South Congregational Church history and catalogue, 1852–1865 · scan page 157

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THE    EX-PARTE    COUNCIL.  147
votes,  and  it  being  the  duty  of  the  Clerk  to  note  all  matters  of  interest
to  the  Church,  this  fact  was  duly  recorded."
We  rather  wish  that  "this  brother"  had  been  called
before  the  Church,  as  it  would  then  have  been  practically
shown  whether  he  held  himself  amenable  to  its  jurisdiction,
or  whether  he  claimed  the  right  of  speaking  and  voting  in
its  meetings,  without  being  subject  to  its  watch,  care  and
discipline.  However,  both  the  Church  and  the  public  now
know  what  would  have  been  his  defense,  viz  :  that  he  made
the  entry  complained  of,  on  the  strength  of  "  the  public
declarations  of  a  majority  of  the  brethren  in  the  meeting,
both  as  it  respected  their  opinion  and  their  votes."  Does
he  mean  to  say  that  "  a  majority  of  the  brethren  in  the
meeting  "  spoke  in  the  meeting  against  the  continuance  of
Mr.  Carroll,  and  declared  that  they  should  vote  against  him  ?
If  so,  it  looks  like  a  previously  contrived  plan  to  accomplish
an  object.  He  first  moves,  and  gains  assent  from  an  unsus-
pecting majority,  that  the  vote  be  taken  by  "  secret  ballot ;  "
and  then,  in  his  own  "secret"  way,  claims  to  have  ascer-
tained that  "a  majority  of  the  brethren"  voted  in  the
negative  ;  and  so  enters  it  upon  the  official  records  of  the
Church.  No  opportunity  was  given  to  the  majority  to  chal-
lenge the  statement;  confessedly  it  was  not  founded  upon
any  actual  vote  ;  it  was  not  declared  l)y  the  chairman  or  by
any  body  else  before  the  Church — but  rested,  and  still  rests,
upon  the  naked  assertion  of  the  then  Clerk,  Dr.  NicoU.  A
prudent  man  would  not  have  voluntarily  placed  himself  in  a
position  where  his  integrity  or  accuracy  would  be  so  liable
to  be  called  in  question,  without  any  visible  means  of  sub-
stantiating his  statement,  which,  even  if  correct,  he  had  no
right  to  enter  upon  the  records  of  the  Church,  as  it  made  a
distinction  which  the  Church  had  never  authorized,  between
the  votes  of  meml:)ers,  and  because  such  a  stealthy  mode  of
obtaining  results,  would,  if  tolerated,  expose  the  Church,  or
any  otiier  body  of  persons  where  it  was  practiced,  to  the
most  enormous  abuses.
'•Jlr.  Carroll's  suunnarj' silencing  of  the  bell  while  ringing  for  the
victory  at  Yiokshurg.  hnd  induced  many  who  had  before  been  his  sup-

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Silent Grounds Collective, Church Burial & Death Records, CH-P004-0157. South Congregational Church history and catalogue, 1852–1865, printed page not verified, PDF page 157. Hallock, Gerard, 1800-1866; digitized copy contributed by University of California Libraries https://archive.org/details/historyofsouthco00hall/page/n161/mode/1up Accessed September 8, 2026.

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