Mobile register and journal., 1845-05-20
From the huntsville Journal,


 
 From the Louisville Journal
 METHODIST EPISCOPAL. CONVENTION. FOL RTH DAY. Monday, May 5, Is45-The con vention suant to adjournment, Bishop Soule in the chair.
 nr, Winans submitted the following resolution, which he moved 10 refer to the committee organ- zation:
 Resolved, That the committee on organization be instructed 10 inquire whether or noi anything has lanspired during lhe past year to render ii possible | To maintain hf unity of ,he Methodist Episcopal 1 Church under the same general con erence ursdIc- ion withou, the ruin of Southern Mehodisn, | As this resolution involves very important considerations, Dr. w. said he wished to accompany the motion for its reference with some remarks. Ne cessty, he said, only justify he meeting of this convention; erp'diency c,.ud not. He assumed that at he close of ihe late general conference thus siiy did not exist, did he deem it necessary for him to adduce any testimony establish the fact. | He said that slavery was interwOven with the l texture of Southern society that il impossible for any one 10 disentange n. can any reig gious society avoid, if it woui nnecon wiln this nsti
 tuition. IL K also true, that ublic opininn rallies around this institution with great jealousy, and that he who to the South or lives in tle slave ehold- ing States. and arravs himself against slavery, dis qualities himself lrsm exercising any influence what ever. He who would oppose slavery Can have no influence m ihe South ciyly politically, or ecclesi- asiicav.
 lie adverted o he fact, that, to this day, the ill., judged course of Bishop Coke the subject is felt most dsadvan 'ageously To the interests Oi Southern Methodism. The interests put in peril were moi merely th SC connected with the preachers They conld have horne the oairages upon helr rights which the action of the mao' itv had perpeirated IL was moi personal eelng--not the wounded esprit du corps on the part of the Southern delegates, which demand cd sais islacion. lt was conviction that those out rages would disquafy them for their great and sole work-the preaching of Gods word throughout the Southern country. This conviction had led to their solemn declaration ihe close of the General Con- ference. Have they not been borne out in the iudg menl then made? Ask ihe voice which has come up from every part of the Southern country, whether il is The answer is, that if the delegates were st fault it was that they bore long and 90 patiently. And who IS be judge in this easel Are the North ern pspers competent 10 judge. whose conductors view the natter through the medium of passion, pre- | iudce and commitment! .. .u... | We cannot hesitate to proceed to separate or- | ganizaton. Has anything tauspred 10 change the aspect of things since the last general conference | He knew of none. Has the South evInced any dis | position to draw backl Yes. In New Orleans there is member of the whole church opposed u division. In the Natchez district there is In | the whole Mississippi conference three. And twelve out of the fifteen conferences represented here 1 about the same state of things.
 | The PROPERTY QUESTION! The cry has been raised, thai by separation we would forfeit our claims to the church property. He W ud not impugn the motives of those who had stSried the question, yet he appre ehended not the slightest danger but sup | posing there is danger--should this operate on our | minds! Suppose we lose every college, church, paT snnage-all our tite--should that deter from car lying out purposes? These considerations should have no weight whatever. There is equity in our courts of justice in these United States, and they will be open 10 hear upon this subject. If we tor a good cause, separate-as it will be-we will hold the property of the church He entertained no doubt o lhe validity of our rights; and the who would swerve from his duty from property considerations would prove the interest of his trust, and deserves 10 be branded with inamy
 Propositions for reconciliation. Whence d O they come? From the North? lfso, what the terms Submit to mother church! The North is made up oi far-seeing Yankees. They have made proposi. tons they have. they have been very sparing n those propositions. They have condemned Bishop Andrews connexion with slavery, and to this ~e must submit. And what do they offer the rumu- nerrali''n for the injury inflicted the South? Tau | no aboiaioniSt Shoutd De made Bishopi GREAT CONCESSION 1! He2 had no obection to an aboli. lion Bishop, fl he be prudent abolitoDist. He may come to the South with his boionism flaming 'lill his bones ache, yet fl he will be discreet, keeping his sentiments to himself--and he will consult hit prudence when in tn" South he will do harm But who is an abolitionisi? You may place youl | maguifying g lass upon him, but you cannot take his dimens oos-he IS like lhe French fashions. always | changing.
 Another term of compromise. It has been propos ed that the Methodist Episcopal Church should not meddle wih the subject of slavery. This has caus. ed the shout of ''glop." Yet. this proposition is l not from the North. The North will give m such pledge. Dr. Winans said that he knew that they | would never rest until slavery WAS driven from the church, if the UnIon be preserved maintained | But we are admonished to pause. He would ask | for whal He ,ud see no prospect of a reiraction | the of he North Fl he yilI n wait twenty years-to lie down in his gI ave, if he | could believe that, finally, the difficulty could be am icably settled. He had, however, not seen any in- dicaiion of better state of things The last docl,- ! nent in the Western Christian AdvOcaie shows determined opposition than It has been suggested that we should wait for another general conference and conciliaie ihe majority, or recruit our numbers and whip them in by vote. To whi D | them by numbers was impossible They understand | how to secure numbers. They can manufacture a full four weeks crcut out of ttOo inie appointments No, sir, we can out speak them, but they will be a- | ble 10 oui vote us! We cannot concate them. They will not repent. Postpone action until another general conference, and they will take il for grant | ed that we have yielded he question:; will take heart, and look confdemialy to submission in all | things
 Let your committee investigate the matter, and if | they can speGk as large mans hand in fhe religious horizon, we will shout "glory," aad, like Elijah, we will waii for the rain We would wait ii could the least prospect of repentance in cur Northern brethren. Cou Id the connect iona union b. preserved and the south be saved at the same time, nothing earth would give him such exalted pleas ure, such heartfelt happiness But the case was ab soulely hOreless. Dr. Wnens concluded with an able view of the political bearing of Inc question: He declared his conviction that the division of the Methodist Episcopal. Church would not cause any n- jurIous influence upon the Union of the States. On the contrary he maintained that we should presevrs the union ofthe Sta ss by dividing lhe church It would put a stop to ihe agitation of the s,' 'erv ques tion shgious grounds. The northern portion of the church would be rid of their ''conneclion with sa- very," and no room would be left for those ag iiators who plead conscience. Their strongest weapon would thus be wresied from them.
 Dr.. Capers had no objection to nstructing the committee as to the matter proposed, though he did not doubt il would come under consideration in com mitee without the instruction. He suggested change in the wording of tine motion to instruct, which Dr. Winans accepted. And he proceeded to 'emark, on the general subject, to the effect that there always had been rubles in the church by contentious m the general conference-tIia the history Of those conten- tons proved how important Il was to cub the acih of ma jol tiles in that body. He first took part in general conference after the compromise hwof 1916 had settled the conflict slavery. But he found conflict scarcely less exciting the Episcopacy.-- This grew warmer, and absorbed the slavery gnes ton in the general conferences of 1924 and 1928 -
 That controversy about the Episcopac, gave rest for the time to the Southern churches the subject of slavery and parties were formed the general cons ference solely on the ground of ihe Episcopal qnes- tion. or, as i, wa. commonly called, "the presiding