THE BOOTH FAMILY ROW.

New Zealand Mail, Issue 1265, 28 May 1896, Page 16

THE BOOTH FAMILY ROW.

New York. April 25. The true inwardness of the Salvation Army troubles in this country seems to have come out at last in a statement, containing 10,000 words, issued last night by Commander and Mrs Booth Tucker, tho new officers in charge, and which is intended to give tho Salvation Army version of tho resignation or dismissal of Commander and Mrs Ballington Booth and the causes that led to it.

The statement is largely made up of suppressed correspondence that passed between the Booths. In a prefatory letter tho Booth-Tuckers say that they find it necessary to repute a number of erroneous statements. While trying to be as charitable and to say as little as possible, still the statement of Mr and Mrs Ballington Booth appearing in tho papers of tho 13th inst. compel them to make this statement. The first letter is one from Commander and Mrs Ballington Booth to Mr Brainwell Booth, Chief of tho International Staff, and is called forth by the BoothTuckers’ letter of resignation. In this letter tho writers rather ridicule the General, who they say knew they could not truthfully comply with his request to resign, nor can they truthfully say that it is the joy of their lives to march in haste at his command. They are also unablo to say with truth that they believe the General loves and cares about this country, and understands its people, and therefore they make this move in his interest. They express their loss of confidence in tho General, and state that rules aro constantly manufactured which Commissioners are compelled to enforce, which rules aro bringing an endless amount of red tape into tho movement which will undoubtedly bring in tho more mechanical to the detriment of the spiritual side of their work. These rules aro of a materialistic and mercenary character ; they are making somo of tho Army peoplo hero mere machines, with the simple apostolic love and power gone. Tho writers go on to say that the social work was being pushed, whilo tho spiritual work was at a low 7 ebb. Tho work of tho Army, which really ought to commend itself to the world, and will have its respect, and make them a power, was tho Army’s spiritual work, but the fact was that tho social work was being exploited, pushed and boomed, so that people’s eyes were now drawn from that side of tho Army upon which tho world would bo only too glad to turn its back. The General’s subordinates were afraid to speak, although they all felt that the social work was undermining the spiritual and diverting the. public funds and attention from llm Army’s blessed aim and worlc.

Tie, Etter proceeds lo Bdl how when Ihe General was iu the 1 ailed States he courted and looked after tho “ swells, and gave them precedence over l heir own people on his platforms; loyal troops that had marched miles to attend his ineelings and see him were ignored by him as unworthy bis attention. Even in council, and particularly to tin: writers privately, lie would make mil he despised t‘io-;e “swells,” and f is., t he hi. I no hope lor them, thus showing huii.-cit to ho a hypocrite. He belittled the Army work, <-ven lo saying that he could have had just n..-> uiueh success without the G.dv.ilion Army at all, and remarked in anger that lie would have done much better in money it he had nued himself out as the lecturers had with an agent to get up his meetings, thus chewing

"Giu de~r u.b-cr., and aMdiclV’ Woo had BAcrified rest and worked themselves sick to please him and show him something worthy of the Army and nation. It became quite evident to them that he came here to express his preconceived and prejudiced ideas and to ride roughshod over them all. This was painfully patent at the first stall council, where the General said : “ I am nut going to let you suck all the juice out of this plum,” and many other tilings which caused surprise among tho officers. The letter closes with tho state-

mont that, if Commander and Mrs Booth can help it, no man shall leave tho Army. Then follows a letter from W. Bramwoll Booth, who expresses his regret that Commandant and Mrs Booth decided to leave the Army, and endeavours to overthrow 7 the objections which they offered to the General’s administration of the Army. In tho course of it ho says, in reference to the tobacco question : “ I must point out to you that, if there is to be any authority in the Army at all, that authority must decide such questions. You forget that you changed tho regulation which was enforced throughout the world; that you raised the question afterward, and that all we dosiied was that America should keep step with the rest of our forces. As to asking you to say what was not true, you know that I am incapable of such conduct. I have my enemies, but the worst of them never ac-

cased me of telling a lie.” He knew, he says, that the General was not satisfied, and that they had some differences in New York, but ho asks him why has ho gone on for 12 months before stating that he had lost confidence in the General, and now renounced the Army at the moment when ho did not think the General was acting wisely in changing his appointment. “ But,” he concludes, “supposing it had all been as you say, supposing that the difficulties you have named with the General were exactly as you feel them to bo, or even worse, still it would be your highest duty to God to stand by the principles of the Array, to struggle to preserve the purity of its teachings and the holiness of the people and the honour of its flag. Nothing, especially in a Booth, a thousand times nothing, can justify desertion.”

The next and last letter is a letter from General Booth, addressed to Commander Booth, in which he calls “Heaven and earth to witness that I have done nothing to deserve this at your hands.” He admits that lie observed certain things on his visit to the United States of which he disapproves, but ho does not say what those things were. Then he enters into an argument to justify the orders which lie issued to Commander and Mrs Booth to farewell. He closes the letter with an appeal to them to come to London and see him, and not to listen to the “ lying tongues” in this country who would oppose so natural a course. The last paragraph of the letter is as follows

Oh, Ballington, Ballington ; you cannot be in your right reason. The whole thing is like a horrid dream. Again and again I ask myself, “Is this a reality or an imagination r” For your own sake hesitate ! Think 1 Return ! The worse can yet tie averted. The past may bo forgiven. Believe mo to be still your affectionate father, praying for you all the time.

General Booth’s letter lias the following postscript: — I liavo just recoived your cruel cable, refusing to come and see me, and coldly announcing that all negotiations are at an end. Bramwell says it cost you a dollar. Is this all the return you can make to my repeated messages of peace and fo BraimvcU's long letters and all our entreaties ? No, it cannot be ! Negotiations cannot end here.