Clarksville weekly chronicle. (Clarksville, Tenn.) 1873-1890, 1876-11-18
THE SOUTHERN METHODIsTs.
A Protest Against the LibeIs Of Their
Northern Brethren.

Northern Brethren
The Southern Christian Advocat
| (Methodist). of Macon Ca, in a calr
and temperate article, protests agsins
the Misrepresentation Of the Southern
people which have appeared in th,
Northwestern Christian Advocate. I
says:
There is a painful proneness mani
tested in most of the Northern Meth,
odist papers to join the partisan secular
press in its crusade against the good
name Of the South, and to incuipate
the Southern Methodist Church with
the horrors which they alIege as
perpetrated here and indorsed by
Southern society. Unwilling to utter
an unnecessary word that would check
the progress Of complete reconciliation
between the two churches, we have
passed in silence many utterances upon
which we felt strong inclination to
animadvert; and we speak now under
an impelling sense of duty, and in the
interest of peace and fraternity. Such
sheets as the Northwestern Christian
Advocate, to the full extent of their
influence, antagonize fraternity, and
if they believe what they say, and do
not, like many of the secular papers,
speak rather for political effect than
from honest eonviction-show the real
thing to be both undesirable and i'm
possible. 1t is from this view, more
than any other, that their unkind and
defamatory utterances fill us with pain.
full regret. A recent number of the
Northwestern comes to us with three
columns and a half OF what it calls
4" CHASTITY facts" touching the muir
derous terrorism in the South :" and
more than two columns of editorial,
headed, Excess by Southern Polite
ians, but devoted mainly to indict-
ments of the Southern Methodist press
and pulpit for completely with crime,
and suggestions for the transformation
of the Southern States into a second
Hayti. With reference to the ghast-
ly facts which DR.. Edwards parades
before his readers, we have only to say
that we know some of them to be
wholly without fondation, or such per-
version and Misrepresentation of real
occurrences as to make them no better
than unmitigated falsehoods; and,
we have little or no reason
to doubt the manufacture or partisan
of the rest.
In the very frstissue of this paper af- |
.er the affair at Hamburg, at the earliest
possible moment, we spoke in terms of |
and unqualified condem- |
nation of the atrocity committed, but
he Northwestern failed to see that
copy of the Advocate, and with sinful
haste proceeded to bear false witness
against his brethren. There was no
apology for the crime in our condem-
was unequivocal and hearty.
The other church papers remote from
he occurrence, as soon as they were
certified, from sitting the different
that such a crime had been
committed, denounced it in fitting
erms. So far from being stung out
If silence by our (Dr. Edwards Just
we doubt if one of them
any other emotion upon
'eading his wild rawlings than right
,ous contempt for the man, recognized
IS a Christian editor, who would give
hem utterance. The patronizing and
luGsi excusatory air with which this
'everend defamer shifts his indictment
against the Southern Methodist press
ind pulpit from sympathy with crime
o craven fear of consequences should
hey boldly rebuke it, only aggravates
he offense Of slander by conveying it
n waton insult. The preachers and
editors of Southern Methodism, an
iwerable to God and their own con-
sciences, not only refuse to accept the
lictG of DIR. Edwards as rule of ac-
ion, but consult the claims of their
elf respect in declining to defend
against such gratuitously
insulting libel.