This is a Message Board Post that is gatewayed to this mailing list. Surnames: Haynes Horsfall Gray Craven Dimock Coombs Colkett Piper Scott Classification: Biography Message Board URL: http://boards.ancestry.com/mbexec/msg/rw/pBC.2ACE/3945 Message Board Post: September 5 1905 Seattle Post Intelligencer Church Vindicates Rev. M. B. Haynes. Baptist Majority Adopts Resolutions of Confidence in Blacklisted Minister. Minority is Obdurate. Refuses to Make Vote Unanimous After the Secret Ballot is Announced. By a vote of seventy-four to twenty three the members of the First Baptist Church, in secret session, last night ratified the action of the Belden Avenue Baptist Church in vindicating Rev. Myron B. Haynes of any dishonorable conduct in securing half-rate transportation for John R Gray, his wife and sister to this city. The meeting was enlivened by a dramatic appeal on the part of Dr. F. L. Horsfall and Hermon W. Craven to the minority to make the vindication unanimous, but without avail. After the vote, which was a secret ballot, had been announced resolutions were adopted indorsing the action of the board of deacons in exonerating Dr. Haynes and expressing confidence in his integrity and Christian character. These will be forwarded to the Chicago minister today. A. H. Dimock, in reply to the charge that, as secretary of the board of trustees, he refrained from sending out notices of the meeting to any members save those known to be in sympathy with the pro-Haynes faction, states that cards were mailed to the heads of all families, regardless of their known or supposed leanings. Last night’s proceedings were based wholly on records furnished the local church by the trustees of the Belden Avenue institution, which last week examined into the charges preferred by the Western Passenger Association, by whom Dr. Haynes was blacklisted, and passed resolutions exonerating him from the fraudulent acts charged against him incident to the securing of the half-rate tickets for persons not members of his family nor dependent on him for support. Among the minority members present who voted against the adoption of the resolutions were P. Coombs and Assistant Postmaster W. J. Colkett. The latter did not attempt to conceal his opposition to the adoption of the resolution, intimating that the action of the majority would in no way affect his opinion. After the meeting A. H. Dimock and A. L. Piper called at the Post-Intelligencer office and made the following statement: “We wish it understood that the minority who cast their votes in opposition to ratifying Dr. Haynes’ call to this church did not oppose it because they did not have faith in his integrity, but because, in their opinion, the publicity which has been given the matter would make it inadvisable to call him. Everyone was friendly after the meeting, and Dr. Haynes will have a united congregation when he arrives.” The meeting, which was called for 8 o’clock, found many of the congregation on hand. It was determined in a caucus prior to the calling of the secret session to refrain from introducing testimony or making reference to any subject involving Dr. Haynes and Miss Gray. It was first determined to hold the secret session in the auditorium of the church, but the deacons and trustees decided that the basement room offered better protection from newspaper reporters. Following a brief address by the chairman the letters from Dr. Haynes, of the Belden Avenue church, to the trustees and deacons were read aloud by A. H. Dimock, secretary of the joint boards, each being received in silence. The divided state of the attending members of the church body and the anxiety as to the outcome of the balloting shortened the brief addresses of the members, and when the ballot was ordered silence reigned. When the result was announced, it was found that seventy-four favored the exoneration of Dr. Haynes against all charges and his acceptance of the pulpit; twenty three or practically a third of the attending congregation, voting against the resolution. Following is the text of the resolution: “Resolved, That the action of the board of deacons of the Baptist church in exonerating Dr. Haynes from recent charges is worthy of our confidence and we recommend that this church hereby express its confidence in the integrity and Christian character of Dr. Haynes.” It was at this point that the climax of the meeting took place. Hermon W. Craven, a former deputy prosecuting attorney under the regime of W. T. Scott, jumped to his feet and in an emphatic manner urged the minority to make the ballot unanimous. “The papers of Chicago and Seattle of the Hearst syndicate have maligned and vilified Dr. Haynes and indirectly the First Baptist Church, and we have been sitting calmly in our chairs without moving a hand,” said Mr. Craven, who added: “Dr. Haynes has for the past twenty years filled an honorable position in the ministry of Jesus Christ and his exoneration by the trustees of the Belden Avenue Church should be complete enough to include the body of the First Baptist Church. The congregation of his eastern church has placed implicit confidence in his integrity and Godly spirit, and the vast majority of this congregation assembled here this evening have echoed those sentiments. “I think it would be eminently fitting and proper for the minority to step in and make the call and exoneration unanimous. This church stands for Jesus Christ and we should follow His teachings. “We have now reached a stage where we have placed confidence in our pastor-elect, and we should conduct ourselves accordingly. When we speak of the matter in our homes, let the proceedings of this meeting remain silent after adjournment. Dr. F. L. Horsfall spoke along similar lines.