Richmond planet. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1883-1938, 1930-08-02
Vass Defends
Continued from Page u

about this charge of rebellion and
conspiracy lodged against it. 1t IS
not true that there is any evidence
J whatever of any rebellion on con-
spiracy on the part either OF Or.
Townsend of the Board. When DR..
| Williams appointed Atty. Chas. NJ.
Robertson, to take up the work of the
late Auditor, and also to act as bus
mess manager the Wolfe, Attor-
ney Robertson put in a claim ror Mr..
{ Persons salary, although he was
drawing a stipend as attorney. The
Secretary of the Board wrote the
presiden tfor instructions, being
ready and willing to empty. And
when the Board was order to pay
Mrs. Pierson Two Hundred and Fiji
ty (S250.00) month up to the Jul
bilee, our Board accepted the order
and complied with the request. The
only request made on the Board
that has not yet been complied with
is that the Secretary pay $2O2.5O to
the deputy sheriff who was placed
in Mr.. Persons office, which order
came through Attorney Robertson,
who stated the order was from the
president of the Convention. But our
Board has always obeyed Convention
orders. Our board is not In rebel
lion. -,
When | severed my relations with
the American Baptis t Publication
Society against their desires, l offer
ed nv services to this Board which
unanimously elected me as Field
Secretary and requested be to name
| nv salary. That was how / was ap-
preciated then, and how l am still
appreciated, for brught something
with me to the Board. No other Ne
gro has equal experience in my cho-
sen field and no one is more appre-
ciated over this wide country. l can
do something else beside interpret
| the Bible and direct in religious edu-
cation for the Sunday School Pub
Fishing Board. / have had long years
| of experience in general leadership III
our domination and ! am not willing
to stand by and see a good man
/ butchered without doing all in my
| power to see that justice is done
him. If it should prove to the will
of God and the people that | step
aside for daring to oppose the re-
election of President Williams, / am
perfectly willing. If we have grown
| so rapidly as to no longer need my
services, l am willing to give my
l place to a molly-coddle who will shut
his mouth for paltry monetary gain.
But | am a different type of man.
| am doing what l know is pleasing
to my Saviour who said: Eye shall
be hated of all men for my names
l sake: but he that endureth to the
4 end shall be saved, But when they
prosecute you in this city, flee we in
10 another: for verify / say unto
YOU, Ye shall not have gone over the
| cities of Israel, tell the Son of man
he come" May be 1 will do more
good than ever among the more
| needy people. But there will be no
change in my position in this Crisis
Has it come to pass that | must
| sell my birthright for mess OF pot
tage? Must l supinely shut my
mouth simply to remain on the pay
roll of the convention? Am / to be
stigmatized as hired servant II l
talk out, while the Nashville evil
genius has grown rich as one of the
hired servants and is allowed to med
die with all other secretaries and to
DEFY the Convention itself? The So
Der second thought of our Conven-
ton should not require this OF me,
for am Gods free man. And yet,
am only the weak STRIPPING of lad
who dares to go against the powerful
Goliath in the name of the Lord, be-
cause he has defied the army of the
living God. | am only doing my
duty, and l leave the result with
| God and the people. When agreed
to enter the service of this Board,
DR.. Isaac told me l had too much
influence to give DR.. Townsend the
benefit of it, although he gave no
reasons, for he said that II 1 dld
SO he would fight me to finish. He
will not fail to fight me. On the
other hand, President Williams ad-
vised me to do real team work with
DR.. Townsend, and l am dong as
he suggested, for the people expect 1t
of me. Of course, in those days, the
evil genius had not put his spell upon
our president, and he had not beeen
poisoned against DR.. Townsend.
The public has wondered why Dr.
| Townsend did not defend himself
against all the outrageous charges in
| t6e papers. He is no fighter. He is
a builder and is constructive IN MS
nature. While these charges were
being hurled at him, he was busy
devising some way to meet the next
payment on the bonded Indebtedness
of the Board, and only few days
ago, he met the claim in full. If ne
had turned aside to make reply,
the Boards work would have suffer
ed, but as it is, our business has &C
tually increased. Some make much OF
his fighting extradition, but those
persons are not friends of our Boar,
| for he is needed at his desk every
day. And think of the two leading
/ officials of our Convention abettlng
those who are trying to take hum
from his desk and put him In prison
upon a most foolish suspicion grow
ing out of murderous hatred. Will
| our Convention vindicate Baptist
democracy before the world by doing
the only thing we can do, viz, refuse
to hold such persons in office by
electing their successors?
tempt to drive Negroes from their city
Il following the Shaving of a former Erick