The Texas Republican. [volume] (Marshall, Tex.) 1849-1869, 1851-06-14
The Methodist Question.


United State. in session in the eli, of New
York. The iudyc, are Nelson. OF the Su.
prcme Court. and Belts. of the Di.trie,
Court 1t arises out of the action OF ,he
General Conference on the subject OF slave.
re- and slsveholdinr church members. That
our readers may understand clearly the
grounds of division md the progress of the
controversy. ". make "a brief abstract of
the bill of complaint on tho part Of IL.
South. and the reply on the mart Of the
North. us contained in the HEADINGS.
The American Methods, Episcopal
Church wa. organized in 1884. but never
E}naornorated A rule was then ,vsdc by
E1ei s1nlsters aud members of the church
49, 11issd from buying and selling
slaves - 49, owning slaves were re-.
auired 10 give Annnsn utu;t them with.
in "A p;ycn period. III a1no1 ~ - hws
Of the State in which il, ~, -
vision in coorsc Of time ,raye wny 10 n
and practices less restrictive. and Southern
societies were exempted from its opera,ion
Afterwards tho rule wa, modified so AS to
nrobib;t only III. HOLDING If slaves by min.
iat,rs nnd bishons. and il so stood in 1874
At that date there were seven bishops and
four thousand eight hundred and twenty.
eight preachers, aud the whole number of
members of the communion exceeded ono
million ON. ,u.,,,red ,housapd
The neeyious wear. the Rev. Mr.. Harding,
n slayebolder Of Virrlui, was suspended
f,om the ministry NV thr f,altlmore Confer.
err. for Lo,di,y slaves and r.fusng TO
paunuit them. nnd tho General Confer.
80. ,s;r,,,.l ,L, s,,s,.,,.;o,, ,,,ho,,,h !.
,,,,, ,,.,,s ,n,aa ,,, of IL, ,,.,,li,y ia s,.,.
,,,,,, ,,'d.., H.. So, l.,,
NV ~. Wv, H., ., p;., A.,
- - 4.. ..','s..I.i g.. a. ..tn,,,.,
-, IL ~. -,
-" WIN s'"''iN' ''o"i "r',''s " va's,s
l .l '','s, ' ~ ..,',,,,;, :,
,,,a ' - ,e " So ca s, oia f'''N' "
III ;no;'inn,l ia ., c,o s,,i.;on If ,h.
HI 4, H. c',,s,,.;,,. ,.'.',,,,a..
,,,,an.l |oas',sasa L.Ii ,ero,J.
.. - a..a .I;"a;,l;a., H. <a.' VI
,.,s H., 7ts,t s.,,,,.I ~ e.,r H.,
-. e.lI,.
.,,roed a, bv - vote If ,hree to.,rths of IN.
whole conference. in a scries Of resolutions
dofjri,o hound,y;es and ,n,i.diciion between
ia, Methodist Eusconal Church North.
and ,he Methodist Enferonal Church Soutb
/, consequence such conferences wcrc
held ia the slayeholang States that full
convepiion assembled nj Louisville. Ken
tnekv on May / ls45. which DECLARED ~.
Jurisdiction hitherto exercised over said an
nnal conferences bv the General Confer.
orcc of the Methodist Epi.eonal Church
d...lsea, ard ,,a-4.... Tod !. separate ecels.
siss,icsi connection. under TIE provisional
p,an OF separation aforesaid, based upon
dc discipline OF the Methods, t'r..anasl
Church. to he known by Che STYLE aud tllc
oi tbs " Methodist Episcopal Church souih."
A conference OF The Northern bishops,
which net at New iotk. july 3. lsi,
PASSED resolution approving this plan oi
organization, and regarding II na b,nding
nnnn them, SO far us their administration
was concerned. aud recommending that no.
lice should he given to socieli bordering
on the line of division. in regard to tl,oir
adherence to the Church North or Soalil &c
Attached TO the General Conference was
tho pub,i.b;ny establishment of great val.
-, caIlad tin, " N.ibo,li.t Book Concern. :"
eon,is,me Of real estate. mo.ses. stocks
ho,La .xr The r,solu,;,us of thc General
conlercnce Of i'pro,ided for a division
of his pronerty. In certain promotions. be.
,Neen III, shnrehes. one ri which eondi.
,i,u. WAS hat tho transfer should he IN the
far, of annual nar,ne,,,s s,5 900 per M.
nam. inelpdj,r books. DC; and. until the
a,mrnts were made. ri,r sonthern Church
should share in all the net profits of the
Book CONCERN. in the proportion above.
O5e unvnnent was make in 1875. bot the
srcnt. have refused al pa,mcuis since !;
and accordingly The General Coniercnee Of
the Church Ssuth appointed commissioners
10 make scitlement with commissioners
from the Church North; and fading Ia .hai
Ia take measures to recover tie pfopesiy
Hence the present snit.
The profits Of the Book Concern arc Il
fund for the use. support, aud relief oil the
ministers OF The Methodist Church.
The points upon which the southern
Church relies, Is TO a d, ison OF the props
er.y. are.
/. The capital arising from the profits Of
the Book Concern was the resul, OF tho
common latorS aud services Of all the mem.
bers Of ali tiis Conferences. /, WAS not y
charitable fund merely from donations. II
was fund OF earnings, to make up t,e de-
deieoey Of compensation for sessices rem.
dsred, and TO provide for t''cse who earned
It. when tsey became 'ncspnhis o. h.of !
and for those who were dependent :" them