The age-herald., 1902-02-20
MINISTER SCORES
 MAJOR STAHLMAN The Rev, John C. ShackeIford
 Writes an Open Letter WANTS MONEY GIVEN UP Says Major stahIman Applied Money to His Own Benefit, Which Should
 Have Gone to Superannuated
 Methodist Preachers.
WANTS MONEY GIVEN UP

Sweet Springs, Mo, February 19.-(Spe- cial.)-The following open letter has been addressed to Maj. J. J. Stahlman of Nash vile by Rev. John C.. Schachelford, a prominent Methodist minister of this city:
 Dear Sir: I understand that you are a member of the Southern Methodist church. connected with one of the most important charges of Nashville If such be the fact, and you are interested In the welfare of the church, you have not failed to notice, through the church pa- pers. the deep feeling and anxiety pre- vailing among our people, In reference to the action our next general confer ence shall take about returning to the Congress of the United States the $28S,- 900 appropriated to our church for dam ages done to our publishing house during the civil war. Unless something Is done to check the intensity of feeling now pre- vailing, the unity and peace of the church will be jeopardized. Are you not aware, sir, that you have 1t In your power to al lay the anxiety of our people and roll away the reproach our agents have brought upon our church by the decep-
 
 orabe action of the United States Sem ate? The facts disclosed reveal the truth, that the deception, so greatly condemned by a majority of our people and by the Senate, was for your benefit alone.
 Senate Hesitated.
 The Senate recognized the justice of the claim of our church, and hesitated to eli they did not want a large part of the money they proposed to appropriate diverted from the end they had in view; to-wit: the benefit of "our superannuated and worn-out preachers, their wives and children. Although the claims of our superannuates were used by our agents and their lawyer as a strong plea to move Congress to action, yet in the end it seems the Senate was more interested in the beneficlaries of the church than were our agents and their lawyer. For 1t is a fact, not gainsayed nor denied. that when it was intimated to Senators that lawyer who had been engineering the case for the agents, was to receive an exorbitant sum of the money sought for his services, those Senators determin- ed to withhold the appropriation, till it was hedged in by conditions that would preclude the possibility of any interme- diate party getting more than reason able compensation for services rendered. Beneficiaries Robbed.
 Mark you! The Senate did not propose to withhold the money from the church because of this information that had reached their ears, but they did propose to appropriate it under such conditions that the beneiciaries of the church should not be robbed of more than one third of the whole amount appropriated 1 by an unlawful contract between the agents and their lawyer. The deception of our agents was not, therefore, necessary to secure this money to the church. Had they told the truth the money would have been paid just the same, only safe guarded by conditions The deception of our agents was used to prevent this safe guard and leave the way open for their lawyer to get his exorbitant salary. It was therefore, sir, for yourj personal benefit that our agents disgraced them selves before the church and the world and brought upon our church this noun tain of reproach that threatens to crush us I therefore submit to you in all can dor this question::
 Asks a Question.
 Would it not be an act of sublime mag nanimity if you would rise to the full ness of the stature of Christian man. hood, and return to the superannuated and worn-out preachers, their wives and children, all the money you received above a reasonable compensation for your services? Such action on your part would perfectly satisfy the United States Sen ate who complain not that the govern ment was wronged but that the benefi- ciaries of the church they wished to fa- vor were robbed. Such action on your part would also roll away the great noun tain of reproach that is crushing us and causing the enemy to blaspheme, and above all. such action on your part would be approved of men and God. Your name among the superannuated and worn-out preachers. their wives and orphans, in our | church would thereby, in all coming time, l be as ointment poured forth instead of l being as it now is by-word of reproach. REV. JOHN C. SHACKELFORD.