The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1879-01-25

q ID "a NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS. y IL -IhAIa dEi
!. HAS DONE THINGS HE NOW SEES TO
gAyGBEENglfORALLYi wRoNG-REPoRT
OF THE COMMTTTEE-RESTOR RE-
soLUTIoN ADOPTED By FIFTEEN TO SIX.
The Presbytery reassembIed yesterday at
$3.50 a.. M, and took up the resolution Of
Tered on the previous day for the restora-
tion of DR.. Baird to the ministry.
z Dr.. Baird was himself present, and re-
sponded TO various interrogatories pre-
pounded by members OF the Presbytery.
THE LETTER OF DIR. BAIRD
referred to Ia eur notice OF the first, days
proceedings, and laid before the Presbgtery
by the committee 10 whom it was .ad dressed
and made, 2 basis ei the Presby ytery's action,
is as follows: 49,, f..flss
asi3sa R1CHMeyD, ssVAs3January %, 1879.
.Reus3E. D. Wttherspooa, ID. De ~ 81 4
Dear Brother,-As have learned from
% tie ssaten1snts Tnlade Before rfcsbytery,
q deem 1t due To myself TO place In yonr
hands correct statement on that subject.
which you are at perfect liberty to use off,
cfafiy In connection with the approaching
meeting OF Presbytery. My special reason
for doing SO Is that the 'Presby terry may not
act In ignorance OF my Views and feelings
with regard to the whole matter. The
points included in the indictment are the
most important; and,s suppose, the only
ones which can be properly taken into
view !; and I shall confne1 what j now write
within the limifs OF that instrument 81.
IL begin by repeating empbaticaIly:w
have uniformly said on every occasion
when have said or written anything: that
l am not defending the propriety of The
course which adopted in conducting my
official business, but simply andionly my
moral character. l have always condemned
and repudiated In the strongest terms every
departure from business propriety, every
business regularity, and every act in which
or by which my accounts, and those OF the
Committee were intermingled. Whatever
may be the fact as to the exact state of the
accounts between me and the Committee the
principle is the same. Morally and legally,
had.no more right to use one cent OF the
Committees money than l had to use 800,
$1,000, or 100000. 4 e.i
2. have uniformly acknowledged the
impropriety of nv assuming the payment of
the debts due by the Committee, giving my
note for them, and passing the sums thus
assumed to my credit. At first these as
sumptions were made by the request of
parties to whom the Committee was in
debted, because the Committee had no legal
status; and even up to the very close of my
administration there were some who still
requested me to do So. / supposed at the
time that this made the debts legally mine,
and hence I acted as did. On this point,
however, I End. lawyers differ. q But
am well satisfied that the Committee was
still bound for them morally,n not legally.
The whole transaction was therefore Wron z
in principle, and I as heartily eohdemn it
as any one man. Though the fist specifl
cation OF the first charge, which contained
items of this character, was not sustained,
T deem it due to myself to state explicitly
what have here said relative to this point,
more especially because. it was chiefly from
such claims as these assumed by me, and on
my failure to meet them going back on the
committee, that all this trouble and embar-
rassment to it has arisen. - ~" -
8. Ilearn hat have been understood to
Justify the OF my official signature in
raising money for my own uses, because l
constantly lent my name to the Committee
as the eudorser Of its obligations, and often
gave my personal obligation to raise money
for it; and, further, that defended the use
of my official signature in this manner as an
exchange OF equivalents I have some rea-
son to believe it was on this ground that at
least a part of the majority voted to sus-
tain the second specification Of the first
charge. I think that ] distinctly and SOL
emnly repudiated any such position in my
defence before Presbytery; and now de-
sire to add that, in my opinion, there are no
circumstances under which iteould be done
without violation of moral right and the
laws Of God. I find no instance, however,
| In which I used my official signature in Dor.
rowing money for myself or for purposes
not official. All the items Of the second
| specification of the first charge, where the
money was borrowed, Mr.. SIeight has tes-
titled were used for official purposes, except
one. and that he testifes was used to pay
paper bills for the printing office at time
when that office was entitled to a credit
OF s4,34760. In other words, the SAID
money was borrowed to T. pay the
claims in part of the printing Office
against the Committee. In all these in
stances, as Mr. Sieight further testifes, these
notes bore heavy interest, and hence I or.
dered them to be put on my account that
might pay the interest. Having thus per
}. sonal responsibility for their payment,
| liGdtCu wv iCSpCSI'
checking against them, etc. Every suct
transaction was wrong in principle, and ]
| wish to repudiate any expression OF min,
/ which may have been understood as approx
ing OF it or as claiming right to do it. o.
the other hand, IL in any instance it Is 81
that used my official signature In the man
ner indicated, ,as the Presbytery has judged
] would most earnestly and soIemnly repn
!. diate and deplore it. .s -. - f,
a. The financial statements of the annua
reports were prepared by me from facts ant
statements furnished me by the bushes
agent and the treasurer. The statements TO
the General Assembly OF 1916 were prepared
by these officers with unusual care, as I be
lieye. Besides the annual report there wa
book prepared OF all the debts Of the Com
| mittee, and OF all known amounts due By
4 others to the Committee. Those debts til,
payment or which I,had assumed deemed
aud treated in my mind and in all my &C
tions as no longer the Committees, b1
mine: and with the resources OF which
then supposed myself TO have at command
and the aid promised me by others OF my
family, had no doubt at that time of my
ability to meet them without causing the
| Committee embarrassment or trouble In the
least degree. I therefore did not consider
or treat them as debts OF the Committee
and never thought Of revising the figure:
as given me by the business agent and trea
[surer, and hence prepared the annual re
port for the Committee according to tht
statements furnished by them. "a While
fully recognize the responsibility which
rested ON me to make known to the Com
mittee, and through the Committee to tht
Assent bly,, the exact state Of its, business,
cannot confess that Tiintenti ionaHy praeticet