Daily capital journal. (Salem, Oregon) 1903-1919, 1911-06-02
REV. BLACK
is OF CHURCH
MILITANT
THE SPIRIT OF CHARITY, FOR.
BEARANCE AND TURN THE
OTHER CHEEK, NOT MOST
PROMINENT FEATURE OF HIS
RESIGNATION.

Asserting that he cannot maintaio
ms seif-respect as long as he allows
MS name to remain associated with
one who through calumny and gross
preVarication has maliciouslv at
tempted to besmirch his Character
ana who has rent the Christian
church asunder, Rev. B. C. Black sew
eral days ago resigned as a member
OF the Oregon Christian Ministerial
ASSOCIATION, and he has been advised
that the resignation has been ac-
cepted.
elimination of Old Fight.
Inc resignation is the elimination
Of fight which had its beginning last
spring in the church, when Rev.
Davis Errett, the present pastor, was
reelected pastor, and he is the man
referred to by Rev. Black in his resi-
nation.
Dissatisfaction seems to have been
exhibited by certain faction of the
church as far back as 1909, and it
began to boil when Rev. Errett. as
the faction alleged, through manip-
ulation in that year, secured a raise
in his salary of $500 year. This
was followed by a petition in 1910
asking him to resign, and, it was as
serted, that he agreed to do so, on
condition that the charges against
him were withdrawn, and did so, and
so did his friends on the board of
trustees. Subsequently the whole
board of trustees resigned, and it is
then alleged that Rev. Errett through
a nominating committee composed of
his friends secured a reelection, and
that one Sunday morning he took ad-
vantage of his opponents by having
his nomination confirmed by the con-
gregation. While he received a ma
jority vote, it was asserted by his op-
ponents that it was but 112 votes out
of membership of 900. The mat
ter was then taken up with the min
isterial association and charges pre-
ferred against Rev. Errett. Among
other things il was charged that he
had used his influence as pastor on
Miss McIntire, an aged lady, to induce
her to buy from him Alaska coal
stock at so cents share, while the
stock was on the market at 171a
cents. 1t was alleged that he sold
1 her $500 worth, and that it repre-
sented her earnings for years. 1t
was charged that he had said things
| derogatory to Mrs. Sarah Riggs. but
that when confronted he denied them
1t was also charged that his renten-
tion meant the tearing asunder of the
church.
The ministerial association evil
IDENTIFY did not believe the charges, for
it upheld Errett, and then followed
the resignation of DR.. Black, one of
the leaders Of the opposing faction.
Black Is Bitter.
81 cannot retain or maintain my
self-respect, says Rev. Black, in his
resignation to the association, "as
long as l allow my name to remain
associated with one, who, by cal
umny, gross prevarication and grovel-
ling expressions has maliciously at
tempted to besmirch my character
and rent the church asunder until it
lies bleeding in shame and derision,
and who has ANONYMOUSLY failed to
approach even the shadow of the ped
astal of the high ideals of the Chris
tian profession. And inasmuch as
the ministers of the Christian church
of Oregon uphold the traducer in cal
umny, vituperation and villainizing
practice, and that by remaining with
them. by the high courts of reason
and right thinking, I would be con-
sidered particeps criminus, | hereby
withdraw from your association, and
ask YOU declare accordingly