The Indiana State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis) 1868-1895, 1876-01-05
THE INDIANA STATE SENTINEL WEDNESDAY JANUARY s. 1876

Northern state. Certainly there is no more
Law lsssness in Georgia, which is still essen
TALLY a frontier state, than IN Penusyl-
vania. | give this denial of Bishop Haven's
reports, because the Northern people are,
as 1 think rightly, very easily moved by
tales of wrongs TO the Southern backs.
should myself resent very quickly any
systematic wrong to those people, and
would supper. the most severe aud per-
emptory me IsuIes il these we're necessary
tor their protection. But there is no such
wrong down there. Color and race prtju
dice. still obtain. and they are more intense
Ia Georgia tnan in some other sta &c, partly,
at least, because of the care with which
b shop Haven has stirred them up. He
pTesuL-'s To sit in judgment upon the late
vice president, aud declare that be was
struck down by God because he would not
support the force bill. /, on the other
hand, declare that in journey through six
Southern ates, made tor you during The
last spring and summer, | saw, with one ex-
cepti0D, not single honest aud respect ole
republican wlO did not freely tell me that
there was no need of q force bill; that even
the present enforcement act was useless;
that what the republican party needed in
those states was purihcatiOn from the con-
troll of rogues and plunderers, aBd that what
kept no the i'll feeling against negroes, 50 far
As It exists anywhere, vas their too ready
and constant afliiation with low whites and
bsiDg republicans, us5 the negro vote to rot
the taxpaying and property owning citizens.
I5 is not pleasant to a Methodist layman to
have to speak severely OF and 10 coptradlt
positively bishop of his church; but in this
IN alter Bishop Haven is capable of doing a
good deal OF mischief by misleading not only
Methodists, but others. It would be ex-
tremely unjust to charge the Methodist
clergy as body with propensity 20 inter-
iere in political questions. They do not do
so more than any other clergy of any other
sect in this country; and as they have
among their members democrats as well as
republicans, and rs the Methodist laity are
OF both political parties,
THERE Is BUT LITTLE TEMPTATION
to or occasion for such interference. What,
however, some prominent Methodist clergy
men can be charged with is that they do not
refuse to use their influence as Methodists
with the president to further applications
| for office. A conspicuous instance of this
kind came dissgreesbly under my notice
| two years ago, at the time when the sp-
| pointment of Collector Simmons in Boston
created very little discomfort among the
respectable republicans of Mass lchusetts
and upfavorsble comments elsewhere.
| Gen. Buffers influence with the president
was supposed at that time to have procured
| this appointment, but Judge Hoar, certainly
no friend to Gen. Butler, told me that 1t
was the Methodist influence In Boston
witch carried the day TOR Simmons, and j
satisfied myself afterward that this was true.
There are other and more seandalous in
stances Of such MISUSE of Methodist
influence which it is not worth while
now TO mention. l do not think
the president is to be blamed for being
subject to such influence, though d think
he has sometimes carried his submission
very far. His parents were Methods s, his
family belong TO the same church,
and it is but natural thai
he should hold its clergy in re.
spect. But certainly the clergyIDen them
selves commit a gross wrong when they
make uss of their access to the White House
for sHch purposes. 1t seems TO me dis
honorable, and they have undoubtedly, and
within my own painful experience, brought
contempt aud disgrace upon the Methodist
name by such misconduct, in my judgment
and in that OF many other Methodists, the
| favor in which our more prominent clergy
have been held at the White House and
consequently in the departments, during a
number of years, has had an evil influence
upon them and has worked badly for the
church. For my part l should be very
happy if the next president should prove Il
have an uEconquerable aversion to Metho
dist clergymen. 1t would be a fortunate
thing for the denomination.