The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1884-04-05
REV. F. N. GREGG.
His Late Newspaper Screed Answered
BY his NestrY.

brutal provocaton, the undersigned, ycstry
men of Christ Church. Ottawa, are constrained
in Justice 10 themselves and their constituents
10 take notice Of II most extraordinary com
munication that has appeared In one OF the
local papers over the signature of the Rev. f..
" Gregg, rector of said church, The com
munication is extraordinary rs Astounding in
perversions and Measurements, and as con
ccived in terms no less malevolcnt than UNI
truthful. We hope to bc able 10 make this
apparent by plain statement Of facts as they
appear by the record
Rev. f. NJ. Gregg was called TO the rector
shin of Christ Church about May Both, ISL
and entered upon his duties as rector on the
first Sunday in July. For his salary it was
agreed to give him the pew rents, estimated
a 5000 for the year. If they yielded less, the
yestry did not agree to make up the deficit; if
more. Mr.. Gregg should checrfully have the
excess. The pew rents collected for the year
amounted to trihc over 5000, and were paid
10 Mr.. Gregg.
May oath lSS! u yestry meeting was held at
the call of the rector, to appoint delegates to
IN. Diocesan Convention and "tO talk over the
finances" At that meeting, the record says,
Mr. Gregg spoke concerning the finances OF
the parish . and stated that unless some
arrangement could be conSummatcd to better
nav his salary he should feel obliged TO cast
about for another and better location
The matter was talked over. II was tacitly
agreed that an effort should be made to raise
he pay of Mr.. Gregg to 5000 for the coming
year, but without taking any formal action the
v,-try adjourned.
The next vcstry meeting was held Sept. ~,
1872 Mr.. Gregg again called attention to the
matter of his salary, but trihe over 800 hay.
ing been paid him in the last three and half
months. "OE motion, Messrs. Eamcs, " IT,
Swift and BEEN we've appointed q committee
10 arrange some plan in regard to the finances
o. the parish" Two days later an adjourned
meeting was held at which the following rcso-
alton was adopted
RtSol,yd. That wc, the ycstry, agree for our
selves collectively and individually, that in
consideration that Lester II Eamcs shall pay
The treasurer order for the after mentioned
amounts to the Rev +. VI. Gregg, viz: ON the
first day of each month, FOR THE CURRENT
YEAR ONLY the sum of one hundred dollars,
mat all moneys collected by pew rents shall be
raid To said Eamcs as collected from time to
lime, using all and every effort in that direc
Ion and that at the expiration of the current
year, TO wit, on June 1st, lSs:}, the said Eamcs
snail be reimbursed TO the full amount cXpcn-
ted by him in excess Of the sums paid to him
on this account.
Under this resolution Mr.. Gregg was paid at
once what arrcaragc was due him at tie rate
Of 800 per month from June |, 1882! aud 500
per month were paid him regularly thereafter
until the close Of the year MAY 81 1851 The
pew rents during this time were collected with
nue diligence, but at the meeting of the vcstry
Oh May I'D, 1888, the treasurer reported his
,0.al collection of pew rents for the year to
Lave been but IA triilc over 5000, 80 that the
vcstry were indebted to Mr. Games for money
advanced under the resolution above quoted
yearly 5000
Why the pew rents had fallen off SO cxtraor.
Giuariy is easily accounted for. During the
year Mr.. Gregg had conceived the project of a
Grand improvement of the church property
The vcstry was not consulted in regard to il
Mr.. Gregg assuring the members he would
ncur no expense which was not provided for
by money collected in advance. The par.
ish was rakcd "from Dan to Bccrshcbu" for
contributions, to which were added the pro.
,ccds of his famous "Art Loan Exhibition"
which by means il Is mildncss itself to
cali dubious, he had worked up 10 $1,000; yet
when the vcstry after several Intellectual Of.
forts, got him 70 make statement of his nc.
counts, his Improvement" had cost $2100 on
Which he had paid, or means TO pay, but $1,000,
leaving the parish in this comfortable situa.
Jon: a debt of 5000 to Mr.. Eamcs for money
advanced on icctor's salary, debt of 800 on
account OF basement Improvement, about $50
for gas, (for much Of the basement work was
done by gas light) and about 500 other debts,
with no offset save about Sl15 unpaid pew
rents supposed to he colcctabc. l. it, in view
of such facts, Il mystery that the pew rents
LAD fallen Oft? The parish had been drained
" over $1,000 to pay for useless improvements
leaving but 5000 altanubc for rcctor's salary,
of which 800 were paid by the ycstrymun
themselves.
The ycstry were no less astOnishcd than dis
mayed by the financial exhibit; but there was
20 help for it and they must do the best they
could II was decided to borrow $1,000 by II
mortgage on the rcctory pay the 800 unpa d
basement Improvement bills to save the church
editicc from being subjected to II licn and the
balance toward paying Mr. Eamcs and other
Indebtedness.
But now, May nd, SO near the close of Mr.,
Gregg's second year, with such financial cx.
hbit staring them in the face, and the bust
ncss before the vcstry to fix the rcctor's sala-
" for the coming year, was the following II
monstrous" proposition to make formulated
IN resolution offered by Mr.. f. c. Swift?
"ReSol,yd, that the salary of the Rev. +. NJ.
gregg for the year beginning June LIST, 1883,
shall be all the proceeds Of the pew rents aud
pledges, after first paying the current eXpcns-
t. of the cnurch for the year.
Mr.. Gregg kHotcingiy states what is not true
when he says this resolution was withdrawn
and torn up by the mover in the presence of
he yestry" The resolution was afterwards
put on the record and the original l. still in
POSSESSION of the secretary, aud Mr.. Gregg has
been told this 50 often that he cannot pretend
ignorance Of the fact.
Was there anything in this proposition I,
Justify Mr.. Gregg in characterizing il as sun
expected aud monstrous"? He had been here
Two years. During the first year there haC
been collected and expended on Improve
ments" which no one asked to be made ovei
$1,000, some 200 old debts paid and $500 tC
the rector, in all $500; in the 2dycar ss290'
we're raised in the parish and mostly expended
with sl20J Indebtedness on top on the sam,
unnecessary and uncalled for improvements
Was II 'monstrous" now To call halt To th
useless improvement business and coninc on
efforts to paying current expenses about SI0
year. and rectOr's salary Surely if we hay,
raised on an average $500 wear for the pns