The southern press. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1850-1852, 1851-11-14

States, q II had existed before The year 1874
became rad was divided into two dl~tinct Msth0
dlat Episcopal Churches, with distlnct and indie
pendent organizations, powers, and authority
composed of the several annual conferences
chasges, STATIONS, and societies, lying or being
sitnated north and south Of the aforesaid line o
division.
And the complainants further allege that, by
force Of the foregoing proceedings, the Metho
dist Episcopal Church, South, became, and was
entitled to its proportion Of all the property
real and personal, and of all funds and effects
real and personal, and of all funds and effects
which up to the time of the separation had be-
longed to the Methodist Episcopal Church; and
that the Church South was, and is so entitled
without any change or alteration Of the sixth
restrictive article above mentioned. That be-
fore, and on the said 9Th day of June, 1914, the
NJ ethOdist Episcopal Church owned and pos.
sessed large amount of property in various
parts of the United States, real and personal,
which was in the hands of agents and trustees
and, among others, large interests therein be-
loDged to the said church what was denotninated
the Book Concern, in the city of New York, con-
sisting of houses and lots, machinery, printing
presses, book bindery, books papers, debts, cash,
DC, amounting to about the sum of $75,O00--
the whole of which property Is now in the pos
session OF the defendants, Lane u Scott, as book
agents. .e
And the compliments further allege, that after
the division of the Methodist Episcopal Church
into two distinct Churches, by virtue of the
resolutions of the general conference of 1914,
and the action of the annual conferences OF the
South, as hereinbefore set forth, the agents of
the Book Concern, since the year I845, have ut
terly refused to pay to the annual conferences,
South, or TO the compliments for and in behalf
of them, their said just proportion Of the profits
and income to the said Book Concern-and still
continue to withhold the same. That the said
general conference ofthe Church South, holden
at Petersburg, Virginia, in May, l845, in pursu-
ance of, and in compliance with, the plan of
separation of 1874, proceeded to appoint the
cCmplainants, Bascom and Green, together with
5. A. Latta, commissioners, to meet the commits
sioners appointed by the general conference Of
the Methodist Episcopal Church, of 1874, and to
settle and receive from the said commissioners
the just proportion of the property and effects
due 10 the Church South according to the said
plan OF separations; and that the said Bascom,
Green and Latta afterward applied to Nathan
Bangs, g orge Peck, and James B. Finly, ap-
pointed by the general conference Of 1874, as
the said book agents, to meet them for the pur
pose of settlement and division of the said pro-
perty, and have repeatedly called on them for
that purpose: but that the defendants have
wholly failed and refused to act in the premises;
nor have they been enabled to induce the said
book agents, nor commissioners, nor Church it,
self, to pay to the said Church South its proper
tionate share of the said property and funds, as
provided in the said plan of separation.
And the complainants allege that they are
members of the Methodist Episcopal Church,
South; that Kelly and Allen are supernumer-
airy preachers; and Tevis a superannuated
preacher; and that they belong to the travelling
connection of the said Church and, as such,
have personal interest in the estate, real and
personal, now holden by the Methodist Episco-
p ! Church, by the defendants, as agents and
trustees appointed by the general conference;
that there are about fifteen hundred preachers
belonging to the travelling connection of the
Methodist Episcopal Church, South, each of
whom has the same personal interest in the said
property as the complanants; and, that the greet
number Of persons thus interested in the recove
ry sought by the said bill, makes it announcement,
if not impossible, to bring them all before the
court as compliments; that they are citizens of
States other than the State of New York, and
that their interests exceed the sum of $4,000
that the defendants, Lane and Scott, have the
custody and control by law, and by virtue of
their appointment as agents ofthe Book Concern,
as above described.
The complainants further alege, that the en-
tire membership of the Methodist Episcopal
Church, South is about four hundred and sixty
thousand five hundred and fifty three and, that
the entire membership of the Church, North, is
about six hundred and thirty-nine thousand and
sixty six and that it is therefore, impossible to
bring all the parties in interest before the court
in this bill, either as complainants or defendants
The defendants admit the adoption of the re-
solutions Of the general con ferences of the 9th
of June, 1874, by a majority of over three-fourths
of the entire body: but allege that the said re-
solutions were, in respect to their operation and
effect provisional and contingent, and were in
tended to meet future emergency, that it was
supposed might arise in the Church between
the Northern and Southern members and fur
ther, that the said resolutions, called the plan of
separation, were not duly or legally passed
and that the general conference had no compe-
tent power or authority TO pass or adopt the
same, except that portion comprising the recon-
mendation to the annual conferences to change
the sixth restrictive rule and that the last named
reso buttons, when adopted, where null and void,
and without any binding force, except as mat
ter Of Recommendation. The defendants further
insist, that even had the so called plan of sepa-
ration been constitutional and valid, it merely
provided for prospective plan, which, without
the happening of certain future conditions or on
the failure of which conditions, or either of
them, could not, by its express terms, nor was
it ever intended to have, any force or validity,
and is null and void. And that the same was
never ratified by the annual conferences named
therein and that the Southern annual confer
ences, have, in all respects, as to the Church
South, acted on their own responsibility, with
ont any authority from the general conference
of 1874.
The defendants admit that the resolutions set
forth in the complainants' bill were adopted by
the convention of delegates from the annual con-
ferences in the slaveholding States, assembled
at Louisville, Kentucky, on the first of May
ls45: but they deny that the delegates compris-
ing said convention were elected on the basis,
or according to the authority of the provisional
plan of separation Of 1874 And they insist that
the Methodist Episcopal Church, South, exists
as a separate ecclesiastical communion, by the
actions and doings of the individual bishops,
ministers, and members attached to such church,
d,,c -. THAR u,