The daily morning journal and courier., 1898-01-10

new colony, would be the right of every man to think and worship as his faith and conscience dictated. He had seen men equally honest, conscientious and reVerent, differ as to what seemed to them essential points. He had seen and felt the force of the attempt of one man or set of men to fix the intellectual linn it's of whole nation. He had person. ally felt the need of and recognized the heaven-born privilege of thinking for himself, free and independent of any mans dlctat1on. He had signed his declaration of independence, and had come here at the age of forty for the purpose of enjoying the unhindered ex- ercise of 1t. But if we expect Davenport to breathe the pure spirit of toleration and universal freedom, we are doomed to disappointment. The time was not yet ripe for that
 There were already here, besides Da Venport, Rev. Samuel Eaton, brother of Theophilus, who came with the main company, the the Rev. Peter Prudden. Davenport advanced the proposition | that none but church members should have right to vote that the only way | to secure an honest civil administration | was to take the officers of the govern l ment from the church.
 His reasoning was like this: Church | members are pure; we must have g. pure | government; therefore, it must be con- ducted by church members. A very simply and easy way of settling a very 1 difficult and complex question. But this method was entirely satisfactory to MT. Davenport and a certain number 1 of prospective church members; and it was determined that this condition l should be fundamental, and unchange- | able.
 | The Rev. Samuel Eaton thought he saw danger in this proposition. He had | seen the same rule applied in England, | in the Catholic and Episcopal churches, with the result that in the long run the people found that they had forfeit l ed, not only the sacred rights of free 1 thought and free speech, but also the | privilege of petition for a restoration of those rights. He foresaw that all a scheming politician had to do was to 1 join the church, and he had free field. | A strong party rallied around him de- termined that whatever authority might
 be delegated to church members the people should retain the right to resume | all authority, and should have the right to vote on all questions that con- | cerrad the conduct of puhlic affairs.
 MT. Prudden was inclined to the view | of Davenport, but was anxious that
 whatever was done should be in the in | nf hor hat a f1 q. | tions, He had come from Herefordshire
 with quite a company of followers who
 were devotedly attached to him. The
 Herefordshire men were agreed as tC
 the form of government that would be
 most acceptable to them, but were in
 clined to go elsewhere and establish g
 colony of their own rather than re.
 main and be party to lasting dis
 agreement. They went so far as tC
 purchase a tract of land In what is now
 the town of Milford, but delayed remos
 fig until it was certain that such ster
 would be necessary.
 The Yorkshire men were awaiting thS
 coming of their own minister, and were
 not prepared to announce their desire
 either in the matter of church or civi | government.
 As to the form of religious worship tc
 be established, there was wide differ
 ence of opinion and preference. Daven
 port, while objecting to what he deemed
 the errors of the Church of England
 still preferred it's form. A nationa
 church which could be directed by wis
 and godly men was his ideal. Other
 were pronounced separatists and non
 conformists, and did not want a na tional church. It was finally decided
 that Congregational form of churcl
 government was the only one on whicl
 the different parties could unite.
 It was something more than year be fore these conflicting interests could b
 so adjusted as to permit of the for , nation of a government, or even
 church, which would meet the approva , of a majority, though services were reg
 ularly held. It was finally decided b the Herefordshire men that they woul prefer separate existence at Milforc with MT. Prudden as their minister, do not know exactly what Mir. Prud , den's sentiments were, but I surmis that by this time he had become so we < acquainted with Mir. Davenport's ter (Continued on Eleventh Page.)