The Montgomery advertiser., 1907-05-05
DENIAL FROM MILTON
MR. M,DANIEL AND OFFICIALS AN gWER REV. c. S. TALLEY.
ldhey Anrm That Evergreen Minister Dfd Not Seek Arrest of Man Who Resented Insult to His
 Family.

Tn its edition of April 20 The Adver- Ftiser published a statement from US ' Ever green correspondent that Rev C.. S. Tal1ey, pastor of the Methodist Church at that place, had been assault < ed in Milton, Fla. few days prior to that time by E. L.. McDaniel, leading citizen of Milton. because of remarks made by Mir. Talley while preaching to a congregation in the Methodist Church at Milton.
 In the article from Evergreen this statement was made: Tt is said that all efforts to get the Sheriff Of the County or marshal of the town to ar rest Mr. McDaniel were fruitless." Immediately after receiving the ar ticle from Evergreen The Advertiser wrote to It's correspondent in Milton fnstructfng him to secure statement from MT. McDaniel with view to pre- senting both sides of the controversy.
 The correspondent responded by sending a formal statement signed by MT. McDaniel and affidavits by officials of the County in which the statements of MT. Talley were positively denied. The cores pondent made the mistake of registering the letter and address ing it to a member of The Advertiser stan who was absent from the city several days. This delayed publication of the Milton matter.
 MT McDaniers statement of his en- counter with Mir. Talley Is as follows:
 "On Saturday night, April 13, Talley, from the pulpit of the Methodist 2 Church. said that I had refused to sign a petition for a wet or dry election and gave as my reasons that to sign would hurt me socially and politically; that he would rejoice at an opportuni- ty to vote against me. etc Ladies, whose veracity dare not be questioned, will state that he said as much as is stated, and even more.
 "when informed of Talley's utter ances from the pulpit I was surprised. shocked. indignant, angry. l had very courteously declined to sign the peti- ton to which reference had been made. had resolved from previous experi- ence, not to be partisan, but conserva- tive and to vote for what I believed the best interests of the County and its people. did what, in my opinion, was best for me to do; what I had a perfect right to do; simply exercised a privilege guaranteed to me and to all other citizens in the Declaration of Rights and the Constitution of the State of Florida, and I fail to compre- bend how any rational being, claiming to be q messenger of God, to follow the meek and lowly Nazarene. to preach the Word and to practice the greatest of all, Charity ,'acould stoop so low as to resort to personal indignities in sermon. I was not a candidate at the time the petition was presented to me; am not a candidate now and have not considered the possibility of being / a candidate at the next election which is yet quite remote After deliberation and carefully summing up matters l reached the following conclusions:
 "Ffrst-Talley publicly insulted and ruthlessly wounded the feelings of my wife and daughter. who were part of his small congregation.
 "Second--He took advantage of the pulpit, which Is protected by the strong arm of the law, to make his unwar- ranted utterances, and there said things he would not venture to say to ladies and gentlemen on the streets or at their homes.
 ! srsThird-He made a statement abso- Sitely false when he said I gave as my Treason for not signing the petition that i to sign would hurt me socially and "Fourth-He intended to insult and to humiliate the members of my fam fly present-otherwise he would have not been personal.
 "Fifth-He seemed determined to in 1ure me, if he could. because he did not mention others of the town-other off, cers, both county and municipal-many of whom refused and did not sign the same petition.
 After still further deliberation de- termined to see Talley, and tried to meet him on the principal street of Milton, near the postoffice, but failed.