Year: 1879

In our issue before last VIC pub. lished our comments on the outrage upon two Methodist preachers at Brinkley, followed by a letter from Rev. T. B. Ford, Presiding Elder at Russellville, Ark. The DEMOCRAT of Rpssellyille, takes occasion to make capital out of that letter against Mir. Ford. We regret to see paper that is really far above the average Ar kansas newspaper, in ability and progressive spirit, take that course. The followers of the meek and low ly Jesus" have been treated and are now treated just as brothers Pollard and Todd were, in many countries. The young man of the Russellville DEMOCRAT may not know it-happiiy for him-but we DO know, that, when he was a boy, there were teachers and preachers of the gospel in the South who had to endure even more than the Apostle Paul ever did and for the same cause. Mir. Ford justly complains of the cruel treatment of brother in the faith, the result of peryerse civilization. Suppose the same thing had happened in central Africa or China2 France or Eng land would have sent their armies there to avenge the wrong done. But if if poor Methodist minister raises his voice in the "land of the free and the home of the brave" against such things done in our midst, he "vomits forth sectional hate," while the real offender IS treated with the utmost considera- tion.

 We wish our Russelleville confrere could see the injustice it has done to Mir. Ford and truth, and, for the sake of vindicatlng the good name of our State, join with us in demanding the severest punishment for the murder CT of Mir. Todd.

 The above is from the Fort Smith Weekly New Era. As soon as we read it we took down the file of the DEMOCRAT and carefully re-read what we had said about Mir. Ford's letter, and we cannot see that there is a thing in it, not even so much as the crossing of ''t" or the dotting of an 'i'' that we desire to retract or change. We deny most emphatic ally that we have seized upon Mir. Ford's letter ''to make capital against hlm." When MT. Ford came to our town to take up his residence amongst us, we noted his arrival here and extended to him a cordial welcome through the columns of the DEMOCRAT. It was only when HE seized upon the unfortunate Brink ley affair and wrote an incendiary and bitter letter to make political capital against the people of our State, that we administered the re- buke which any minister of the gos- pei deserves who will stoop from his high calling to stir up sectional strife political excitement among people. We do not see that we have done any injustice either to MT. Ford or to the truth. We have not condemn ed MT. Ford because he objected or complained of the treatment Todd and Pollard received, but we DID, AND DO YET condemn him for making that occurrence a PRETExT to "raise the bloody shirt and write an in- cendiary article about REBELS" to make it appear that the whole people of the South endorse violence and persecution of Northern men. THAT was the burden of his letter, and it was THAT which we pronounced a vile and villainous islander.

 So far as joining with the New Era in demanding the punishment of ALL crime and lawlessness is con-. cerned, we are ready. The files of the DEMOCRAT will show its status in that respect. There has been no paper in the State which has more consistently and energetically de- manded the suppression of crime and lawlessness and the punish. ment of criminals than the DEMO GRAF. As to the particular occur renee which has given rise to all this discussion, we said plainly in the article of which Bro. Dell complains that we did not endorse such hasty action as had been indulged in by the Marshal of Brinkley, and we said if he had transcended his duties or exercised the functions and pow CTS of his office in an unlawful and unnecessarily violent manner he should be punished.

 Mir. Todd was NOT mistreated be- cause he was a Northern Methodist minister Gas Mir. Ford tries to make out) nor because he was preaching