Herald of the times. [volume] (Newport, R.I.) 1830-1846, 1844-05-30
Important Decision.

i Al the last meeting Of the Baltimore An
/ nuaI Conference, Francis a. IIardin,a travel
/ ing preacher, was suspend ed from his Minis
| terIal functions for refusing to emancIpat
/ five sIaycs waich had come into his posses
! sion by marriage with Miss Swan, of ST
! Nary's Co. Md. From this decision he an
| pealed To The General Conference, and af
ter devoilng nearly four days 10 an nvestiga
ton o' The case and hearing of the parties
/ that body on Sunday last rendered verdict
/ affirming The decision Of the Ballmore Con.
ference, by vote Of ~ to So, thus settling
The principle that stakeholder, in a State
where the laws DO not render emancipation
absolutely impossible, ought not to be or.
dalncd as preacher in the Methodist Epis.
copal Church. This verdict will be seen 10
| he the more emphatic in its bearings on
Slavery, when the ground on which Mr.
l Hardin placed his defence is taken into con.
slderailon. 1t was shown distinctly that the
laws ot Maryland allowed emancipation only
on condition of the removal Of The slave be-
H yOnd the limits of the State. On this poin,
the highest legal authority was quoted, and
|, u was contendcd that in such a case slave.
holding did not work forfeiture ofmini,,eri.
aI character the Discipline only requiring the
preacher to "exccutr, If be practicable. n
IegaI emancipation OF his slaves conformabIy
to the laws of the State in which he lives. /"
1t was not denied tha, the laws of MARYLAND
dId contain the provisions relied upon by the
appellant IN his defence, and yet so strong
was the feeling against Slavery, that the
General Conference decided by vote Of
more than two To one that the decision OF
the Baltimore Conference should stand as
the solemn decision of the whole church.
Those who are not acquainted with the
internal policy Of the Methods; Church may
perhaps infer from this that hereafter no
STAKEHOLDER can be ordained as a ministe, of
that Church, in any part of the countrv.-I
However natural such an inference might be.
we suppose II will not be warranted by the
premises. With the exception OF the Dele.
gates of the Il fillmore Conference, Ooca,ed
partly in Maryland and Virginia and partly
IN Pennsylvania one Delegate Of The Mis-
souri, Conference and one from the Texas
Conference, all the Southern Delegates
voted in the minority; while al! from The
North, with the exception of three from the
PhIndephla and two from the New jersey
Conference, voted with the majority. The
division, therefore, was essentially between
the sloycholdng and non. slavehnding States:
and as tho question turned upon the prnper .
meaning oi clause of the Discipline it is .
probable TINT the Southern Conference will
continue To give II The same construction rs
heretofore nor Is II likely that the General I
Conference viii call them TO account Tor 50
doing. The moral influence Of the decision
however. must be widely felt; and when It n
IS considered that the Southern Delegates \
contested The case with all thclr strength n
he lssu" must be regarded as highly inpor- n
ant ~ lis bearings upon Slavery as connect.
ID with the Methodist Cburch.-.N L. Tri II
june. II