Another Brotherhood Movement
We are about to be treated to another "brotherhood" something. Not long ago one Clinton Davidson, an ex-digressive, claimed that he had made a "brotherhood survey" and announced "a brotherhood paper" based on that supposed survey. He tried to take over the Gospel Advocate and threatened to put it out of business; he even tried to get the Firm Foundation and extend the influence of his movement into the schools and all the high places of "the brotherhood." He did get the old Christian Leader, had it copyrighted so that nobody could quote it or reply to anything in it, and started his "brotherhood" blitz. But his invasion of the "brotherhood" bogged down; his machine stalled; his paper died; his movement failed.
Now, comes Claude F. Witty with another brotherhood paper proposition. In case there are some who do not know it, Brother Witty is the left member, or as Murch would say, the "conservative" member, of the Witty-Murch Unity Meeting combination. Can anybody imagine what Witty wants with a brotherhood paper? He says that the paper (Christian Tribune) which he is taking over is now only "a state paper," but when he takes it over and becomes its editor it will be a "brotherhood paper." Now, just what is "a state paper"? Some of us will naturally wonder if it is something like "a state evangelist." Then what will his brotherhood paper be?
Brother Witty has been running with Murch and the digressives so much that he talks like them.
On page 11 will be seen the cut of a "confidential" letter which Brother F. L. Rowe wrote to the editors of his Christian Leader, known now as the Christian Ledger. This is a photographic reproduction of that letter. It was Davidson and Witty who proposed to finance Brother Rowe if he would publish his paper to "expose Foy E. Wallace." It will be noted that Davidson called Brother Rowe, by long distance telephone, from New Jersey, to make his proposition. It is also very interesting to note that Claude F. Witty made a trip on the train to see Brother Rowe to induce 'him to use his paper for this purpose.
The question is now in order: Will Brother Witty use this "brotherhood paper" in an attempt to do what he wanted Brother Rowe to do? If not, why did he try to get Brother Rowe to use his paper to do something that he will not use his own paper to do?
Or did they find that small town printer and a small town paper to do their work? This is quite an interesting question. According to the testimony of their own words, on record, they will furnish the finance for others to do an underworld job, while they assume an air of pious innocence and run nice papers.
A brotherhood paper indeed! The evidence is conclusive that Brother Witty is the middle member of a set of unholy triplets. He has Davidson on one side of him and Murch on the other side. What an "Axis"! And Claude F. Witty has the temerity to propose a brotherhood paper! The brethren will turn thumbs down on it.