The Jones County news., 1916-07-13
The REV. &c. GATES.


People are brought closer together
oftimes by afliction than by pros
perity, and consequently we feel that
the emsnations of the Reverend L. G.
Gates win result in drawing closer
the bonds of friendship and mutual
dependence rather than creating an
estrainment between Laurel and Ellis
vile. The people OF Laurel read his
communication we are sure with indi-
gnation, and the people of Ellisville
with amusement. The people of Lau-
rel know Mr.. Gates better than the
people OF EllisYille, and they know
how absurd is a protest against an
"attack on the character OF promi-
nent Laurel citizens coming from
him of all men, for if there is man
in Laurel who has attacked even the
private character OF citizens of lis
own city 10 the pulpit and on the
streets it is Mr.. Gates. He has de-
nounced from the pulpit in severe
language some Of the best men of his
city, of The purest character and the
most spotless lives, whom this news
paper would not venture to impugn.
There are other citizens whom he has
viciously denounced in the past, pos
sibly with some reason, that he has
taken to his breast and made asso-
ciates and friends of afterwards, and
is now working in harmony with.
1t is no wonder that a preacher
who has left his sacred calling to wade
into the mire OF town politics in a
place like Laurel, should resort to an
attempt to bluff and bulldoze people
into doing his way, and that such a
man should leave record of incon-
sistencies behind him that would APP
pail simple man of God within the
paths that Christ. prescribed for Els
ministers. BLESSED be the peace
Makers has never reached his soul,
and he has never comprehended the
Divine Injunction to exercise charity
towards his fellow-man He has al
G6avs been stirrer.up of strife,
anxious to dictate politics and domi-
nate the government of his city,
rather than to render into Ceasar
the things that are Ceasar's. AS a
result, his church has retrograded,
from that of the largest and most in
fiuential in his city when he took
charge OF it to second or third place,
and no little harm has been done to
his denomination by his pernicious
political activity. He had led many
political campaigns and crusades In
Laurel, and Invariably been snowd
under, nntil his support of man as
sured his defeat fol any position in
the city administration.
Now, the News is given to stating
he truth. II bluntly, and as it does
not desire TO misrepreseut even a IN IN
who has slandered this newspaper. 1t
asserts in the interest of truth that in
many respects Mr.. Gates is good
man, of irreproachable private char
acter, but withall most vindictiYe,
unsafe and uncharitable one. He is
very unsafe counsellor for his city,
as he has proven for his church. We
do not charge as a fact, but his his
tory there gives much ground for a
charge that he does all these unwise
and unfair things to advertise himself,
and that he is unhappy unless he can
keep his own name in the newspapers.
The public will remember that not a
great while ago he violated one OF
the fundamental laws of his owr
church, and when called to account for
it, made the peurile explanation that
because he was invited" that be
forgot himself for the time.
These politico-preachers seldom
have any firm and fixed convictions,
and there is never any telling where
they will intimately land. There ID
no absolute certaluty that Mr., Gates
will himselt vote for the hospiia
bond issue, IL an election Is called
and he is liable to end it all like h'
did another campaign which he in
situated with equal fever a few years
ago. He started an aggressive agi