Ashtabula telegraph. (Ashtabula, Ohio) 1874-1880, 1875-07-16
ORWELL.
An outside view Of the Case.

Ed. Ts-In your issue of last week is the
statement that the subscriber was among the
throng gathered at the Harbor, and engaged
somewhat literally in speech making. True,
was among those who responded to the excursion
call. and from wagon invited the attention Of
the surrounding multitude, whilst introduced
Mr.. C. R: Stone. who made some well-timed,
Fourth of July remarks. This is the extent of my
public efforts OH that memorable day.
Nv name having been introduced into your pal
liatory article, wish to occupy so much Of your
spacs as to present the outside view Of the case,
and the reasons therefor, well as to enter
protest against the rapidly increasing practice of
resorting to any and every means of raising mon
ey for church purposes, without regard to their
propriety or honesty.
In what have to say wish not to inveigh
against your beautiful. city 1 rejoice at her ma
terial growth. and the surrounding country will
not obj ct to paying legal tribute to her, when the
arrangement of trains and the development of
business shall make her what her natural and ac-
quired facilities warrant-the commercial centre
of the county. Neither do say aught against the
Presbyterian church as such. Among her MEM
bership are some Of my most esteemed friends. 1
am sorry they have allowed her to be drawn into
the popular current, and cou'd her choice men
and women have heard the jests and jeers and
oaths uttered at the expense of religion, as those
heavily laden trains returned from the Haroor,
they would willingly have given the receipts Of
the day to obliterate all memory Of them. AS 1t
is, both town and church have suffered in the
mind of many thousands Of good people.
No matter how much your people OF other
churches, and of no church, may say-"It was no
affair Of ours it was q Presbyterian concern"
still it was oil the town. Your papers heralded it
and puffed, without mention Of church, so far
as the people in general, knew. No other infor-
nation came from within the corporation than
that you were going to have '' zig time" and you
had it. No matter how much it may, be said-"IL
was gotten up by few individuals, with the best
Of motives" the expression 1.-The best feature Of
the affair is that the prime object-the gathering
up of the dollars and dimes for the payment Of the
church debt, was gained,'' lalls heavily on ears
that would gladly have it otherwise, in view OF
what was seen and hear d on that occasion. No
matter though it be said-"The programme was
arranged by several of our young men, with
scarcely q thought of drawing together such
concourse ofpeople.'' To put it in the mildest
form. six thousand people feel that they have
been duped. Had but one thousand appeared up
on the grounds, no softer term would have an
swered. And whyf
1st Halffare excursion tickets were advertised,
and yet three thousand people passed oyer the A.,
P. at rates but little lower than that Of regu-
lar return tickets and most of them but little bet
ter pro ded for than the ore and coal that passes
over that road.
Sd. Arrived at the Harbor, there was no mar
shal, no committee of arrangements-not soul
to make few people comfortable, to say nothing
of ten thousand, and in twenty minutes after the
first train landed its passengers, scores Of men
said, "Humbugged ~ No seats; no shade; no
provision for water, only as we went storming in
to private residences, soon exhausting even that
supply one to guide us to the of-extolled, but
as yet unwritten, beauties of the Harbor. ut is
natural enough. in the absence of these things,
that there should have been felt some disappoint-
ment.''
3d. The item most looked to as a source of
pleasure by hundreds who had never enjoyed
ride on the lake was the steamboat excursions"
What shall we say for the provisions for carrying
out this part of the bill of fare? Were that dirty
barge and those ''tugged schooners" cheaper than
good steamer would have been, or was it part
OF the programme" to get hundreds off shore, at
hfty cents trip, and then, whilst exposed to
scorching sun, regale them on lemonade % made
from lake-water, all uniced, and so pale that ev-
cry ''twelve lemons netted twelve dollars ?" Is
1t fact that the whole ground of complaint is due
to ''inadvertence, and an inadequate idea of the
effect of what was done to induce such gather
ing9"
4th. Dropping every thing else, is it right to
suppose there are people on the ''clay lands" who
do not know the difference between yacht and
a fishing smack, and who, at least, on ''Indepen-
dence Day." can discriminate between the Amer
lean eagle and gu0g'
The people of the rural districts expect to visit
the towns, and are willing to pay their bills, b ut
ask an equivalent for their money. The villages
beyond the Ridge have their churches to build
and expenses to meet, without the hope Of for
eign aid, except it comes through the Home Mis-
sionary channel. If the people OF Conneaut, Ash
tabula, Willough5y and other lake shore towns
need more extensive churches than we-and they
do-ought they not to build and provide for them
among themselves, in a business-like manner
There is just now very strong sentiment of this
kind among the "benighted'' in the back towns,
and stock in excursion pap for paying church
debts, is at heavy discount, dividends having
been entirely passed" July ffth-at the Harbor.
Orwell, July IA. 1875. HUI.