The Worcester spy. [volume] (Worcester, Mass.) 1898-1904, 1899-12-05

I am going TO further the designs Of
any man to preach treason in my home,
among my people? No. no, no; thou
sand times mol"
OF the s~o other members Of the con-
sistory one is the husband OF Mrs.
Jacob C. Egbert, who with Miss Amy
Dusenberry have been the leading
spirits OF the plan to bring the Rev.
Peter Mcqueen here. The way the con-
sistOry had voted was soon noised
abroad, and the dWellers in Bronxville
began to modify or intensity their
greetings to one another when they
met in the station Of morning, accord
ingly as they approved or disapproved
Of the Rev. Peter Mcqueen and his
! writings.
| The Kings Daughters buzzed from
house to house. Most Of them thought
| the action Of the consistory was an in
sulting and arrogant outrage upon a
dear. good man.
If he is a traitor" said Mrs Egbert,
why doesn't the president have him
hung? The idea!'
If this is what we call free speech"
said Miss Dusenberry, then we'd bet
ter move from Bronxyille to Russia >"
Mrs. Egbert's husband went to see
the editor Of the East Chester Citizen
Bulletin, Allen Hay Seaman. On
Dec. a. Mr.. Seaman's newspaper print
ed an editorial apparently designed
! everlastingly to seattle Alfred E.
Smith. 1t said that it was quite appar-
ent that the town counsel would rather
fight with women than with the trolley
companies, and that perhaps he found
it more profitable.
Mr.. Smith says he is going to sue Mr.
Seaman for libel for that Mr. Smith
and Mr.. Seaman have not held each
ether in high esteem and conservative
observers say that a rupture of glori-
Gus proportions is impending.
The women went to W. U. Law
renee. who owns the Gramartan Inn
and most of the rest of Bronxville, and
asked him to let them have the ball
| room Of the inn for a lecture. He told
| them to take it and welcome. The
women went forth and Wanted them
selves and peddled tickets and rejoiced
over the oppressors Of the clerical
newspaper correspondent.
Mr.. Smith and the rest were grieved
and surprised, they say, by Mr.. Law
rence's action. They went to Mr.. Law
renee and reasoned with him. They
won't say that Lawrence told them
so, but at any rate he gave them rea-
son for believing that Mrs. Egbert and
Miss Dusenberry had not told him who
was to lecture in the hall until after he
had said they could have it. The COM
mittee Of patriots asked Mr.. Lawrence,
with indignation, whether he approved
Of calling American generals naughty
martinets'' and American privates reck-
less libertines. Mr.. Lawrence, who has
a relative, a Lieut.. Bates, who is now
with his regiment in the Philippines,
said that he didn't approve Of such re-
marks
Then take back the hall that thou
gavest," replied the patriots.
"a Lawrence has given his word He
will not break it, said Mr.. Lawrence
in effect. There was nothing more
to be said.
One last desperate step remained. It
was for the opponents of the Rev. Mr..
Mcqueen to prove their love for coun-
try by sacrifice. They went to the
Kings Daughters and thus addressed
them:
IF you will recall your invitation to
the Rev. Mr.. Mcqueen, we will pay into
the treasury of your society every cent
it would cost you to have the lecture
We will pay for the printing, the rail-
road tickets from West Someryille to
Bronxville and return, and whatever
price the man exacts for his shameful
utterances, if only you will keep him
away. Let not the air of Bronxville
be tainted with reproaches upon the
flag. Regard the man as highly as
you will as a Christian minister, but
don't put upon this fair village the
shame of indorsing the things he says
Of the defenders Of his eountry's flag
The women tossed their heads and
said with some severity that the Rev.
Peter Mcqueen would come and be well
coined; and that, though the hospitality
Of BrcnXville had been disgPaced by the
refusal to let him use the lecture room
of his former church, his real friends,
who did not subordinate their church
affairs to their political schemes, would
try to make up for it by the cordially
Of his welcome at The Inn. The Citi-
zen Bulletin, which is a fiercely DEM
ocratic journal, proceeded to bear out
their insinuations against the introduce
ton of politics into the lecture ques-
ton, by saying editorially, under the
head line, Three pleasant persons:
'Disgraceful seems the only word to
use, although idiotic might do as well
in describing the action Of the three
citizens Of Bronxville who have set
themselves above their fellows and
have attempted to dictate who shall lee
ture TO them and on what subject.
These three persons say that be-
cause Mr.. Mcqueen does not believe as
they do on the Philippine question, he
shall not speak. This in America and
within a few miles Of the metropolis
Of the country! Free speech, where
art thou? Ambition and hate
in themselves are too common to call
for remark, but when to further them,
religion and the church are used they
merit condemnation from every right
thinking person. The foolish threats
and mutterings of the ringleader can
only be set down as the utterances of
one with mind diseased. Bah! The
whole subject leaves bad taste in ones
mouth as after taking a nauseous
draught!"
The lecture is to be read on Dec 8
in the ball room Of the Gramatan Inn,
but conservative citizens Of Bronxville
say that while they do not want to
say too much they are willing to pre-
dict that if the Rev. Mr.. Mcqueen at
tempts to speak there as he has else
where, somebody will interrupt him.