Southern Christian Advocate

For the Southern Christian Advocate,

Brother Capers,--By some means I must have been unfortunate in what I said in my attempt to give a few plain statements of my views on the New York resolutions published in your paper of March 27th, as it has called forth some rather cutting remarks from some of my esteemed brethren on both sides of the question. To yours I have written a brief reply, and now I suppose the necessity is imposed on me to reply to brother Sanford, as it seems he has advertised himself as one of the actors in a case alluded to in my former letter. He quotes my words correctly, and then after avowing himself to be the person who called for the yeas and nays, says, "I feel it my duty to disclaim any wish or desire that disgrace should rest." &c. Nor do I think this of him, at least in any moment of his sober reflections, and I hope no brother understood me to say that I charged him with it. He adds "corrupt as I may be thought to be"-by whom?- Brother S. says he never told any one nor ever thought of wishing to entail disgrace, &c., nor did I say that he did. In justice to myself I must say that I am sorry that I ever wrote the latter part of that sentence, beginning with "and I feel now," &c., for several reasons, one of the strongest of which is, that a brother whom I much love and esteem should be offended by it.

Again it was unfortunate in the place where it stood as that might convey an idea that I never intended, namely, that these two brethren were especially deficient in their efforts to promote temperance, whereas my thought fully expressed is simply this, that very few of our preachers have said and done as much as they should have done in that matter, and that these brethren were amongst those who might have done much more if they had tried. And of brother S. I may say truly as my honest conviction, I have thought his talent peculiarly adapted to that subject, and thought he might have done much more than he did, but as I said in this, (I may be mistaken;) nor did I pretend to say that either of the brethren had done less than I had, nor that they had not kept a good conscience. As to all brother Samford says about being the devoted friend of temperance these twenty years, I award it to him. I have sat under his ministry occasionally or nearly that length of time, and have frequently heard him in that time, treat on the subject, which has only given me to think as above expressed, that with his talent he might have done much more. As to what brother Samford says about his comparative ability with mine, I very much doubt whether he wrote that in the proper spirit, at least it looks to me, and perhaps to others that the object was to cut. But I will close these remarks with a summary. 1st, I only stated a fact that occurred, I gave no names. this should have offended no one. 2dly. I stated the effect this had on my feelings at the moment, I do not know that the feelings I had which I attempted to describe by the word 'indignant' were sinful. 3rdly. I made a comment that I had better not have made, some of the reasons of which I have stated. Lastly, I aver that however plain my remarks might have been in that piece I had nothing, nor did I intend to express anything but the kindest of feelings, to all my brethren with whom in any thing it happened to be my lot to differ. As the writing of one letter has called forth two more, I think I am now understood, and hope I shall not find it necessary to write again on the subject.

I am yours, &c.

WM. J. PARKS.

Charleston, S. C., April 25. 1840.

P. S. Though I address you as editor. I intend to speak through this to brother Samford, and all concerned.

W.J. P.