The Iowa plain dealer. [volume] (New Oregon, Howard County, Iowa) 1867-1895, 1891-10-29
WEBSTER TO RHEA.
Dubuque's Former Internal Rove.
nue. Collector to Dubuque's
Former Minister.
Tho xarshalltown Editor Accuses
the KarshalltoWn Preach
Or Of 1isreprsssnting
the Facts.

the 04f00Ally0W0 kfeAcn-
Or Of 1isrsprsssnting
the Facts.
The Truth Concerning tho Petition
TO Gov. Doies % Pardon Z
Liquor Dealer.
Gov. Boies, Rev. DR.. j. H. Rhea,
pastor OF the Methodist church OF
Marshalltown, formerly Of Dubuque,
and Hon. Byron Webster, editor Of
the Marshalltown Statesman. and
formerly internal revenue collector
at Dubuque, are the parties to an
interesting controversy. DR.. Rhea,
at the Methodist Conference, joined
in reprobating Gov. Boies for pardon
ing liquor dealers. Boies retorted
that Rev. DR.. J. H. Rhea, with Mr..
Webster had signed q petition for
the pardoning OF . liquor dealer. DR.
Rhea rejoined that he had signed, at
the request OF Mr.. Webster, what the
latter had represented to him as q
petition that q liquor dealer be gran.
ted a conditional pardon, parole Of
honor. Mr.. Webster now sends DR..
Rhea, the following open letter:
MARsHALLTowN, Iowa, Oct. TO-
Rev. DR.. Rhea:-Dear Sir:-My at
tention has been called to your open
letter to Governor Boies in regard to
the Winebrenner pardon, and the
charges made against him, that Of not
giving all the facts In his possession
as to the part you take in securing
it.
You start out with misrepresenta.
which shows, too, malice, as it has nc
bearing on your defense that "there
only few hundred present to hear
him instead Of 5000" You were not
in the city, and only know from
hearsay. No man Of the thousand,
who did hear the governor, be h,
demococrat or republican, will agre,
with you
must confess that, while am &C
customed to much deception, incon
sistency and hypocritioAl cant in tn,
conduct and methods Of politicians
| had hardly looked for any, or q
much Of this from ministerial politi
cian- | am, therefore, amazed at tn
ingenious web OF distorted facts, for
getfulness and stretches Of imagina
ton set up by you for the purpose 0
generating yourself from the mos
ridiculous and embarrassing position
in which You have placed yourself,
e. of first having asked.the governor t,
pardon liquor dealer and then con
demning him for doing it; and tbel
the attempt to belittle him and hid
your own discontinue, by claimin
that he suppressed part Of the recor
in this case in order to injure you.
Like Thousands Of others who hear
the governor and have read your lei
ter, fail to zee how, If everything
you say is true, it in anyway save
you from the charge Of inconsistent,
and Of not having shown the tru
Christian spirit Of fairness and justic
in failing to defend him before tn
conference, in this case at least.
You condemn him in conferenc
for abusing his pardoning powe
when in fact this is the only case yo'
admitted you had any personal know
ledge of, and In this case for dom
what you asked him to do, even ad
hitting you asked no more than su,
pension. l was charitable enough t,
give you credit in the Statesman
when asked by you, and you copie
it, for not having read carefully til
petition and understanding that
asked for full pardon. I believe
this up to the reading Of your letter
You now, however, make no sue
plea; you say you signed it after SCI
ing my name upon the petition, an
then came directly to my Office an
in consulting with me we agreed "
would write the governor a person,
letter explaining the case and as
him not to pardon him hut put hi
where he was before the court undo
parole or good behaviour, and that
agreed to. write: and then to sho'
that | did and that the governor ha
personal knowledge Of the change
condition Of your mind. you say the
afterwards q few weeks you met II
ON the street and l told you that til
governor had done as we requisite,
would be glad to know that ha
. SO much influence with you and the
l could SO easily direct your act
opinions and conduct, for then
would labor more earnestly in til
future to have you spend more tin
preaching Christ and Him crucifie
and less in politics. l would try
get you to help save the NJ. +. Churc
from the shoals Of political breaker
| which it is fast drifting upon, by ha'
ing politics brought into It. | woul
try to teach you some Of the good Of
democratic doctrine Of Christie
charity, justice, fairness, toleranc
aud honesty of methods. But l d
not believe l have any such lnfluens
which you gave me credit for; it an
wers your purpose very well to say /
now and you SO impose the respons
bility upon my shoulders and tn,
plead the baby act.
Now, what are the facts in the cas-
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