Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1847-10-07
For the Freeman
YcrnONt NJ /. COnferanre Resolutions


Mr.. EDITOR Il have Just read the last Freeman,
which contains a communication from Lerschel Fos-
er purporting to be- Criticism the resolutions on
slavery passed by the VT Conference ofthe Methodist
+. Church.
He says, according to the statements there made,
there has been no division between the northern and
southern portions of that church, for two reasons:
The LIST is the necessary jouy could not be obtain
ed. The second is, that the plan of separation had
not been complied with by the southern brethren, eth
er of which would be sufficient to destroy the PLAN.
This is doubtless fair statement of the facts in the
case" But declare, that the VT Conference never
passed any resolutions that implied any such thing
lie says Of US again. that "thcy knowing their people
were deceived" lin supposing that portion of slave
holders had left our church) "dl not inform them, but
on the contrary, gave efficiency to the idea which they
knew was thus cheating and quilting them"
But what were the facts IT. the case here alluded
to? They we're simply these. Before the session of
our last General Conference, Bishop Andrew became
slavehoder, by marrying woman that owned slaves.
The Conference passed resolution by a large moioI-
ty which deposcd him from the exercise of the Oico
VI DSup 81 lOI8 DIS llll Ielldllcu' HC
Shareholders considered themselves degraded and de-
clared that they would not stay in church, MAORI
y Of whose representatives had SO prescribed them
They accordingly proposed plan of division, which
majority of the General Conference consented might
take effect on certain conditions But these resou-
tons affirm that 1.-THE General Conference being de-
legated body" had no constitutional right to divide the
Z l..
slavery, except for its eXrpaton, without the consent
of three fourhs of the members of all the Annual Con-
terences which had not been obtained; and that con-
sequenty the plan which made provision for it was
unconstitutional, null and void
But do these resolutions imply as Mr. Foster asserts,
that those seeding shareholders are still members of
/ the NJ. f. Church? No Sir: Nothing OF the kind. If
they did, every intelligent man in the country would
know they false, and cannot see that the matter
is materially altered when MIR, F. endorsed such
statement, and falsely imputed it to us.
1t is well known that soon after the last General
Conference, the shareholders had great Convention,
at Louisville, KY and declared themselves free from
all connection with the NJ. E. Church north, as they
called it, account of its anti slavery character and
uOuSS anu coldUllSlGu all GUlEly INDEPENDENT OTgdl-
izaton of their own, and has ever SINCE maintained
warfare upon the NJ, E. Church. equalIed in vrulence,
only by the one maintained by portion of another
sect who seeded from the church about the same
time. And yet this Mr.. Foster would make his rea-
ders believe, The cannot believe hmself) that these
seeding shareholders are still members of the NJ i.
Church, and he says of the Vt. Conference because
] 1; .,
allowed people to understand the matter Just as it
was, that They, knowing their people were deceived
did not inform them, but on the contrary gave efficiency
to the idea which they knew was thus quilting and
cheating them!"
Mr. Foster, by knack that must be peculiar to him
self alone, has somehow worked himself into posi-
ton, where he thinks he is compelled to regard us as
set of such rotten hearted hYpocrtes, to say
thing and mean another of directly opposite charac-
ter or else, that they really want all the slavery of
the church their backs" and he is chartably nclin
ed to the last conclusion But the third resolution on
which he Processes to comment, reads as follows:
Resolved, That we instruct our delegates to the next
General Conference not to consent to any plan Or ar
rangement which shall require us, Methodists, to
TGCOgUtEO JlB Hte w DIS CuIlSt
ans, to have any sort of fellowship for it, or in any
way to give it countenance or support" We fellow
ship christians of other denominations and commune
with them, and have provision for receiving ministers,
who come from them to us, without reordaining them,
but in these resolutions, the VT, Conference fully ex
presses Its unwillngness "o recognize the southern
organization christians to have any sort Of fellow
ship for it or in any way give it countenance sup
port"
Why, Mr.. Editor, | never saw such an utter, bare
faced, shameless peverson of the TRUTH print before
# his insinuations, about conference all true
conduct vile that the doings of the basest po-
ltcal uggers with which the country cursed,
withers into virtue" before 1t.
Again, Mr., F. tells the world, that these Vermont
Ministers deeply sympathize with" class of savehol
ders, mot because they willing to free their slaves