The St. Louis Republic., 1901-11-02
A MINISTER EXPOSES
THE GLOBE-DEM0CRAT.

THE L0BE-DEM0CRAI.
| To the Editor of The Republic
Fulton, Mo-. Oct. 31.-The Globe-Democra',
in the Sunday morning issue of October
| q. contains a lengthy article relative 10
| the condition of the State Treasury. the
State finances. Dockery, Seibert and COOK
The writer of this article has seen proper
to use my name in introducing his theme,
and to mention a certain meeting which ne
says l held, and the people attending, as
an Illustration of the vices of one political
party and the virtues OF another party.
The writer does not seem actuated by any
purpose to do me an injury. but merely 10
attribute facts and transactions to me. and
| TO make these imaginary facts and transac-
tions the means of affording an Illustration
to injure the party he hates.
1t Is surprising and shocking that even a
politician. with all the latitude claimed by
that class of men-their exaggeratioas,
| their perversion of truth and their remOGSe-
| less distortion of facts-shOuld resort to a
| method like this to accomplish any purpose
whatever. If the statements the wriser
| makes against the party he hates, and the
statements he makes in the interests of the
party he favors. are as false as the state
| ments he makes about me. then his artisie
| can have but one effect. viz: That of injuF-
Ing his own party and benefiting the one he
opposes.
The writer of this strange article starts
out by representing Stephens Store a
place a little way above jefferson City ''on
the other side of the river and having the
hardest name of any place near the river"
Now. as a matter of fact. Stephens Store
is situated more than twenty-seyen mics
from the Missouri River. due north OF
Cedar City.
This ridiculous statement is a fair sample
OF his conformity to the truth. He says
that the people of Stephens Store once
mad church. but had allowed it to go
into decay, and at last they turned 1t into
saloon, and had dances there of nights
AS matter of fact the people had. and still
have. a good churchhouse there called
Cedar Church." and within the last few
years a new churchhouse has been built
there, and another short distance north
east or there. No churchhouse at Steph-
en- Store ever was turned into a saloon
ana no dance ever was held in a church.
mouse at that place. or near there.
The writer says: when the news of this
desecratioR got TO Fulton it stirred up Doc
tor Burnham OF the Baptist Church. who
swore by all the holy evangels that such
things should not be In Missouri" There
Is not shadow Of truth In either of these
statements. No news Of such desecration
ever reached me; neither did I ever swear
any such thing by the holy evangels or by
any other beings. Equally false is tho
statement that I reached Stephens Store
just as the fiddler was tuning up for the
dance; likewise his statements about the
brother praying a long prayer. and parties
OUTSIDE betting about the length of his
prayer; the preacher who preceded me run
nlng on with another mans wife. are ut
terly without foundation In realty and in
fact.
indeed, there Is not one single true and
iair representation In the entire article, SO
lar as II relates to myself; and the repre-
sentations 1t makes about the people of
stephens Store and vicinity are outrageous
~ raise and sianderous. The people living
In that part Of Galloway County are as
good citizens. as law-abiding, as Industrious.
as honorable as any citizens in Galloway
county or in the State of Missouri.
But what is the peculiar significance of
this Quixotic article in Sundays Globe
democrat what the ideas, the definite
meaning the author intends to convey by
the reputed incidents and utterances at
stephens Store? Does he mean to teach
that Just as the man, of whom made in
quiry. replied to me. I'VE people up around
here kinder think the Devil amt such a
bad fellow as you all make him out to be-"
SO the party defend Is not as bad as some
people make 1t out to be? True, the Devil
Is liar and the father of lies: true, he de-
ceived our first parents, led them into sin.
brought death into the world and all the
woes OF humankind; true, with wicked in
dustry he now pushes on his fell work of
ruin and wretchedness and death; true, he
means, II possible. to undermine all truth
and virtue and love and goodness, and to
hand the universe over to unlimited and
endless misery. degradation and hate vet
he Is not SO bad feller as some people
would make him out to be. Does the writer
mean to teach (D that the party defend is
not so bad after all? True, 1t has had its
Fletchers and its Rodmans, who could sell
State property and enrich themselves, or
remorselessiy count out men legally elected
to office. or perpetuate any other outrages
upon the rights and property Of the people
Of the State. and still such a party. like
Satan. Is to be trusted and given fine op-
portunities on a grander scale to show still
farther its real nature? II this is not his
meaning the writer certainly owes his
readers an explanation.
As to myself. 1t may not be improper to
state that have held two protracted meet
ings at Stephens Store; at each of them
good was done. souls were converted. Chris
tians were strengthened and God was glori-
fed. I left those people grateful for kindly
treatment. remember them with pleasure.
and would be glad to mingle with them
again w. H. BURNHAM-