Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1896-04-13
GEN. BBLLINGTON BOOTH
And His Wife Make a Statement to
the American Public
Their Version Of the Difficulties in
the Ranks of the Salvation Army
in This Country Which Will Com
mand Respect and General Belief
Throughout the United States.

New York, April 12.-Commander
and Mrs. Ballington Booth gave out the
appended statement tonight at Nolun-
teer headquarters:
"Since our statement, written in re-
sponse TO the urgings we received 10
| inaugurate a new movement, was IS
! sued. we avoided making any reply 10
/ the inaccurate statements which nave
from time to time appeared IN PRINT
from the present leaders Of the saliva
tion army. In this attitude OF silence
we have been endorsed by our friends
and the public and it was our lntenuoh
/ 10 maintain this silence; but during the
pas, few days news has reached us tnat
portions of our private letters are being
shown by LOndOn's representatives,
! who are putting their own interpreta-
! tiOns upon our reasons for our present
position Hearing of this, our friends
and our officers who wish their position
az our side TO be understood, urge us
TO state some of our reasons for decld-
| ing not 70 take another command under
THE INTERNATIONAL GOVERN
MENI.
eve have appealed 20 he American
people for help and support and We
/ cannot forget a decent respect for the
opinion OF mankind requires that we
declare the causes which Ted us 90 tnis
separation It must. however. oe con
/ cadei that our position has been and Is
\ a very delicate one from the fact that
+ there is much of the personal element
which we cannot eliminate from the
controversy because of our family reia-
/ u0n hip with the founder and leaders
Of -he salvation army.
"It has been repeatedly asked why we
/ do not publish our letter of the 3lst OF
/ January. which has been so wrongly
quo ed as our resignation. That letter,
/ being "A private communication from
son 10 father and brother, We have not
/ felt that we could honorably make pub
/ lie. The receivers of the letter are at
perfect liberty TO do so. providing they
/ print 10 intact. In justice TO our pres
/ eat position, il must be stated, with
/ emphasis, that no one letter
EMBRACES ALL THE REASONS
forour inability to accept another COM
mand. but. that letters covering a pc
ri5d OF nearly two years past, and also
n ose Of a later date than the 91st OF
January. are necessary TO al under
Standing of the situation, especially the
letter of April 3, 1896.
.Upon receipt of orders to leave
| America we wrote letter dated Janu-
airy 10th. asking if international head
! quarters had taken into consideration
! all the consequences of the change OF
command at that particular time. The
feeling towards England then existing
/ in this country, the heavy financial re-
spOnsiblity of our new building, and
our own peculiar and unfortunate re-
latiOns with the General from whom
we had received no communication of
| any character for nearly six months)
made it appear to us a most unfortun-
ate and ill-advised step. This letter was
! followed by others, stating that we
We're preparing to fulfill their orders
and TO
RELINQUISH OUR COMMAND.
l. "On January 31st we wrote to London
stating some of our reasons for being
unable conscientiously to accept an
other command. but making plain that
we did not wish to injure the army, as
| the following sentences will show
/ We have wanted to save our dear
| people, who, from shore to shore of
this territory, believe in us and love us,
and yet, on the other hand, we cannot
| be inconsistent. How could we take an
other command feeling as we do? The
| only light we have received from God
is that upon the path we have now de-
termined to take, namely, to obey your
: orders and to resign our command, and
1 then as eXpediuOusly as possible to re-
| turn
"TO preclude the possibility being
made that we are unwilling to obey or
! ders, or that the prospects Cf leaving
this country was the cause Of dissatis-
faction, we wrote the following para
/ graph in this same letter January 31sO:
1t must not be said at any time
that we have left because we were
UNWILLING TO LEAVE AMERICA.
This would be untrue, for we have made
! no remOnstrance. nor have we refused
1t should be carefully remembered
i. That LOndOn's representatives,
after they had precipitated the whole
/ transaction and forced us from our pO-
sitiOn, so preventing our quiet farewell
and retirement. made the definite state
ment that We said we had lost conf
/ dence in the General and in our inter
nuatiOnal system of administration,
which reasons alone. by their own
/ showing. would prove that we could not
/ consistently accept another field under
I the circumstances.
go. Il will be distinctly understood
that our feeling regarding the matters
of controversy were known by London
/ prior 20 the sending Of our farewell or
ders. Many letters passed between us
and the aged General, after our inter-
view with him in this country. previous
/ 90 the time when direct communication
I from him 10 us ceased.
First the General visit was the pri-
mary cause between us and himself.
| From first to last he impressed us with
| his displeasure and dissatisfaction with
J us personally and with our method OF
| administering affairs.
WE LOVED AND UNDERSTOOD
. this country. He exhibited prejudice
and misconception Of it and its people.
He objected to the display Of the ma
tional flag upon our badges and in
our halls and homes. He said the time
had arrived to cease carrying the Stars
and Stripes at the head or our parades.
( He objected to the use of the eagle upon
our crests. and constantly spoke de-
preciatingly of the country, its people,