Rensselaer Gazette, Volume 3, Number 48, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 21 March 1860 — THE SOUTH ON METHODISM. [ARTICLE]

THE SOUTH ON METHODISM.

We publish the following ar,icles, from among several of a ii re tenor, without comment; they speak for themselves, and show how Jow a party can stoop in defense of an institution so infamous that Christian organizations have been compelled, from the very nature of 'heir mission and professions, to take a decided stand against it. And yet the Democratic party will lend itself to this institution; support and cherish it, though it is necessary to subvert Christianity to sustain it. They will mob Conferences, imprison Clergymen, refuse an eminent Bishop the use of a Hall to preach in. and last, meanest, lowest, most Jispicable of all, refuse a S iciety of Christian ladies the use of a llali to hold a Fair in for benevolent purposes;! and all because the organization to which \ these persons belong, is, agreeable to its Christian profession,opposed to human slavery—property in man. But to our extracts; Slaveholders Awake. Head! IleailJ! Read!!! Head!'!* * The Maysville Eagle announces in i;n editorial that the “Kentucky Conference of the M. E. Church will commence its session in Germantown on the 9th of march. Bishop Simpson will preside, and will preach on the i following Sabbath- Everybody is curdiully j invited to attend.” We have been instructed to say that if it ' be necessary, and is tlie wish oi Ju people j of Geimantown' the “Cyntlii.ma Indepen-j dent Ilifie Company” will visit that city and j abate that nuisance. It will certainly he a shame to permit men with a record like that! of Simpson &. Co., to promulgate their sen- ! tinients in a piace where they would not al- j low a man to live who entertained much ! milder sentiments toward the South. We say to the peo le in that section—look out. We understand that there are two churches of this character in the lower part of this county. \\ e suggest this occasion as an excellent opportunity to secede from the anti-slavery Church, and join in with their friends oj the South.

A Clergyman Imprisoned for Speaking 1 Slavery. We have to-di.y to add another to the already long catalogue of outrages on the liberty of speech, commuted in behalf of slavery. ReV. Mr. Howe, a Methodist clergyman in Harrison county, Missouri, was challenged by a Kentucky neighbor to debate the slavery question. He accepted the challenge in good faith, and the debate took place, with no unusual circumstances, about six miles from Bethany, the county seat. Immediate ly afterward Mr. Howe was arrested. A man owning $13,090 worth of slaves had made affidavit that h : was an “Abolitionist,” and demanded his incarceration in the Penitentiary. A prosecution so evidently malicious and absurd, did not alarm Mr. liowe until after his return to town, when he found that all the lawyers, with one exception., had combined to refuse to defend him. Ot>t of this combination were selected W. G. Lewis, Circuit Attorney, and J. W. Wyatt to conduct the prosecution. The one exception was O. L. Abbott, Esq;., a native ot this State, and a gFadsiate of the Albany LawSchool. He undertook Mr. Howe's defense hut was allowed mo time for prep a nation. Notwithstanding he offered iir behaSi of the prisoner any amount of bail an* asked tnat !)»e examination it ight be posponed, h » was compelled to go «m kv«mediately, without having an houi’s time to ascertain tl.-e-R.aksi.i-e of the case to obtain evidence, and that, too, in regard to an offence hitherto unknown to the record of crime! During the examination the court sustained every objection made by the prosecuting attorneys to question which were all important to the interests of the defence. The defendant was requested to produce all the testimony in- his behalf ra court Ht midnight. At one o’clock, however, the Judge, for his own convenience, having other business coming on in the morning, consented to a postponement lor two days. In the meantime all the influence that could be exerted to embarrass the defense was resorted to. When the trial was resumed the town was filled with people from all parts of the conn try. The large court-room was densely crowded. The evidence closed fate in the afternoon. Mr." Abbott summed up his case, assisted, since no lawyer would assist him, bv Rev. John S. Allen; who, though a slaveholder himself,was not w illing to see his to.v n disgraced by such tyranny against free speech. Judge Lewis followed in a fanatical pro-slavery tirade against the prisoner, his counsel, “incendaries” and ‘-Abolitionists'’ in general, and the case was submitted for decision.

That decision will be looked for with interest, even at this distance from the scene. The crime with which Mr. Howe is charged is defined us “uttering words, the tendency of which is to excite any slave t > insolence and insubordination,” ( lissouri R S., vob }, page 536.) aithough/it was shown on evidence that, there was not a negro bond or free, within two niilVsu, the plucc of debate' The penalty lor this offence is five years’ imprisonment at hard labor in the Peuiten tiary. During and-since the trial threats have been freely made of “tar and feathers ’ against the prisoner’s counsel, and various attempts made to intimidate and drive him ! from the place. —Albany Journal, March 7.

"to vo Anti-niotbuilist Legolat isn &kt Missouri. In the House of Representatives on Sa.4durday, Mr. Hudgins, of Andrew . on. Leave„ introduced a resolution asking for the use of the Mall for a religious service, to be performed by the Rev. E. R. Ames, Bishop of the M. E. Church. This led to. some discussion, in the course of which it was elicited that the Bishop belonged to the Northern connection who had been refused the use of the Senate room on a recent occasion. The reasons given lor objecting to the request were, t'hatuthe Northern Methodists had passed resolutions to abolitianiae thcSlate ot Missouri, and that they had already promulgated their obnoxious principles in the State, in violation of a compact entered into with their Southern brethren; finally the resolution was carried by a majority of twoayes 16, nays 41. Cincinnati GavUtc.

Mr. Davis moved to reconsider the votetaken upon the motion of the gentleman from Andrew. Mr. Ament had learned that the gentleman (Bishop Ames) was an Abolitionist traveling for the purpose of demonstrating his principles- * Mr. D vis, of Nodaway, saitf if rBo man was a servant of God, he shoaliT have use of. the Hal); he desired to sear fwK>, even if hewas an Abolitionist, because a* yet fcs never seen such a creature. Mr Fagg desired to know what authority they had lor declaring the gentleman an Abolitionist. Mr. Davis, of Buchanan, said he received his information from the gentleman from. Henry, Mr. Stone. Mr. King of Ray, had understood that Daniel S. Dickinson, of New York, belonged j to the Northern Methodist Church, and°m> doubt, though his name had been hoisted by i many papers lor the Presidency, this fact was fatal to his chance of getting the nomination. Mr. Stone said that the Northern Methodist Church was an avowedly anti-slavery institution, and that eve.y member believed that a s aveholder was a barbarian and a savage, and hence he presumed that this gentleman was a Black Republican Mr. Guitar felt that he might be that and a gentleman too. Mr Stone—We differ a little on that. [Laughter.] Tins man it a so-called minisi ter ot goapui, who expounds the doc- ! trires of his church, u torcli in one hand and ! a bowit-kiii.e in the other, and. no doubt hke the rest, he was of the John Brown j order. Mr Turner, of Clinton, felt they were unduly dignifying this preacher, and undigni-v----ing themseives as a body and as u Lm-nia-ture. He voted against the resolution) and should vote against reconsidering a. Mr. Hudgins said this man was a Bishop and had nothing to do r nht,. e polit.es of the Country; he lives in Indian*, and was not even here; he regretted nav.ng introduced the resolution, and he was sure, alter the proceeding that ha.: taken place, he would not accept the use of the Hail, but speak, from i mine stump in preference. Consvay having no proof tha: she man was an Abuliti-.i),*’.. should vote agmast a< r e e ansi d e rs i i o n. Mr. Ament desired e • . nge »..s vote for the same reason. In his section !c wereNorthern Methodists who wore good' Christjians. Mr. Larries said this Bishop Ames hruf p. csnh'd over a Conference in Indiana where they passed resolutions to send out missionaries here to abulitiouize Missouri, in spite of the devil himself. He did not believe that Daniel S. Dickinson was a Northern Methodist. If he was, he could not be a national* Democrat. He believed he was an Old School Presbyteria.il, who believed that slavery was inst-tuted by God. The motion to reconsider was then sustained—>yj ayes, 35 nay*. The resolution Was then rejected—3l ayes, G! nays. Dcmoczacy v». mt»!l»odJsn». The outrage perpetrated upon the m: m- • bora of the Methodist Episcopal Church by the Democratic Hieni-bsrsot the lower branch ol the Missouri Legisln’ure, in denying toBishop Aines the privilege of spe.ik ntr in the Hail of the House ot IZepresentat ves,. has veen repeated by the Democratic members of the Semite. The ladies of JeffersonCity, connected-with the Utethodrat Episcopal Church and ct>rsg»egalit>r>,applied to tharblody for the use of the Senate cha nber. for the purpose of giving an entertainment, the proceeds of which were to go to the church. A resolution to that effect being off' red, it passed* witßowt opposition;Us4 on the. next day the vote was reconsidered-, ami the resolution laid upon the table by a vote of twenty three to six, upon the express ground that the Methodist Episcopal Church is not a proslavery organization. Having refused the Methodists a charier for their University nt three successive sessions, and having nowturned one of their Blstiops cut of the House., and one of their congregations from the Senate, the next thing in order wifi be for tiie Democracy of Missouri to expel all the adherents of that chu-ch from the State. TheMethodists of Illinois have reason to be thankful that the Democracy are not solargely iu the majority in that State as in Missouri. Press and Tribune.