Pike County press. (Milford, Pa.) 1895-1925, 1896-04-17

LAYTON, N. j., April a.
At the time the war in the NJ. e. Church
at Layton was In progress, 1t was claimed
that the arrest and binding over to court
Of Messrs j. V. Majors, and John Youngs,
was according to law, and founded upon
Justice. That Majors and Youngs were
not at the time Of breaking the lock law
tul trustees Of the church, and that the act
was therefore crime. That Layton. Ben
sley, Loder, and others were really the
trustees and as such It was their duty to
cause the ARREST. Let us present some
views OF the matter that have been forti-
fed by recent events, and that since the
heat and prejudice of that period have
measurably passed away, may now be
looked upon In the light of reason. There
Is no reasonable doubt but what the mem
orable trustee meeting was illegal, and
Majors and Youngs were still lawful
trustees at the time the act for which they
were arrested was DONE Every lawyer
consulted agrees upon this point. Con
firmatory evidence of this is found in the
fact that miserable farce called church
trial was considered necessary to turn Ma
jors and Youngs out Of church member
ship evidently to lessen their standing in
an expected suit at law, and to forestall
any action they might take preiudicial to
the Dominies interest within the church.
Second, that the parties who swore out the
warrant dared not appear with their case
in court. Majors and Youngs hoped they
would have the courage to do this rs it
xrrnrr1I t.,1--
dication but like the Dominic they seem to
fear the courts. Their actions from the
beginning shows they were the willing tools
of a licentions and mendacious minister
who dared not attempt to clear his own
character, and their acts as such were both
malicious and unjust. They may console
themselves that whatever the result to
them may be, that their pet got away with
a whole hide even though it may not have
been any of the whitest
Please remember this pastor was accused
of unministerial and unchristian conduct;
Yes more than that, conduct that many
men Of i'll repute would blush to own.
Some few say no charges were made, we'll,
we'll, some people cannot see fact until
they bang their nose plumb up against it.
We supposed when written charges against
Deming were submitted to the presiding
elder, and printed in newspaper that
these matters were tangible enough to be
called charges, except perhaps to a few
who are so blind they will not see and it
Is said that these are of all the most blind.
Now consider If you please with what ma
terial this great injustice was brought
about. How the tools were of a piece with
the dirty work to be done. Good men and
true could not be bent TO further the pas
tors purpose to cover up wrong doing and
protect the immoral and so it was natural
to look to and select such as were in sym.
pathy with, If not guilty of like offenses
against society and the law. Think of q
pastor of a church acting as prime mover
the power behind the throne, trying his
own case and himself with picked prose
cutor a picked jury, witnesses and secre-
tary; picked by whom9 why by himself
Think of chief lieutenant, one who lives
in daily violation of the law in his family
relations one of that trio of witnesses Mr.
Youngs refers to as participating in the
farce called church trial, and at the same
time being guilty of states prison offenses
within the year. Are you surprised that
an unworthy minister of the gospel should
use such miserable tools as these to oust
from church membership men who were
their betters in every possible sense. Fol
such deeds no others could be had. 1t may
be pleaded that the end justified the
means. 1 can agree with you no further
than this that the end and the means were
then alike wholly disreputable. The re
suit was not in the interests of virtue
morality, nor justice, nor to the acts We
should expect from the laymen of a Christ
ian church, nor do we believe good citizens
can countenance nor justify such evi
work We will allow that the church az
representative of Christ and his teachings
may sometimes become the tool of design
ing knaves, and hypocrites, but we mus
still believe there is a just God, and thai
in the end the right will prevail. 1t may
take time for the right to triumph, but al
things come to those who patient wait, ,ant
while the mills of the Gods grind slowly
they grind exceeding small. &ss