The Dawson news. (Dawson, Ga.) 1889-current, 1911-10-18
WATSONI FRIENDS INDIGNATE.
MET AND PASSED RESOLUTIONS
CONCERNING PASTOR.
Rev. Dixon, the Methodist Minister,
Had Criticised the Sage of
Thomson in EermOn.


had been grossly insulted by charges
made in strong missionary sermon
delivered in his pulpit last Sunday
morning by the Rev. R. M. Dixon,
the pastor of the Forsyth Metho-
dist church, in answer to a speech
made here several weeks ago by Hon.
Thomas E. Watson, friends of the
Sage of Thomson met in a big mass
meeting at the court house here Sat
urday and adopted strong resolutions
cOndemning the attack made by the
minister upon Mr.. Watson. The in
dignation of many strong Watson
supporters throughout Monroe coun-
ty had been aroused to a high pitch
by the sermon delivered by the min
lister, in which sermon they charged
he had violently assailed Mr. Wat
sons character and stamped him as
being the Benedict Arnold of Georgia
politics, and their bitterness against
the preacher was indicated in the
resolutions adopted and addresses
made by Watson leaders at the meet
ing. The meeting had been the talk
of the town and county for the past
several days, it being announced in
the local press that the meeting
would be held, and the court house
was thronged by several hundred
people. a great many going out of
curiosity.
Rev B. L. Hencely, a prominent
Missionary Baptist minister of this
section, presided over the meeting.
Mr. Hencely stated that the object of
the meeting was to condemn the I'M
warranted attack that had been made
upon Mr.. Watson by the pastor of the
Methodist church, who he stated had
assailed and misrepresented Watson.
Mr. Hencely said that Mr.. Watson
had made hundreds of sacrifices in
an effort to help and educate the peo-
pie, and yet despite all this he was
being continually bounded from the
pulpit by ministers of the gospel.
After Mr.. Hencely finished talking
committee was appointed to draw
up resolutions condemning the
charges made by Mr.. Dixon in his
missionary sermon. These resolu-
tions were read to the audience by
Mr.. L. o. Hollis, and were adopted
by rising vote Of the men present.
After the reading and adoption of
the resolutions there were addresses,
in which they warmly eulogized Mr..
Watson and defended his views on
the mission question and bitterly de-
nOunced what they termed the mis-
representations that had been made
against him by the pastor of the
Methodist church. Mr.. Fletcher stat
ed that he thought it was unfair and
unjust in Mr.. Dixon to assail Mr..
Watson when he mad been invited to
come here and make an address, and
was the invited guest of the town.
He said the Watson men would not
| have been offended at Mr.. Dixon if
| he had published his sermon in the
press so that Mr.. Watson could have
| had an opportunity to have answer
ed it. All of the speakers stated that
they felt no dislike towards the
Methodist minister here, but, feeling
that he had misrepresented and
abused, felt that his sermon ought
not to go unnoticed here and
throughout the country They also
/ charged that Mr.. Dixon did not hear
Mr.. Watsons speech here, and for
that reason was not in a position to
make a sermon denouncing what was
said by Mr.. Watson in his speech
here. Every speech made at the
meeting strongly indicated that the
very deepest Indignation of the Wat
sonites had been aroused by the SER
mon delivered by the Methodist min
lister, and that they felt that Mr..
Dixon had made Misrepresentation
against Watson and bitterly assailed
his private character. One thing that
so aroused the indignation of the
Watson supporters here was that it
was said that Mr.. Dixon had made
! in his sermon the charge that Watson
had sold out to the republican party,
which made him the Benedict Arnold
of Georgia politics. Mr.. Dixon, how
ever, vigorously denied this charge,
saying that he made no reference
whatever to politics in his sermon,
and had mentioned Mr.. Watson s
name in his sermon so as to give
justice to his views on the mission
question, since Watson was the first
man that had abused the present mis-
sionary system. The meeting adj
| JOuIuSu dIJSG MUCH speaking on the
! part of WatsOn's friends.
! When interviewed by a represent
ative of the newspapers Mr.. Dixon
made most vigorous denial of the
/ charges that he abused and villified
Watson in his pulpit and misrepre-
sented him. He said that he did not
make the missionary sermon deliv-
cred by him for the purpose of in
juring Mr.. Wat on politically, as was
charged by the Watson supporters,
but for the express purpose of ex-
pressing his views on the mission
question, feeling that Mr.. Watson
had misrepresented the present for
eign mission system. He says near
ly all the members of his congrega-
ton endorse his sermon, among
those members being many strong
friends of Mr. Watson. .dr. Dixon
said that he doesn't feel any per-
sonal dislike towards Mr.. Watson,
but felt that it was his duty to deIiv-
er his mission sermon after what had
been said concerning the present
system of missions by Mr.. Watson.
! ~