The Nashville globe. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1906-193?, 1917-01-12


the Baptist Missionary and Educa,
-ional Convention met at the Kayne
Avenue Baptist Church and in the
chapel of Roger Williams University
with Rev. A. l.. Bartlett as President
and Dr. A. M. Townsend as Secretary. |
When minority of that convention
then in session undertook by gag
rule to curtail the privileges and
deny the rights of the majority of
the delegates present, to rule or even
have say in the meeting, notwith-
standing we had paid the Enroll
ment Committee two hundred or
more dollars as representation fee,
which they kept, and after we had
withdrawn they passed resolution
to refund our money, but until this
good day, the Treasurer, Rev. F. M.
Lawrence, has not been furnished
with the recaptured funds which so
suddenly took leave by the way of
official orders. Therefore, We have
not been able to get our money on
the strength Of their own resolution,
nor with the aid of the courts.
Among the most influential and
conspicuous characters in car
rying out this procedure were the
Rev. VIM. Haynes, Chairman of the
Trustee Board of the University;
Rev. e. M. Lawrence, Trustee; Rev.
A. ID. Hurt, D. D., Trustee; Rev. A. l..
Bartlett. Trustee; DR.. A. M. Towns
send, Trustee and President of the
University, with DR.. II. w. d. Isaac,
as Parliamentarian and Speaker of
the house, and Brother 7. G. Ewing
as Legal Advisor. Thus it may be
seen that the representatives of the
educational interest in Roger vii.
liams, by their words, actions and
influence, were the predominant fac
tors in setting this unChristian, UNI
Baptistic and unwise precedent
Voting churches out of a convention
and keeping their money"
This recapitulation is given in or
der that the reader may know why
the investigation was made which
brought about the discovery that
ROGER WILLIAMS UNIVERSITY
does not belong to the Negro Bap,
fists of Tennessee. Now, let's see
for the benefit of DR.. Isaac and the
Clarion, who argue to the contrary:
1t is true that the Negro Baptists @
Tennessee did put into the hands OF
Rev. VIM. Haynes, the financial sec
rotary of the convention, 100000
with which to pay one-half of the
ten thousand ($10,000.00) dollars
the purchase price Of the twelve or
more acres Of land on which Roger
Williams University now stands but
the court records show that the
property was paid for with $40,
10000 check of the Home Mission
Society of New York and the deed
was made by ]. o. kirkpatrick and
Son to the Home Mission Society Of
New York--not to the Society ant
the Missionary and Educational Con
vention of Tennessee, which woult
have been proper in order to recognize
joint purchase and ownership. In tina
case, the society being a corporation
might have held in trust the interest
of the Negro Baptists. This they
did not hold, according to the re
cord; it Is their property, and the
deed says so, because it was pait
for with their check against theil
own account. Now while men liv,
they may explain their actions bu
when the court takes record. it i!
recognized as the truth and express
ed will of the parties concerned
When l read that deed felt mysel
getting cold as ! realized the Negro
Baptists were not on the inside al
we supposed.
Now, as TO the transfer to Roge
Williams. No one can transfer wha
they do not legally own-that par
of the instrument which states, 9Th,
property hereinafter described ha
been purchased by the American
Baptist Home Mission Society o
New York, and the Baptist Mission
airy and Educational Convention o
Tennessee, for the sum of ten thou
sand dollars; each Of said organiza
| liolo udFAh6 puiu ohc mali vi u'
thousand (s5,000) dollars, of tn
purchase price of said property.
l say that the record of purchase
don't show that, and this transfer
instrument cannot take precedent
nor change the original purchas'
and deed In the deed of purchase
the Negro Baptists have no interest
Therefore, they had nothing II
transfer. We were entitled to some
thing for we gave our money to b,
expended as the above instrumen
says it was spent, but the record
say, NO.
HERE WE HAVE A PARALLEL
The Convention appointed Drs
Haynes, Hurt, Lawrence and other,
to go and get out q charter for TIL,
body so we could hold property a
We we're about to make this purchas
They went, but did they get tn
charter? They said they did, ant
held up the papers and said, "Breth
rem. here is your charter" We al
trusted their intelligence and veraci
lty; but that was no charter, though
a