The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1895-08-17
A oNE-sIpED WAR

pfOIHDitOTy ldW- oDSSiN Ou 'H''e ~
Mr.. Wright. pastor of the N. E. church
at Independence. had remarked TO MN
a few days since, that the Methodlst
church of Kansas were at last a unlt'
and that now the Eagle must go under.
When the Reverend was asked to eX-
plain, he simply added that the Metho-
dist church would stand by the Rev.
Don s. Colt in his fight, and that Their
fore the Eagle must go.
This is unpleasant, if not discourag
inc news and as far-reaching as it is
one-sided.
The Eagle is. in 30 sense, an enemy
of the Methodist church. nor OF any
other church. religious organization or
society looking to the spiritual we'll
being or moral uplifting of humanity.
Its sympathies have ever gone out TO
the minister in the pulpit, to the pastor
in his field Of self-sacrifice. as has It's
support to every effort put forth by
these and their congregations in the
erection Of churches, in sustaining re-
vivals and in deeds of charity. Our
columns have not only always been
omen TO encoura ging words for their
enterprises. but ever closed to their
would-be critics and enemies. The
annual conferences, general assemblies
and associations have never failed OF
space. The Salvation Army. even,
found in the Eagle an able and sue
cessful defender when an organized
effort would have driven its parades
from the streets. In all the long list
Of Wichita pastors, from the days or
Rev. Harsen in his little church over
on the present cite of the Missouri IA
cific depot, and Rev. Hilton with MS
rectory built Of slabs on the court
house square, through all the years,
down to Mr.. Colt, has the Eagle had
only complimentary notices, words Oh
encoura cement and unlimited space
for notices Of Sunday services, or
weekday prayer meetings. and of all
kinds of church socials and entertain
ments. This is true. Even the Rev.
Mr.. Colt has had not a few compn-
mentary concentrations from this pen.
of. and from a family Of Methodists,
the editor of the Eagle attended the
first session of the KanSaS-NebraSka
conference. and has contributed OF his
labor and earnings to the erection or
more than a dozen Methodist churches
in Kansas. as also to the building OF
the churches of many ot1er denomina-
tons. So remembering the memoir
able words of John Wesley, the found
er of Methodistisn, wherein he exhort-
ed his society to avoid force and vio-
lence and employ only persuasion to
win men, we are more sorry than
alarmed over the threat of Rev.
Wright, even though authoritatively
made, which he will please excuse us
for doubling.
As for the Causus Belli. set out by
the Independence pastor, the Eagle has
made no fight or inaugurated no war
on Rev. Mr.. Colt. That gentleman
attacked the good name of this city in
a state convention, his scathing words
being heralded over the state as one
words possible, from such a provOca-
ton. the Eagle replied with some I'M
deniable facts. That was all. His
character as a gentleman, his standing
as preacher and orator, his honesty
nor zeal were in no sense attacked or
disparaged. Not even were his mo-
tives questioned or impugned. OF
course we stood up for the good name
of Wichita, for the intelligence and
morality Of its people, for the city's re-
ligious and educational character and
prominence. We even refrained from
telling our reads that because of Mr..
Colts eminence as a preacher, his re-
cognized power as an orator and his
exceptionally high standing with the
Grand Army of the Republic, he had
been chosen to make an example of
Wichita for the other cities of the
state, and that he had in respOne de-
clared that he would stand or fall by
such effort, that he would make il the
one effort of his life, and that, there
fore Rev. Mr.. Colt in his subsequent
successful scheme to GUST police COM
mission whose rule and policy had
been in the highest sense satisfactory
to the great majority of this people;
that he was making a grand stand
fight for Mr.. Colt and for Mr.. Colts
reputation in the state. rather than for
either the moral or religious welfare
of community in whom his interest
is but transient.
OF course, asserting to the truth of
Rev. Wights declaration. the pro-
posed war must be n one-sided one.
The Eagle has no fight to make on the
Methodist church or its preachers and
never will have. The unkind words in
dulged in towards the editor of the
Eagle personally, by three or four
preachers of that denomination in this
city may have been along the line of
agreement mentioned by their indie
pendence brother, but we have over
looked and excused them all. because,
We knew that it could hot be malice
but ignorance. Not knowing our heart
or its aspirations, and all Obvious TO
the material interests weighing upon
one in our position; not dreaming of
the pressure of influence and the APP
pealS OF the many whose business af-
fairs are menaced and the destruction
or whose properties are threatened.
these preachers with only the SYM
pathy and good will OF their parish
toner's 10 deal with and sustain them
and only our columns to judge us hv.