The sun., 1903-04-14
BEAT THEIR FIGHTING RECTOR.
HOSTILE vESTRY ELECTED IN A
MT. VERNON CHURCH


Though the Rev. o. T. Graham Stood II the
Ballot Box and barred All Who Hadn't
Been 10 Church 10 Ttmes In the Year
Now They May Ask Him 10 Resign.
MOUNT VERNON. April I3-The desire
Of certain parishoners Of Trinity Protestant
Episcopal Church of this city to .depose
their rector, the Rev. Samuel T. Oraha m.
led to bitter factionxl fight this morning
when the annual vestry election was held
In the parish house.
Tie faction opposed to Mr.. Graham
accuse him OF being too arbitrary and say
that his methods have retarded the growth
Of the parish. One Of their alleeat tons Is
that he Is rude with the choir boys and
occasionally takes discipline into his own
hands when they do not sing to his liking.
All OF these assertions are denied by
the rector's friends. They share with him
the belief that the priest should rule the
church. not the congrega ton the priest.
Some OF the dissatisfied vestrymen asked
Mr.. Graham to resign last year, but when
the annual election came on he named q
ticket Of his own and won a victory over
them. This year the objecting element
nominated an opposition ticket led by
DR.. A. NJ. Campbell. president Of the Mount
Vernon Trust Company. for warden. DR..
Graham headed his ticket with Charles H.
Easton, a New York business man.
Before the doors were opened at o'clock
this morning both sides were on hand. Mr..
Graham stood at the ballot box In his cas-
sock.
As early a. Palm Sunday he had fred a
warning gun at his enemies by announcing
from the altar that those who had not at
tended church regularly in the last year
would not be permitted to vote.
When his enemies approached the ballot
box this morning he displayed a decision
interpreting the laws OF the Church, handed
down by the Court OF Appeals in 1901 in q
proceeding brought In Southold. Suffolk
county. by the People and Osborne vs..
Tuthill. The opinion. which was written
by Judge johnson. follows:
the public worship OF the church or who IL
irregular in such attendance or more often
absent than present. cannot be called either
public m lie V Worship Of The Church and he does not
meet the plain and obvious statutes or canon
and Is not qualified voter.
This decision comes from the highest
court in the State. said the rector. 1t ID
IRON the Church itself. You cannot come
to church only on Christmas and Easter and
then expect to run things TO suit your
selves"
DR.. Campbell was barred from voting his
own ticket because Mr.. Graham. after con-
sulting q pocket memorandum, found that
he had not attended services twenty y-six
Sundays in the year. The doctor admitted
that he hadn't, but said 1t was on account
OF the demands Of his practice.
DR.. 8. Oscar Myers, Herbert Saunders
and dozen others were disqualified as
they were about to vote for DR. Campbell.
They protested vigorously, but Mr. Graham
was firm He produced his memorandum
and showed them that they had not made
enough visits to the church to be qualified
electors.
The election, nevertheless, re ,ulted in
DR., Campbell beating MIR. Graham's ticket
by two votes, and the rector will probably
be asked again for his sigma tion.
DR.. Myers, who was tied with one OF the
rectors follower for vsstIymSn z S says III that !
fs fsir rSSaS Sesl. nave been elected Il ne n'' mo
Mr.. Graham said to-day that the stand
taken BY him In barring out DR.. Camp
bells followers was merely TO comply with
the law; he had no animosity against any
Il discovered the law about sight months
ago, said he, .and felt very badly at the
time because 1 knew that We had not been
living up to II. Iresolved then that would
enforce II at our very next church election:
The charge that ali who were prevented
from voting were DR.. Campbells friends
Ia not true. Some Of them would have
voted for me.
This trouble in the church. continued
Mr.. Graham, has been caused by a few
men who want to run me. but they have
found that they can't. II they had the
whole vestry they couldn't throw me out.
When we enter the service OF the parish
II Is life contract which cannot be severed
by one party unless the other is agreeable.
do not intend to resign. nor can any one
force me to resign so long as feel that q
majority Of the people want me-