The Meeker herald. [volume] (Meeker, Colo.) 1885-current, 1895-06-15
The Passing of Passmore.

The Rev. (?) Passmore; whose ques-
tionable and silly antics in Meeker re-
Gently provoked much laughter and con-
temptuous ridicule, has finally been Off
cially condemned by his own church. as
the following extract from the proceed
ings of the conference lately held in
| Denver and published in the News OF
Wednesday will show:
/ The closing sessions of the Methodist
conference of Colorado at Trinity
church yesterday were convulsed over
I the consideration OF the case of Rev. +.
| Z. Passmore. MIR. Passmore, 1t will be
remem bered, is the preacher who in a
sermon at the Peoples tabernacle last
winter arraigned some of the most
prominent leaders of the Methodist
church in Colorado, both laymen and
clergy, for completely with the liquor
traffic and other public evils. He ac-
cused them OF preaching prohibition
and then voting the Republican ticket
straight and helping to put the most
corrupt ring in the state in office.
Chancellor Mcdowell, Governor Evans,
DR.. Mcintyre and several other promi-
nent Methodists came in for severe
drubbing on this account, Passmore
saying that they had joined hands with
the lowest stun element to elect the
Republican ticket, and were to Just that
degree responsible for the liquor traffic.
he scored Governor Evans for running
street cars to make money on Sunday
and said the reason lie was not de-
nounced from the rulpits of the denom-
ination was because he was rich and
able to contribute large sums to the
church. Long before this, Passmore
had preached so furiously against sa-
looms and saloon people while pastor of
charge in breckenridge that dynamite
was placed in the church and the belfry
blown off, presumably by those whom
lie had angered by his TRADES. There
fore it was plainly seen that something
preacher.
On Monday Mr.. Passmore was 40
Gated" which is a technical term to
signify that he was removed from the
conference and cast forth TO go where
he would. Yesterday morning, how
ever, this action was reconsidered and
Mr.. PassmoIe was reinstated in the
conference as ''supernumerary." This
means that he is still a member of the
conference and at liberty to preach ser
mons within its boundaries whenever
called upon, but that he will have no
regular charge for year. Ministers
often are relieved from duty for year
in this way for illness and various rea-
sons. Mr.. Passmore was made super
numerary at his own request, as he
plainly expressed his intention of going
up and down the land on lecture tours,
advocating honest reform ~ and ex-
posing what he was pleased to term by
pocrisy wherever he found it in even
more trenchant terms than ever before.
After his reinstatement in the con-
ference committee, composed of some
Of the most eminent members of the
conference, was appointed to confer
with Mr. Passmore and see if they could
not bring him to realizing sense of the
errors of his ways. Bishop Cyrus ID.
Foss, Dr. Cranston of Cincinnati, DIR
Shannon and Dean Peck formed this
committee. They labored long and ear
nestiy with the fiery, wouldbe reformer
and finished by asking him, once for all,
if he would cease in the pulpit the use
of personalities and wanton abuse of
communities, which had caused SO much
trouble and scandal in the church in
the past year and was contrary to the
discipline of the Methodist church.
Mr.. Passmore replied distinctly and
Enthusiastically that he would continue
in the way that he had begun and that
no power should hinder him from
speaking what he believed to be the
truth. 1t was the last straw. The
committee went back to the conference
and made its report, and Mr.. Passmore
was straightway cited for trial before
w. G. Madison, presiding elder of the
Greeley district. The charge is upon
''unministerial conduct, and the trial
will take place in the near future.
-Sp%