The Manning times. [volume] (Manning, Clarendon County, S.C.) 1884-current, 1904-03-23
WHERE'S THE POIICE!-CHERU8lMS ARE
>FIGHTING.
Verify, "Justice" Shoots at the "Buzza1d
Baptist"

Verify, "Justice" Shoots at the "Buzza1d
Baptist"
Dear Bro. Pittman:-I have heard
of and read about, the regular Baptist,
the wash-foot Baptist, the primitive
Baptist, the missionary Baptist, the
BuZZard Baptist, and a host OF other
kinds of Baptists, too numerous to men
ton, but it does not occur to me that L
have ever read about political wire
pulling Baptist, and with your permis-
sion l will venture to give you some
characteristics of this wonderful fellow
who has sprung up in our midst-he is
always good genial kind of fellow,
keeps ''open house" for his friends to
come in and keep him posted on the is
sues of the day. He is always wide
awake to all the events which are hap
pening, in State and national politics,
and he knows the things that are go
ing to come before the religious bodies
of the State. You will find him in
'town election tines confabbing with
a few friends trying to get his finger in
the election pie and put in his man. He
is always ready to suggest. He is a Sol
omon in suggestions. No problem in
all the civic or economic problems OF
life ever stump him. He is ready with
a way of escape from the difficulty, and
he always has man to propose for this
Office in question, and tries to run the
mayor and wardens of the city. In the
educational questions of the city or the
town you will find him ready to not only
stick his finger in the pie, but If you
don't watch him he will grab the entire
pie, and leave with it. He feels called
upon to act, as committee OF one, ap-
pointed by self to see that the educa-
tional institutions of the city are kept
straight, and if he don't figure on the
board of trustees, you may rest assured
that he is going to grab his wire and
pull for all it is worth. And when he
pulls, others whom he may influence
are going to influence are going to
Jump to their feet like jumping jacks
and move to leave out. and of the
board of managers any and every man
whom the wire-pullers cannot manage.
He would sacrifice the best man on the
educational board, ii he could only
get in one whom he could manage.
Mark you! No one has asked you for
his advice Or opinion in such things.
But he is just naturally constituted a
wire-pulling Baptist, and he can't help
it. II the things which the great body
of Baptists are trying to accomplish do
not suit him, he will do all in his power
in a quiet, secret way to throttle the
work. But when he sees that it will
and must succeed, then he is sure to
Jump on the band wagon and whoop up
the movement, and say Cant we fel-
lows play"
You will find him on hand at our re-
ligious conventions, cooked and prined
ready to fire off his man. He has a
keen scent and can always detect the
popular side and when be see the flood
tide rising he is sure to get on the crest
of the wave and say, Il told Bro. Jones
that we would elect him to the high
and responsible position of president. !"
He had pulled the wires all along the
line and Bro. Jones popped up at the
end of each one. He does not mean to
run the convention or to crush out the
hopes and prospects of a more worthy
brother. but he is a wire-puller and be
lust can't help it. You will ind him
big Ike in his association. He would
be moderator, but for the fact that 1t Is
not the Office he Graves. He wants to
be the scribe of the body. He can SO
easily laid the moderator" in making
out his list of committees, and be IS Just
dead sure to put every man on duty
except the one against whom ne may
have some feeling or perhaps he has
discovered the fact that he cannot
manage him. And if he can't he will
stab him to the heart by ignoring his
presence. When church is IN need
OF a, pastor, and the wire-puller finds out
that the said church is about to call a
pastor whom he cannot manage, freely
and voluntarily of his own accord, he
sets up the howl, Gospel Mission, >
disorganizer, wrecker OF churches, and
the said church must take its hat and
bow to the wire-wuller and say ''Whom
must we call Boss?" It is evident that
the wire-puller is dead bent on having
his own way ii, perchance the church
is in the midst of the great work OF
| building house to the glory OF God.
The wire-puller will so manipulate the
wires as to be boss of the entire situa-
ton, even though he drives away archl.
tect. contractor and workman, and
plunpes his church into i law suit.
Have you ever seen a wire-pulling Bap-
tist? I don't know how such a fellow
stands in the estimate of your paper.
| But to one, the writer OF this article,
such fellow is a detestible character,
and needs to be avoided by all who
wish to do the right wire-pulling in
the upbuilding of our Savior's Kingdom
is out of place. :.
When a genuine case of wire-pullins
takes possession of a man like this, ne
sometimes has trouble in confningg his
manipulations to his own denomination.
But he will invade the ranks OF others,
and will with one mighty jerk OF the
wire, attempt to swamp the entire
Methodist church, pastor. people,, pre-
siding elder and all. It don't always
work. The wires very often get out
of order and fail to operate, but the
wire-pulling Baptist has cheek enough
to attempt it even though he goes down
in defeat and failure. May the good
Lord deliver us all from the wlre-pull-
ing Baptist.-Justice in South Carolina
Baptist.
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