St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1890-08-30
A Michigan Dominic Who
Drives Race Horses All
the Week.
The Muskegon Methodist Con-
ference Will Investigate
His Doings.
His Saranac Park--He SAYS
He Is in the Business
to Stay.
He Insists That He Does Not
Regret the Course He Has
Pursued.

GRAND RAPIDS, Mich, Aug. 29.-
Rev. J. W. Arnie, pastor of the Meth
odist church of Saranac, who recently
officiated at horse trot in this town, a
sporting event that attracted widespread
interest, is not in the least sorry for
what he did, and any action that the
conference may take in his case at the
meeting in Muskegon. Sept 10, has no
terrorS for him.
II expect to be called up before the
conference to explain, but l have clear
conscience and have no fears for the
consequences" he says. 81 shall simply
make my explanation and think it will
and there. Soon after the race the dis
trict conference met and held an in
quest upon my conduct.
| have received several thousand dol
lars worth of free advertising in the
newspapers to help me in future opera
tionS. At the conference | do not in
tend to offer any apologies or plead eX
tenuating circumstances. but will SIM
ply explain my participation in the
races, and am willing to abide by the
results. My people find no fault with
the race, but seem rather to like it. My
before; my prayer meetings are we'll
attended. and the spiritual condition of
the church is all that could be desired.
My people like me and want me re-
turned. and this feeling at home,
coupled with favorable report of the
district conference, will, [ am sure,
have a favorable effect upon the state
conference"
"Have you prepared any written state
ment of the case to submit to the con-
ference?"
II have not considered it necessary.
I shall simply make verbal eXplana-
ton. Elder Moore asked me to prepare
statement for publication in the
Christian Advocate and outlined what [
ought to say. He suggested that write
explaining how [ happened to give the
race: that the race was originally in
tended as a quiet neighborhood affair,
but that the papers magnified it into all
event of wide Importance, and, thirdly,
that should say, had | known what
the results would have been, / wonld
never have had anything to do with it.
/ was not prepared to subscribe to the
last proposition and would not write
anything"
'What was the objection to the last
clause?"
Il went into the race with my eyes
open, and with a purpose in view, and
have yet to entertain my first regret at
the course l pursued. The race was as
quiet and orderly as any camp meeting
and as pleasant as any church sOciable.
There was no gambling nor pool-selling,
the horses were not abused, and the
best of good order prevailed through
out. There was not single objection
a nd b1nnanpH
make me ashamed of the part [ had i'll
it. am not prepared to say will
never do such thing again."
''What form would unfavOrable action
by the conference take?"
1.-The very worst that would be done
would be to suspend me from active
service, and so far as that is concerned
it does not trouble me. There are other
church denominations, some of them
more liberal than the Methodist, and
there is a wide evangelical field to work
in. My brother is a pastor iii the Niles
district, and he has frequently urged
me to join him in tent evangelistlc work
about the country. From purely flnan-
cial point of view. evangelistlc work of
this kind is several times more profit
able than nv work here, but 1 would
hesitate to break away if the confer
ence would permit me to stay. am
fond of preaching, take deep interest
in the work and would not willingly
give it up.'
Gould not conditions be imposed
upon you by the conference for the fu-
ture?'
II would never consent to anything
of that kind. The conference can sus-
pend me, but can go no further. Ii l
have an innocent fondneSS for good
horse and occasionally hold little race
to give expression to my interest, so
long as my own conscience approves.
that is the end OF it. / do not recognize
the right of the church TO interfere with
Inc to any snch extent"
You have been criticised"
Certainly, and from every magma
BILE direction, but at the same time have
received much encouragement. just
before and since the race | have re-
ceived many letters, some OF them
rOundlY abusing me and condemning
the course have pursued, and others
congratulating me and approving of the
stand have taken. Rev. DR.. Scudder,
of the Brooklyn church, the sue
cessor to Mr.. Beecher, has written me
a very kind letter, and so have several
other well-known clergymen, to say
nothing of many who have nothing to
uO Will lIlG aIuOuS lily lStlCIS
] have some from nearly every state in
the Union, and from Canada, and ex-
pect to hear eventually from Europe.
| do not feel at liberty just now to give
the names of my correspondents, but
should the conference go against me l
may change my mind, and show to the
world that do not stand alone on the
horse question. l have no apprehen-
slonS for the future; have not lost a
single nights sleep. am sure | am in
the right and feel certain that the con-
ference will see the matter in the same
light after | have made my explana-
tion."
'What does your wife think of it?''
'sShe thinks more of what people will
say than do, and at first heartily dis
approved of the whole business. |
have been obliged to explain things as [
have progressed, and she has at last be-
come reconciled. As long as, in my
own heart, l do right do not care what
the world thinks or says. Before the
race [ figured / would meet with crit
icism from some and that would re-
ceive approval from others. and calcu-
lated that one would just about balance
the other. find, however, that the APP
proyal is heartler than the condemna-
ton. The pastor of one of the local
churches has used me and the horse
race for text every Sunday since the