The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1904-03-23
The Wire-puil!ne Baptist.

Dear Bro. Pittman:-I have heard
| Of, and read about, the regular Bay,
tist, the wash foot Baptist. the prim-
tive Baptist. the missionary Bap
tist, the Buzzard Baptist, and host
of other kinds Of Baptists. too nam
erous to mention, but it does not oc-
cur to me that l have ever read about
political wire. pulling Baptist, and
with your permission l will venture
to give some characteristics Of this
wonderful fellow who has sprung up
in our midst-he is always a good
genial kind of fellow, keeps "open
house for his friends to come III
| and keep him posted on the issues OF
the day. He is always wide-awake
| to all the events which are happen
| ing, in State and national politics,
and knows the things which are go
ing to come before the religious
{ bodies of the State. You will find
him in town election times confab-
bing with few friends, trying to get
his finger in the election pie and put
in his man. He is always ready to
suggest. He is Solomon in sug
gestions. No problem in all the
civic or economic problems Of life
ever stump him. He is ready with
| 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 ouly 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 edu-
cational 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 it for all it is
worth. And when he pulls, Others
whom he may influence are going to
jump to their feet like jumping
Jacks and move to leave out. and off
/ the board of managers any and every
man whom the wire pullers cannot
manage. He would sacrifice the
best man on the educational board,
if he could only get in one whom he
could manage Mark you! No one
opinion in such things. But he is
just naturally constituted a wire
pulling Baptist, and he can't help it.
If the things which the great body
of Baptists are trying to accomplish
do not suit him, he will do all in his
power in quiet, secret way to
throttle the work. But when he sees
that it will land must succeed, then
he is sure to jump on the band
wagon and vhoop up the movement,
and say: nCan't we fellows play!''
You will find him on hand at our
religious conventions, cooked and
primed ready to fire off his man. He
has keen scent and can always de.
tect the popular side and when he
sees the food tide rising he is sure
TO get on the crest of the wave and
say, stI told Bro. Jones that we would
elect him to the high and response
BILE position OF president He had
pulled the wires all along the lines
and Bro. Jones hoped up at the end
of each one. He does not mean to
run the convention or to crush out
the hopes and prospects Of more
worthy brother. But he is wire
puller and he just can't help it. You
will find him big Ike in his associa
ton. He would be moderator, but
for the fact that it 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 he is just
dead sure toiput every man on duty
except the one against whom he
may have some feelings or perhaps
he has discovered the fact that he
cannot manage him. And if he can't
he will stab him to che heart by lg-
noring his presence. When a church
is in need Of a pastor, and the wire
puller finds out that the said church
Is about to call pastor whom he
cannot manage, freely and volun-
tarily Of his own accord, he sets up
the howl, Gospel Mission" disor-
GAMER, wrecker OF churches. aad
the said church must take of it's hat
and bow to the wire-puller and say
.'whom must we call Boss?" it is
evident that the wire-puller is dead
bent on having his own way if, per-
chance, 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 situation, even
though he drives away architect,
contractor and workmen, and
plunges his church into a law suit.
Have you eyer seen a wire pulling
Baptist? / don't know how such a
fellow stands in the estimate Of the
readers of your paper. But to one,
the writer of this article, such fel-
low is detestaEle character, and
needs to be avoided by all who wish
to do the right wire-pulling in the
up-bulding Of our Savior's King
dom is out OF place.
When genuine case Of wire-pnll