Atlanta Georgian. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1912-1939, 1913-09-17
To
LAY ASIDE
CLERICAL
CLOTH
Or. Lincoln Mcconnell, in Hot
Reply to Woodward, UphoIds
Anti-Kissing War.

Or. Lincoln Mcconnell. in a letter
burning with sarcastic criticism and
Innuendoes, made heated reply Tues
day to the attack made upon him pA-
Mayor Woodward.
The minister after implying that
Mayor Woodward had been an ex-
drunksrd and other unenviabIe
things branded him as common
scold'' and flung down the gauntlet
to him in the declaration that he was
perfectly willing to dof his clerical
garments at any time the Mayor felt
tnat his health and happiness de-
manded satisfaction.
DR., Mcconnell denied that he had
inveighed against "spooning." "Heav.
en- Forbid" he declared. Il merely
was taking stand for law and order
which the Mayor had attacked"
MeConnelFs Letter.
his reply to the Mayor, except for
one unprintable expression. il give,
here in full.
- ~ VIII bnnellS letter
James G. Woodward, in the Maycr'4
Office, Atlanta, Ga:
SIR have your very interesting
letter OF this date and think II bpr
proper, in view of the fact that Won
nave honored me with three sheets Of
matter and 10 cents postage. to re-
ply to you in somewhat EXTENDED
IA shion.
In the first place, you not nv
subject Sunday night. l had q Iar.,,
subject. You were merely an illus
tratlon l was preaching on Sowing
the Wind and Reaping the Whiri-
wind tHosea viii: y, and was irving.
to show that the laws of cause an!
effect operated in all realms, not
merely the physical. ! was showina.
that the wind" Of bad thinking re-
suited in the destructive moral
"whirlwinds" etc, etc, md in de-
veloping the thought l came natural
ly to that bad conduct called crime
and lawlessness, and here is where
you came in. I was talking against
the dangerous tendencies of our time.
and l referred to the fact that "manv
good men SO talk at times as to CAUSE
the thoughtless to believe that they
have no respect for the law, its Off
GERS or machinery, the inevitable -
suit Of which must be the breaking
down of ,he last vestige Of fear or re
spect that remains in the minds or
the criminally inclined for the law"
said: q was amazed the other dav
to read what seemed to be an inter
view from our Mayor himself in
which he scathingly attacked the DO
lice referring to them in such con
temptOus terms as to indicate his
utter lack Of respect for them. Tax
ing as an excuse the recent arrests NJ
some person for 'spooning,' he
sneered at the snake in the grass
methods, etc, etc, in such mann r
and terms as to bring the very office
into disrep tie, AccC. ding to the re-
port he did not contine his sneers >
the particular men who made the ar
rests. but the impression is inevita-
BILE that he, the head Of this great
city feels a contempt for the officegs
Of the ,aw'
Actually and More.
/ said further, IF MIR. Woodwar1
does not know that such expressions
from a man in his high position ara
dangerous and have a tend ncy to ell
courage the vicious, he is too biz q
fool to be the head Of this city. whiia
if he really feels as he seems to feel,
he is unfit for the place
As nearly as l can recall my words,
that is what ! said on that subject.
SO YOU see | was not accurately re-
ported for ! actually said more about
y gu than the report indicates.
The fact is. no reporter was here,