The Cape Girardeau Democrat. (Cape Girardeau, Mo.) 1876-1909, 1898-02-12
METHODISTS ATTACKED.
Passage of a War Claim Bill Arouses
the Northern Church.

WASHINGTON, D. c., February e.
The Methodist Church OF the country
is profoundly shaken over the action
of the House of Representative in ap-
propriating $2sS. 900 for the old war
claim of the old Methodist Church
South. It has stirred all the latent
animOsity of abolition days. and
drawn from the representatives of the
MethOdists of the North heated de-
nunciations of those of the South as
rebels. '';.iGers and abettOrs of
secession, and of men VINO used their
pulPits and their prayers to destroy
the union. These are some of the
terms coming from the highest AIetho-
dist authorities of the North, which
have been laid before Congressm y
within the last few days as a protest
against their course in giving ;he
Southern MethOdists over 500. 0.OGJ.
The bill allowing this old war
claim. growing out OF the destru .tion
OF Methodist prsperty at Nashville.
came up out of order during lull
in House proceedings recently. and.
after a spirited debate was passed.
But at that time there was no Intima-
ton that the AiethOdists Of the North
opposed the measure. The discussion
turned on the merits of the claim. aud
many youched forthe fact atthrough-
out the war this church organization
of the South had kept out of politics
and remained consistently a Christian
organization loyal SO far as it could
be to the federal government Now.
however, with the bill passed by the
House. come the Methodists of the
North with an entirely different story.
They assert that tie Southern church
was used as an agency OF the Con
federate States. and also that methods
not usually invogue among Christians
have been adopted in this case to swell
the claim to enormous proportions.
There are quite Il number of Metho-
distS among the members of Congress.
and each one of these haS received a
marked copy of Il bitter statement in
the official paper of Methodism in the
North. the Northwestern Christian Ad-
vocate. which carries at the head OF
its column the statement. Official pa
per- The statements are in part:
Nobody pretends that the authorities
of the Methodist Episcopal Church
South were loyal during the war, or
other than eager enemies to the union
cause. Few allegations wonld have
offered the most devoted OF Southern
Methodist ministers more than an ac-
cusation that they were not pledged
aiders and abettors of secession. Their
papers preached sccessions. Their
pulpits championed it. Their prayers
We're in its behalf. Their publishing
buildings and presses in Nashville
were devoted to the Confederate cause.
Neither the Southern church nor its
printing interests were neutral even
y charge that they were lukewarm
would nave been hotly resented. Even
now. except before a congressional
committee on claims, suoh charge of
neutrality would be scorned 1t is
possible to forgive the former enemies
of the union, but it is quite different
matter to grant nearly a quarter of
million dollars to Il church in the
South without whose support and i'm
passioned advocacy in home. in church
and in prayermeeting. armed rebellion
would have been quite impossible. 1t
is simply q grevious wrong. and We
are astOnished that those former active
disunion advocates should now con-
sent to accept the money, much less
ask for it.