Atlanta semi-weekly journal. (Atlanta, Ga.) 1898-1920, 1909-12-07
DR.. r. j. Bigham Returns From
Hurried Visit to Bishop Hen
dirk, but He Is Not Released
From Appointment.
DR.. BIGHAM TELLS WHY
RE ASKED FOR RELEASE
Has Many Friends in Newman and
Loves the People There, but
Thought He Should Not Be
Returned.

Newman is your charge: go there and
do your duty"
This is the mandate of Bishop Hendrix
to DR.. r. J. Bigham. It was delivered in
person by the bishop to DR.. Bigham him
self, and closes the incident as to whether
or not DR.. Bigham would be released
from the Newman church or would serve
as appointed.
The announcement of the bishops final
decision is furnished by DR.. Bigham. who
arrived in Atlanta Monday morning. Dr.
Bigham, as stated exclusively in The
Journal last Friday. left Atlanta Thurs
day afternoon for Searcy, Ark, to have
a personal conference with the bishop.
Immediately upon his return to Atlanta,
DR.. Bigham called The Journal and gavs
out the result of this interview. DR.. Big
ham states his reasons at length for ask
ing to be relieved of the Newman charge
and goes more fully into the controversy
than upon any previous occasion.
DR.. BIGHAM'S STATEMENT.
Dr. Blgham's statement in full, as fur
niShed The Journal, is as follows:
Il have been out to searcy. Ark. To
see Bishop Hendrix, who is holding the
White River conference there. 1 went out.
not to ask him to give me any appoint
ment but to ask him, as l had tele-
graphed him before 1 left Atlanta. b
release me from the Newman appointment
for reasons which have been stated here
tofore in the Atlanta papers.
L have great many friends that I
fondly love in Newman, Ca, among ala
denominations, fbut I have thought from
the first that ought not to be sent
back there because they had had a new
appointment and 1 had been removes
and they were taking steps by corres-
pondence and otherwise with their new
pastor and i thought that appointment
ought to remain-res adjudicata-
He said that he would not release ma
from Newman. I told him 1 was willing
to take any appointment in the confer
ence instead, but he replied to me-
T" Newman is your charge; go there and
do your duty
II suggested to him several charges
which might be made, everyone of them
to my disadvantage But he did not know
about the points 1 suggested and could
not assure him that the brethren would
themselves be agreeable. even though 1t
would increase their salaries
BISHOPS MIND MADE UP.
He seemed to have his mind positive-
ly made up. said that there was such
an uprising in Atlanta both among
preachers and laymen as would make 1t
impossible for me to do the work of the
district to the best advantage. That he
knew would be at such a Disadvantage
as would disqualify me for taking up the
work of the Atlanta district
81 desire to say to the public that how
great an uprising there really was among
preachers and Iaymen will be stated later
81
this city.
Under the Methodist system I am
obliged to go back to Newman and 90
with a very great deal Of pleasure under
the circumstances. 1 did not originally
ask to be relieved of the Newman charge
and wish to repeat my fondness for the
entire town and my church particularly.
only resisted. as far as could cour-
teously do so, because I did not think
that after the trouble at st. John and
in the Atlanta district IL was fair to me
or Newman to send me back to that
charge.
GRATEFUL TO FRIENDS.
please permit me to express my APP
probation through The Journal to the
thousands of friends 1 have in Atlanta
and throughout Georgia who have writ
ten and telegraphed me congratulations,
first, in the case of my st. John appoints
ment and afterwards when was APP
pointed to the Atlanta district.
ct have been quiet and courteous for
four or five years. I mean still to pre-
serve what every gentlemen preserves, a .
spirit Of kindness, but I shall, If 1t seems
advisable to me later, present some facts
touching me for the last three or four
years, which have never yet made any
statement of to the public"