Of rookliDe, "moved that
the meeting vote that they lad
heard the sentiments advanced by
Bishop Haven with great pleasure
and hearty approval" Aud this
motion was unanimously adopted.
That was the whole Of II. IL ex-
pressed the opinion Of one man, n
Bishop, II Is true, OF the Methniist
Episcopal church, but whose views
Oh political, questions are Of no more
force or authority In the denomlna-
tiOp ~ which he belonges than those
Of any private member. And even
~ tiG SOts VI tfG hfItpbb 30 y" 10
understood as an endorsement OF the
special views 0fihe speaker with ref
erence TO President Grant, IL only
commits the parties who participa-
ted In the meeting 10 q very foolish
and Improbable devotional excr-
else. Their time would be better Ia
ken up in praying that Bishop 1la-
ven might be blessed with little
more discretion, and that the racs Of
teie., .,raphic and newspaperial 0epor-
ters, and editors Of u certain class,
might he reformed.
IL is doubtful whether e0rpornPs
guard In the Methodist Episcopal
Church would favor the third term
principle. The iiinerant systems of
the church Is founded ON the princi.
pie Of rotation In Office; and, with
myself, L think many would favor
such a constitutional change ~
would extend the term 10 six years,
and make the President incumbent
ineligible TO re election, ut least
until after expiration Of an intervrn-
ing term. While not wanting
Ia say one word against PTeriitnt
Grant, yet the country II In bad
way III no one can be found among