New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1897-01-04
REED & BARTON,
slLvERSMlTHs,
Broadway and 18th Street, N. 7.
DIR. POTTER'S BITTER WORDS
TROUBLES OF THE BAPTIST TABER.
NACLE

THE PASTORS SEVERE CRITICISM OF TIE cTrY
MISSION SOCIETY AND JOHN d.
ROCKEFELLER.
The Tabernacle Baptist Congregation. whose
church. at No. I66 Second-ave.. has recently been
closed on account OF the foreclosure of mortgage
It. worshpped yesterday morning In the Welsh
Congregational Church. in East Eleventh-st Tho
Rev. DR.. Daniel c. Potter. pastor OF the Taber-
nace. made bitter address on the troubles OF his
church. Among other things he said:
No Baptist church met met this
morning This IS historic occasion We are the
guests OF Christian neighbors. Turned out doors
tions have taken us in We are nov deprived OF
Where we are meeting by souiIess moneyed cor
poration from which we had borrowed money, the
put in the street without moments warning by
our own and only city Church Extinction Society.
to whom owed nothing. who gave US one
penny. and who obtained the non interes, bearing
mortgages they foreclosed without any consider:
alton whatever. In other words, we are wounded
In the house Of our friends. Had We been guilty
OF the technical faults alleged against us. but we
matter and for this amount We are robbed OF over
$4,000 worth OF property by Baptist Church mem
churches for the worship OF God. That this
g Reg of ,hem knew we had
written respectful letter to the Board OF the
own roof until we could find another shelter. and
we promised expedition in doing SO, but even as
the locks of our doors before their letter declining
our ,ha, White stood in our
church about noon Wednesday last. and he saw
81 the mpossbilty Of Notifying you r and Of s the
e pDS ma w Sf Rad to
Ciinch But / said ''hc is not on the commit.
h sf to h %hom be this has ali S %aS Our
brethren know this Cnch; they know his charac-
kind of business. and never say one protesting
word. And they will not say anything: There are
H xe hs y Ss will lily no
one adverse word about this thing. whatever they
may think To tell the reason Is too humiliating
CITY MISSION sOCIETYs ACTION
One thing has been made clear by this harsh.
unfeeling and dlsgracefu action of our city Mis-
sion Society. and no other or further evidence Is
required to prove It, and that is that all that has
me is true, and the public will believe it true.
Desperate indeed is the case OF those engaged IN
they must recover first their own donations to
the of religion. and then appropriate the
to the extent Of over $4,000 OF course the next
and logical step is to silence the victims cries for
,hs n1sbe pservce AND rsndep cknowedg
ments: They have provoked my So much spite
and malice and dshonor were never before shown
hereto who had dared to think contrary to the
canon but against sister church. sound In the
faith and of long and honorable record. Let the
Baptist churches fecitate themselves upon their
treatment Of one OF their own sisters. In their own
It is difficult for me to speak. because OF my
personal relation to this question in all its phases
I could advocate another mans cause were he:
unfortunately for him. now in my place. find
1t difficult to speak of the church because know
You'd my control When John D. Rockefeller sent
his attorney. George Wildwood Murray. before
the church committee appointed In 1882. he came
with a lie In his mouth. and with the proposition
that you. an old and honored church of Christ
give up your dearest rights and personal liberty
and your very opinions and Judgment He made
the threat in ill-concealed language that II you
stood by your ancient poy and privileges and
refused his dictaton you would suffer. The man
Of over a hundred millions has been as good az az
this great man. this man whose name must he
spoken In whispers. and whose opposing influence
IS as stealthy and deadly that of the upas tree
this thought OF his TO destroy historic church
and its insignificant minister. because they dared
to go their own way-the way OF their denomina-
enough i'm the whole world for any one VINO pre-
poured out by this mans servceable attorney
Well you decided to follow your consciences tho
nent. your honor and manhood and your Bible
but you little knew they would lead you into the
street You thought you would quietly go your
not know the frghtfu power or unlimited money
used by an INSCRIPTIONS hand ! have been 81
lent for five long years. ] am freed or all obliga-
tons by OF the outrages heaped upon you
and upon me, and the time to speak has come
RETROSPECT.
Meantime you must remember that the burglar
arrested In our edce by officers of the law In the
very act ia after those years still at large.
called to plead. untried and UNPUBLISHED. Putnam
the nbeler is at large on bail. untred unpublished
shaw the distributor OF vile literature, is az large
in the District Attorneys office are under the
spell OF the Upas tree soporihc. and AL known In
that office as a certain mans cases. The spies. de-
tectves and boodhounds are still slowly pursuing,
and the one summoned on an order from me
Judge The poor man caught. however was dis
to turn the tables. This is cheerful retrospect!
When sought justice from lbellous editor OF
Western paper he engaged a relative to defend him.
but when an amended answer put In discov
cred that the substituted attorney was the lawyer
sacrifice piece OF our country property to save the
remainder. and I, was found out In New York
shipper OF fruit northern Pacific road. and
the buyer did not come to iunl ms contract ana an
city said the other day, MT Potter thinks ne
About five years ago the Tabernacle secured and
nk US g5 the s o
Teller agreed 70 build n nouss Sn tsa Ss lSr Ssr
where 1t had been for ten years. The house on
the corner was torn down by the order S OF G. W
work But the building was no, r b%t Atsr =,
oes ef pslysaade % to- accept o bonds
OF the building. The plan was TO place the bonds
the to be @S w to He
were to assign the lease to party 10 be named
By MR. bonds for TSs bonds paid interest
for short time and stopped. We have not had
paid their interest there would have been no dis
PRESSING and disgracefu suits for unpaid bills
against the Tabernacle It's ministers. and the
cuse for the foreclosure OF our 81 per annum mort.
cages would never have been born Thus. by the
act OF builder OF So 100000 colleges. the for
the act OF the City Mission Society founder 10
clearly established. 1t thus to pass that you
are made to suffer by OF a condition created
by the benehcent benefactor Of his own benecence.
From this day on there are no honest Bap,sts IN
New-York-yea. Baptists know neither the Bible
nor Christ unless this niquity. which no man can
deny or excuse Is purged. This whole wlckedness
will cost the Baptists dear. but perhaps not more
than II will be worth II find out that In spite OF
our serviiity greed desire to atter and sit
with the great. money does no, make manhood.
that millions are not morality and honors are not
honesty. that no man Is far above his fellows and
that there things In life OF more value than
gold; that the rich man who does wrong Ii Just 40
guilty and wicked and vile II the criminal trams.