The independent. [volume] (Elizabeth City, N.C.) 1908-1936, 1928-10-26

Four years ago this high priest OF \
ecclesiastical pot-guttedness had allt
Elizabeth City at his feet; he COM
manded greater crowds than Q ,ctr-
Gus; 1000 Christians and hoodluusa
sat under his spell nightly for some
thing like 40 nights and his colossal2
tabernacle cou.d not hold the crowds
on Sunday afternoons; all churchesII
suspended their services for him.;
stores were closed for his weekend,
morning meetings; the pastors and|l
choirs and lay leaders of everys
church in the city occupied bis ros-F
trum and did his bidding. Thout
sands stood up, sat down, ,kneeled.
bowed or went thru other genuflex.
ions at his command. Elizabeth|]
City was Hams. }TH Il
Ham returned to Elizabeth City,
Wednesday night. still lin the roleIl
Of a preacher, still claiming to be iiil|
the business Of saving souls epI'
masse, claiming to be on smissionIl
of yarning the people against thAl
wiles of the devil. But not p, singie|| /
pastor of an Elizabeth City churchl1
sat on the platform With him; nosI
a single chorister from any chotti
was there to raise q hymn for himt
not one Of the hundreds Of consert3
he made in Elizabeth City four yearsL
ago sat on his platform. He brolight3
with him a Baptist preacher naH3ed "
J. IN. Everett from tiis village efI
Red Oaks, N. G. to open his mectrI
ing With prayer. Another Baptist
preacher, J. r. Dayis OF Blairsyille.I
Pa. introduced him. Only two local
men sat on his PLATFORM thes REM
H.. I. GLASS, presiAns elder Of 1ths|
Methods Ep;sonpals GAsS "a
sof the Elizabeth City District and
8. G. Scott, chairman of the Pasquo-l
tank County Highway Commission
who was once Democrat.
Ham had a full house. Republi- \
cans, Ku Kluckers and Ant-Saloon'
Leaguers from Ballyhack in Perqui-
mans To Hog Quarter In CurrituckI
we're here to get his blessings. And
hundreds of curiosity seekers were
there. He get patterings OF applause
from perhaps so many as 200 pairs
of hands. There was as much -ap-
plause when he mentioned the
names of Smith and Robinson. Even
a dog in the balcony barked mer-
rily when he mentioned Smith and
Robinson. And after that Ham
was ill at ease, nervous. ratified,
peevish.' lie came to link hell Into
AL Smith and was afraid to mefl-
ton Smiths name for fear that the
straight Democrats in his audience
wo, id cheer the name of Smith and
nullify the effects of his hanargue
Smith supporters in his audience
outnumbered the anti-Smiths: Ham
had to use great caution to avoid b
Smith demonstration. And being
cautious isn't in Hams line; he Il
used to saying anything and getting
away with it. 1t was painful
speech; Ham was cold. flat. stale.
Sunday lie Was Hot
heard Ham in Durham Sunday;
Inc had his church crowd with him;
he was.in fine form; militant, braz-
en-, dictatorial. He devoted himself
to three subjects; himself, w. o.
Saunders and AL Smith. He said q
, lot of nice things about himself; he
gave me hell; he gave AL the whole
works. In Durham he denounced
me as an atheist bolshevik and all
the rest of it. But in my own home
town Wednesday night he never
mentioned my name or adverted to
me directly or indirectly. He threw
down a challenge to me In Durham
last Sunday to meet him in open
debate, upon the conditions that ]
should exhibit twelve samples Of rny
own converts and permit him to ex-
frnnti,uob m, no IN EyvaN tslf Is