Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1885-06-01
CAPT. PURSE AND THE SITUATION.
"a Comprehensive Review" Briefly
Reviewed.

present and past management" in sum
days Times that | desire to notice, not
that | think that The members of the
Union Society or the public expect me
TO notice them, but simply because | de-
sire 10 put myself on record with regard
20 them.
Capt. Purse, for the purpose, appar-
entity, Of creating the impression that
labored with his comprehensive review"
q whole day before deciding whether |
I would publish IL or not, takes the public
into his confidence to tell them that he
sent his manuscript to me at II O'Clock in
the morning and did not get it back
until 8 o'clock in the evening.
A glance at the correspondence WIFI
show that in the letter that accompanied
the manuscript there was no request for
an answer. | was not lacking in courtesy
/ to Capt. Purse in not giving Immediate
| attention to his 'calm and comprehensive
| review of the situation" But If / had
devoted a whole day to it, would the time
have been too lOngi Did not Capt. Purse
take nearly a whole week to prepare itY
As near as ! can make out, Capt. Purse
complains that n headline Of a report of
a meeting of the Union Society which was
published in the MORNING NEW put him
in the position Of seeking to bring about
radical changes in the management of
the society" and that the report was
calculated TO give the impression that he
! favored feeding the Bethesda orphans on
cheap -four.
l shall not argue the question whether
! the headline or the report did Capt. Purse
| injustice. There was certainly no inten-
ton to do him an injustice. / think that
/ anyone who will take the trouble to read
/ Capt. Purses resolutions will reach the
conclusion that they justified the head
line. Capt. p. says IN his "calm and com
prehensiYe review of the situation" that
he thinks that instead of being charged
with seeking radical changes IN the man.
agement," his resolutions "should have
accorded him the credit OF an honest and
determined effort to bring back the So
ciety to its ancient mOOrings and funda-
mental laws"
Capt. Purse assumes that the society
has drifted away from its ancient moor
ings and laws, and insists that he wanted
to bring il back again. But how did he
propose to bring it backY BY changes in
the management Of its affairs, did he not?
And were not the changes rather radical?
From his own admissions, therefore, what
reason has he to complain of the headline
Of the report in the MORNING NEWS?
| think it Will be agreed that Capt.
Purses explanation relative to the -four
furnished the Bethesda orphans Is rather
strained, and, perhaps, a little muddled.
He must take the position either that the
-four purchased for the orphans was
too good for them, or that the
charge for 1t was greater than the
market price. But he says the supplies
We're purchased from "hIghly respecta-
bic and reputable dealer" from which it
must be inferred that he does not
think that dishonest charge was made
for them. The conclusion, therefore, is
inevitable that Capt. Purse thinks
that the flour the orphans got was better
than they deserved. Of course | differ
with Capt. Purse on this point, assuming
that | understand his position. and | so
stated at the meeting of the Union So
ciety. | do not think there is any econ
omy in purchasing cheap kinds of food
supplies.
II Capt. Purse will inquire of the men,
bers OF the Union Society who were pres
ent at the meeting in question. he will
find probably that they do not think that
the report in the MORNING NEWS Tela-
tive to the -four question did him any in
Justice. The position he took looked
little different to him perhaps when pre-
scented to the public In cold type than it
did when ne was presenting it at the
meeting of the society.
Capt. Purse takes particular pains to
call attention to the fact that no
Hebrew members of the society were
they We're not present because the day
was the Hebrew Sabbath. He quotes
me as saying that had brought the mat
ter to the attention of some Hebrew
members, and that they had said 20 me
that Saturday suited them as well as any
other day. Capt. Purse then proceeds 10
say that he has been asked by several
since the meeting who the Hebrews were
to whom l referred who were so indif-
Z faro M In u - NJ nv anfI liz fasls
why Capt. Purse logged this refer
ence to the Hebrew members into
bis comprehensive review" and it is re-
markable that anybody should 20 To him
for The names of the Hebrews 10 whom |
referred as not Directing To the meeting
on saturday. lfpersOns wanted informa-
ton on that point, why didn't they come
To me? Why should they 90 to Capt.
| Purse? He didn't have the intOr-
nation, and there was nothing to lead
! them TO think he had. Does iG not look
| as if Capt. Purse had busted himselfabout
/ this matter with the hope OF stirring up
| ill-feellng. and that, instead Of inquiries
| being made Of him, he made the inquiries
/ or invited themy
There is one other point in this ''com-
| prehensiye review" with respect to which
/ | want 70 put myself on record. l quote
| from the review:
Some time prior to the annual meeting in
a friendly conversation with Col. j. IL. Estll.
/ the PresdeutOf the Union Society, IN reference
/ 70 The sale of its properly, he took what l
thought "a most extraordinary position, 10
/ VIII: that the PRECEDENT of the Union Society
] possessed the power, without the consent or
! concurrence Of his Board of Managers To
I ALLEVIATE any Of its property; that the Board
/ OF Managers were simply advis DRY, ana that
/ In the President was vested plenary power.
l say most emphatically, that 1 never
took such a position in "A conversation
with Capt. Purse or any one else. never
thought l had such power. l never
wanted TO exercise such power. My
whole course as President OF the Union
Society shows 1 have never acted as il |
thought / had such power. OF course
do not mean to say that Capt. Purse does
not imagine that he heard me claim
such power, or that he dreamed he heard
me claim il, or that he evolved the lm-
preston that he heard me claim it from
his inner consciousness, but desire IL to
be distinctly understood that | never did
claim TO have such power. lie may have
heard some one sRy that / might claim
such power, aud in that way might inter-
fere with some scheme Of his. Ii he had
not assumed, however, that | bad made
such a claim, there would not have been
any foundation for at least one Of his resi-.
lutiOns. Fr
The following is, perhaps, true state
ment OF the situation" which Capt.