The Daily soliphone. (Paragould, Ark.) 1???-1911, 1902-05-08
The Chief Executive OF the
State Makes Reference
to Charges.
Suggests That They be Signed by
Some Individual Member, Not
by Committee.

Gov. Jefferson Davis sent the fol-
lowing communication to the chair
man of the Second Baptist church
discipline committee at Little Rock
yesterday afternoon:
To the pastor and members OF the
Second Baptish church, Little ROCK
Ark.-Brethren: The committee
heretofore appointed by your honor
able body to present to me charges
preferred against me in this church,
has completed it's duty by delivering
to me copy of the charges, signed
by Col. M. f. Locke, as chairman OF
the discipline committee OF this
church. I desire to say to you, as
my brethren and sisters, that from
nv earliest youth l have been
Baptist, my mother and father and
all nv ancestors were Baptists, and
[ presume, therefore, to know some
thing of Baptist usages, customs
and practice. In preferring charges
against a mem ber whom they desire
to cite to trial before the church, GER
tain rules and regulations must be
complied with, and desire to SUBJ
nit to you as Baptist that these
charges are not preferred according
to the usage and customs of said
church. If you will permit me l will
state what l understand to be said
usage and custom: II brother or
sister knows of any conduct which
violates the church rules and desires
to present it to the church, he or she
must present said charges in writing
signed individually, not as a repre-
sentative of some committee. The
charges which have been presented
to me by our church are signed by no
one Individually; they are signed by
Col. Locke, as chairman OF the dis
cipline committee, a committee un-
heard of and unknown in the Bap-
tist church. I never knew of stand
ing discipline committee in the Bap-
tist church in my life. The church
itself as church administers discip-
line to an erring brother or sister
upon written charges preferred by
some brother or sister and signed bv
them individually. Such has not
been done in my case, therefore, in
an humble Christian spirit, and be-
fore I answer said charges, ask that
you require some brother or sister
individually to prefer what charges
he or she may see proper to allege in
writing and sign his or her mans in-
dividually and not as representa-
tive of some committee unheard OF
and unknown in the Baptist church,
then I will submit to you my answer
to said charges. | am ready and will
ing at any moment to stand trial
on the charges preferred when prop
erly presented. The only point
that make is that the charges must
be presented in due and legal form
under Baptist customs and pre-
cedents. There are, according to my
understanding, certain able bodied
mem bers OF our church who have
been secret promoters OF these
charges, who have not the manhood
or the courage to sign their names
individually to them, but required
Cor rather ostained) the services OF
this poor old man, Col. Locke, weak
in mind and body, wto elicits my
sympathy rather than my contempt.
Let some able bodied man who is at
the back of these charges prefer them
and sign them and am ready for
trial, but not till then. Yours in
Christ. JEFF DAVIS
Gov. Davis gave out the following
statement last night:
uT ON rna1v for trial hut nv