Cooper's Clarksburg register. [volume] (Clarksburg, Va. [W. Va.]) 1851-1861, 1854-07-19
MErnopIsr enuRcn CASE.
supRrmE coUnr OF rfIr rNrrrD srArr.s !.

Mr.. Justice Nelson delivered the opin-
ion of the Court.
The bill is fled by the complainants,
for themselves, and in behalf of the ira
veling and worn-out preachers in connec-
ton with the society of the Methodist
Episcopal Church, South, in the United
States against the defendants. TO recover
their share of fund called the Book Con-
cern, at the city of Cincinnati, consisting
of houses. machinery, printing presses,
bookbindery. books. etc., claimed to be of
the value of some S2OO,OOO.
The bill charges that at and before the
year 1874. there existed in the United
States voluntary association. unincorpo-
rated, known as the Methodist Episcopal
Church, composed of seven bishops, four
thousand eight hundred and twenty eight
preachers, belonging to the travelling con
nection, and in bishops, ministers and
members, about one million, one hundred
and nine thousand, nine hundred and six
ty, united and bound together in one or
ganized body by certain doctrines of faith
and morals, and by certain rules of gov
eminent and discipli
That the government of the church
was vested in one body called the Gener-
al Conference, and in certain subordinate
bodies, called annual conferences, and in
bishops, travelling ministers, and preach
erS.
The bill refers to a printed volume, en-.
titled. :" The doctrines and discipline of
the Methodist E piscopnl Church, as con-
tanning the constitution, organization,
form Of government and rules of discipline
as we'll as the doctrines of faith of the as
socia.ion.
The complainants further charge that
differences have sprung up 10 the church
between what was called the northern and
southern members, in respect to the ad-
ministration of the government with ref
erence to the ownership of slaves by the
ministers of the church, of such char
acter, aud attended with such consequent
ces. and threatened greatly to impair its
usefulness, as we'll as permanently to dis
turb its harmony and became and was
question of grave and serious impor
tancc, whether a separation ought not to
t: ke place according to sGme geograPhi-
cal boundary to be agreed upon. so as
that the Methodist Episcopal Church
should thereafter constitute two seperate
and distinct organizations. And that. ac-
tcor11ingiy, e! E session the General Con-
ference. held in the city Of New York, in
May, 1914. resolution was passed by a
| majority Of over three -fourths Of the body,
by which it was determined, that, if the
annual conferences of the slaveholding
states should find it necessary to unite in
a distinct ecclesiastical connection, the
following rule should be observed with
regard to the northern boundary of such
connection : all the societies, stations and
conferences adhering to the church in the
bers should remain under the pastoral
care of the Southern Church and all ad-
herring to the Church North, by a like
vote, should remain under the pastoral
care of that church. This "plan of sep
aration" contains eleven other resolutions,
relating principally to the mode and terms
Of the division of the common property of
the association between the two divisions,
in case the separation contemplated should
take place, and which. in effect, provide
for a pro- rata division, taking the num-
Der of the travelling preachers in the north
and south as the basis upon which to
make the partition.
The complainants further charge that,
in pursuance of the above resolutions, the
annual conferences in the slaveholding
states met and resolved in favor ofa dis
tinct and independent organization, and
erected themselves into separate eccIe-
siastical connection, under the provisional
plan of separation" based upon the
Discipline of the Methodist Episcopal
Church, and to be known as the Metho-
dist Episcopal Church. South. And they
insist that, in virtue of these proceedings,
this Church as it had existed in the Uni
ted States previous to the year 1914, be-
came and was divided into two seperate
Churches, with distinct and independent
powers. and authority composed of the
several annual conferences, stations. and
societies lying north and south Of the
that by force Of the same proceedings, the
of the Church South becahIo.aad
was entitled to its proportion of the COM
mon property, real and personal. of the
Methodist Episcopal Church, which be-
longed to it at the time the separation
took place that the property and funds
of the Church had been obtained by vol
untary contributions, to which the mem
bers Of the Church South had contribn-
ted more than their full share, and which
down to the time Of the separation belong
ed in common to the Methodist Episco-
pal Church. as then organized.
The compliments charge that they are
members of the Church South, and
preachers, some of them supernumerary.
and some supcranuated preachers. and
belonged TO the travelling connection of
said Church and that, as such, have a
personal interest in tie properly. real and
personal, held by the Church North, and
in the hands Of the defendants. And
further. that there are about fifteen hun