The Caucasian. (Clinton, N.C.) 188?-1913, 1896-08-06
MAJOR eUTnRIFs DENIAL.
DID NOT CALL eAPrlSrS -TRAsIORS
70 THEIR COUNTRY AND THEIR
GOD

He Teiis Jsss what Ne DID Say NJ The
Universaty .sssaess. and The Csr~sn-
ssane%a- /
-isjor VIM. A. Guthrie Was in the /
,.ty last week, and WAS sen by News |
and Observer reporter touching the
structures upon the Bapiists,- which il |
is charged. he made abo-t year ago |
at an alum hi dinner At the state Uni |
versty.
The Major replied that he had al |
ready sent telegram denying |
the statement attributed TO him
and this is . verbatim report
Of his remarks "A letter OF
recent date from a BAPTIST friend Of
mine enclosing = manuscript copy OF
" hat purp0rts to have been written
and published by the late DIR. Pritch-
ard, in the paper called Charity and
Children" 10 An issue Of about June
l4th, 1885, informs me for the first
time that IL was published then con-
corning my Remarks at the University
banquet al the commencement of 1885,
that | had Charged that the BAptists
" no opposed state aid TO higher schools
Of learning We're enemies TO the Uni
versity and sought TO destroy il, and
hat they were traitors TO their cOun-
try and their Cod
Another Baptist friend OF mine
who is a Bsptist minister has ais,
written me that report is being cir
culated In his neignUorhood that Ina.
>aid that all Baptists were my
personal enemies l never saw or
heard of DIR. Pritchard's alleged COM
| munication until my friend wrote me.
| AS for the remark attributed to me by
DR.. Pritchard, | can only say Il did
not make il, and there were present
| on that occasion some two or three
hundred gentlemen, many of them OF
great prominence and residing in diff
ferent sections of the State who can
bear me out in this statement. Tn.
public will appreciate the repulsive.
ness which every honorable man feels
in attempting to contradic: any state
ment made by Il dead man, and self
defence alone cOmpeis Inc To do it now
De m0ffUis nif nisi bOnum, is an ancient
maxim switch common humanity
| prompts men TO observe. Ii | hau
known of this charge sooner | would
have corrected it when il was first
published and in DR.. Pritchard's life
time. Others who were present at the
time, representing different religious
creeds, political affiliations, profess
sions and occupations, will remember
that | did not mention the Baptist
church organization or its members at
all in my remarks, nor use the Ian
guage imputed above to me.
"At the banquet it was assigned to
me to respond to the toast: "The
University in its Relations to Church
and State" /, therefore, appropriate
. ly, as thought, read quotations from
, the Constitution of the United States
and also from the State Constitution
, showing that church affairs and State
affairs should be Kept separate and dis
T tinct, end as our State Constitution ex.
pressly provides for the support and
maintenance of the University, it il
3 the duty of every voter who is sworn
2 to support the Constitution. to sustain
2 the University instead cf trying tt
!. tear it down. In this Connection re.
9 ferred to the scriptural incident in
4 the life of our Saviour when he wa,
S asked il it was lawful to pay tributt
4 unto Caesar, and he called for q penn,
i and asked whose inscription was on it
- and drew the dividing line between
8 church and State in that unanswera
= BILE declaration: Render unto Cn
= sar the things that are Casar's, ant
|, unto God the things that are Gods.
h But l state most positively | did no
= at any time In my remarks single on
the Baptists who oppose State aid t,
higher schools. and charge them will
being traitors to their country an,
s their Cod Nor did 1 express an,
u such sentiment on that occasion to
y wards any particular church or elias
e of persons, and if nybody drew an,
: such inference from my remarks, tn
language used did not justify an,
such inference.
y GAS to the report being circulate
J that l remarked on that or any othe
+, occasion that all Baptists are my enc
II miles," l made no such remark, and
,. very well know that many of my mos
y intimate friends and warmest sun
IS porters are Baptists.
r 81 did say at the banquet that tn
University campus was my pla
10 ground in childhood and my earl
q manhood was spent at my father
o. o. house adjoining the campus, and ther
i were so many tender memories whlc
- l cherish associated with the Univers
~ ity and Chapel Hill that l would re
y gard any man as my personal enem
T. who would attempt to tear down an
~ ~ destroy that venerable institution
~ And | may add that such is my sent
- ment still, and hope it may renal
=. so towards the State University.
l.. The motive for this attempt to pu
:. me in false position towards m
Baptist friends just at this time, til
public will really understand"