The Oskaloosa herald. (Oskaloosa, Mahaska County, Iowa) 1885-1919, 1908-08-27
CHURCH ROW FOR
IOWA CONFERENCE
oTTUMWA DIVINE HANDS IN Ac.
cEPTED RESIGATioN.
Both Sides viii Likely Carry Trouble
to Higher Church Court To Be
Presided Over BY Bishop
Quayle.

SedJiSs
Ottumwa, Ia, Aug. 22.-When Bish-
op Quayle of Oklahoma comes to OF
tumwa on Sept. ! to preside for the
first time, over the deliberations of the
annual meeting of the Iowa confer
ence of the Methodist Episcopal
church, he is going to be confronted
with the biggest church row in the
history of the conference.
He will in all probability be asked
to either sustain the action of the
board of directors of the First Meth
odist Episcopal church of Ottumwa,
who recently intimated to Rev. II. w,
Hargett, pastor, that his resignation
would be acceptable, or to stand by
the followers of the Rev. Mr. Hargett,
who claim to represent a majority of
the church, and depose the board. In
either event his action will not be
pleasing to some of the members of
the church in Ottumwa.
The hundred and fifty or more min
listers who are members of the Iowa
conference, comprising five districts
in the southeastern part of the state,
may take a hand in the matter them
selves. 1t seems that they have a
sort of i'll feeling toward the board
lof the First Methodist Episcopal
church of Ottumwa.
This feeling comes from the fact
that for many years past when va
cancy occurred in the big Ottumwa
church the board went outside the
conference for a new pastor. The
first church in Ottumwa is probably
the largest in the conference, and nat
urally every minister has a desire to
some time or other become pastor of
it. But for years the ministers in the
Iowa conference have been ignored
and pastors from other states have
been called to the Ottumwa church.
The members of the board of the
First Methodist church here comprise
the wealthiest men of the congrega-
ton, men high in the business and So
cial circles of the city. The present
pastor does not seem to them to meet
all the requirements of the church. AS
on these members fall the heaviest
part of contributions to the church's
support, they feel justified in the &C
ton.
Singing Question Asked.
On the other hand the followers and
friends of the Rev. Mr. Hargett claim
that it is the pastors independence OF
the board that has brought down its
wrath on his head According to
these members the whole trouble
started some months ago when the
pastor inaugurated the question box as
a part of the weekly services. Some
one put in a question something like
Can man be Christian and rent
buildings for immoral purposes" OF
course, the Rev. Mr.. Hargett denounc-
ed such men as not being Christians,
and his words are said to have been
very bitter These words, his follow
ers claim, were not pleasing to men,
bers of the board, and these, coupled
with his independence, they assert,
resulted in his being asked to resign.
The Rev. Mr.. Targets friends are
very much wrought up over the action
of the board and there is talk of get
ting up petition asking Bishop
Quayle and the conference to depose
the board and permit their pastor to
remain. His followers point to the
three years of the Rev. Mr.. Targets
pastorate as being the best in the his
tory of the church, and they say his
many lovable qualities are deserving
of better treatment at the hands of
the board. ..r
The Rev. Mr.. Hargett has just re-
covered from a severe illness, and
was only able last Sunday to enter
the pulpit, the first time in many
weeks. His resignation has been ten
dered the board and being of a rather
retiring disposition he does not dis
cuss it. He came here three years ago
from a church in Ohio, where he had
been pastor for seven years.