Communication

To the good People of Ann Arbor : My previous and present interest in the sacred cause of Temperance Reform ; my position as Pastor of a church in this city; my desire to support every man anc every measure that is good, and to oppose only those men and measures that are fraudulent or unwise, and therefore in the end injurious, seem to cali upon me to give a public statement of my position and that of many others in regard to the present Conicay Temperance Revival. 1 wish to say in the first plaee that I never in any way whatever authorized the use o my name as one of the so called committee under whose auspices D. J. H. Conway was brought to this city, and who are represented in its publication as endorsing liim. At least five other names are, to my certain knowledge, similarly used without authority. My experiences have taught me that no representative man or community can be too careful in demanding the fulleat credentials and clearest record since the time of retormation, or at least ot the last alleged reformation, of any person who comes before the public as a temperance worker. The cause has suffered incalculably in the past from the prominence of both men and women who have proven themselves utterly unworthy of any respect. A-nn Arbor is no exception to that statement It seems that to obtain the support and sympathy of the public as a temperance reformer often requires less capital than is demanded in any other pursuit. Previous good character is frequentily the most damaging impediment in the way of popularity, The man whose life been the vilest is suddenly exalted as a hero, and has crowds of adniirers both male and female as he recounts with great gusto and in the midst of applause those shameful experiences over which the veil of obscurity should ever be drawn, or only removed in most penitential sorrow. But to travel over the country as a temperance reformer too often requires absolutely no capital of education, of reliability, of sincerity, or even of decent moráis, but only that of impudent and shameless audacity. I therefore always demand as a ï-ight, that I shall be fully satisfied of the record and standing of any public man who asks my endorsement. I claim that any true man is glad to give such assurances, and that unwillingness to do so is a just ground for suspicion. Dr. J. H. Conway is now in this city in such a position that I must eithei cordially and heurtily support him, or have good reasons for declining. He and his friends have crowded an unpleasant issue upon the public through the press, as well as in other ways. I have been personally assailed because I will not give him my name, endorsement or assistance. wüh I could do so. I claim to have as deep de votion as my heart is capable of feeling, from my childhood to the present time, to this great work. Perhaps at times my earnestness has made rne too severe. But I cannot, fcs yet, endorse Dr. Conway for the following reasons : He refuses absolutely to give me, on my urgent request.any reference wbat ever in regard to his Christian cliaracter or as a member of any church, though he publicly claims such relationship. With taste somewhat questionable in this community he signalizes his advent to the city by signing himself an M. D., on the hotel register, and on the two thousand temperance pledges which he bad printed. Yet he refuses absolutely to give any answer as to where that degree was obtained, and by that fact causes his warmest supporters to fear that it is at least irregular. Kuowing that suspicions attended him (Iming all his work at Lowell and followed hitn to Ann Arbor, hestill persietently rfifuses to give the information which, if he has it, would clear them all away, and help to unite all teraperance workers in his support. Mr. Conway is, as I have found,exceedingly modest only when cali ed upon to give satisfactory references. Yielding to the lmportunity of one of our ministers, not myself of course, he did at Jast give a reference in the eity of Pitts burg. But as the gentleman so quotetl has been dead several years, it has not been conrenient to get any light from hiiu. In order to assist in the necessary work of obtaining satisfactory iuformation, I wrote some days ago to several leading and representative men in Lowell, and to Francia Murphy. Mr. Murphy says that Mr. Conway signed the pledge In Pittsbnrg in 1876; but though asked particularly npon that point, he does not profess to know anything of Mr. Conway's medical record, or to be able to endorse his character siuce the year mentioned. I have not been able as yet to get an answer f rom Rev. Mr. Whitaker of Lowell, who was quoted in one of our papers last week, though I wrote him urgently, and have for some days had answers to other letters mailed to Lowell at the same time. I have four letters in my possession from the city of Lowell, each one from a representative man. One is a city official, two.are well known Methodist pastors,and the fourth, one of the foremost, best known, and most responsible Christlan woikers in that city. These letters all agree in saying that Mr. Conway's work in Lowell is exceedingly overestimated, is very superficial and promises no lasting good. But what is worse, they agree in saying that the good peoplc there could not get any satisfactory Information in regard to his autecedents. Indeed his letters of support that were published last week leave that question of character not only unanswered, but unfortunately obscured. Concern ing him these letters agree that no word could be obtained from Philadelphia, his professed home, nor information in regard to his title of M. D. Is it strange that oue of the leading men of Lowell who is a representative of all the churches there should say even more than the mild words which I now use, thathaving with others labored to find some good concerning his past, and having failed, the gravest fear is excited that his medical title is unwarranted, his religious professions insincere, especially as they can " give proof that he has been, to say the least, very imprudent with women ? '' I submitto the public whoseservant I am for good, that 1 am, up to this time, eompelled to refuse to give my name to Mr. Conway- my support to "the Conway moveinent," or to put my pulpit at his disposal. ïhough I was never asked by any person whornsoever to give my consent to the use of the opera house in his behalf, I submit that no blame could attach to any minister for refusing to make a formal rcquest for its use in his interest. I repeat what I said in public not raany days ago, that I have only grown in earnestness in behalf of Temperance with the passage of years. But tbat devotion does not commit me to every movement of every character, or my name or service to the support of every unknown and irresponsible adventurer whose only merit may be the unworthy use of the word, to me almost holy, Temperance. Perhaps I should in closing, acknowledge my indebtedness for important information and very valuablesuggestions.to the Rev. Mr. Spence, now of this city. Respectfully,' Ann Arbor, Jíov. 7, 1883.