The weekly Minnesotian. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn. Territory) 1852-1858, 1856-05-31
Methods. General Conference.

indianapolis. The committee of one fro,
each Annual Conference, numbering %. pr,
scented the following as their report, on tt
2lst inst, after having the subject undo
consideration for l6 or Is days. We wi
keep our readers advised of the discussion
and final action on the report:
REPORT ON SLAVERY.
The Committee on Slavery present tn
following as their report:
That the reduction of moral and respon
sible being to the condition OF property is
violation Of natural rights, is considered b.
most men an axiom in ethics, but whateve
opinions may have obtained in general socie
ty, the Methodist Episcopal Church has eve
maintained an unmistakable anti-savery DO
sition. Affirmations that slavery is found
ed in the philosophy of civil society, that i
is the cornerstone of Republican institu
tions," or that it is sanctioned by tn,
Bible" have never met with an approving
response in our church. Contrariwise, thu
founder of Methodism denounced the systcu
in unqualified terms of condemnation, ant
the Fathers unwaveringly followed the ex.
ample of the venerated Wesley.
The NJ. e. Church has, in good faith, ir
all the periods of its history, proposed to it.
self the question, e What shall be done for
the extirration of the evils of slavery O.
and it has never ceased, openly and before
the world, to bear its testimony against the
sin, and to exercise its disciplinary powers
to the end, that its members might be kept
unspotted from criminal connection with the
system, and that the evil itself be removed
from among men.
1t is affirmed and believed that the NJ. E.
Church have done more to diffuse ant-sla-
very sentiments, to mitigate the evils of tile
system, and to abolish the institution from
civil society than any other organization,
either political, social, or religious. 1t is
also affirmed and believed that the admins
tration of discipline in our church, within
the bounds of slave territory, have faithfully
done all that, under their circumstances
they have conscientiously judged to be in
their power to answer the ends Of the disci-
pIinc in extermin ting that great evil
AT this period in our history we are met
with the inquiry, does our book of discipline
state clearly and definitely our true position
and our real sentiments ? Does the letter
of tie statute distinctly indicate the practice
we propose ? We answer no, and give from
among others the following reasons for our
negative reply:
The discipline does not, in express terms,
make the STAKEHOLDER ineligible to the eps-
copacy, and yet the General Conference of
II considered itself justified, both by the
preacher of the church, in affirming that the
relation of Shareholder was disqualification
for the office Of bishop, and this it did at
the expense Of an ever-to-be regretted divi-
sion of our ecclesiastical organization. The
discipline declares that "whcnany travelling
preacher becomes an owner of slave or
slaves, by any means, lie shall forfeit his
ministerial character in our church, unless
lie execute, if it be practicable, illegal emanci-
patton of such slaves, conformably to the
laws of the state in which he lives but the
administration assuming that legal emanci-
patton in the case of travelling preachers is
I'M versally practicable, docs not admit q
STAKEHOLDER to the itinerant connection.
AGAIN, our discipline does not distinguish
between mercenary slaveholding and the
holding of slave for benevolent purposes,
and yet all tie arguments found in our Off
cal publications, or heard in or Conference
debates, by which TIE admission Of slave
.:olders to church membership is justified,
are based upon this distinction, and that for
tic Obvious reason that the distinction itself
Ices really and justly exist in the public
mind, and the practice referred to cannot
otherwise be justified. Our book Of disci-
plne docs not expressly enjoin it upon our
members that they secure to their slaves
the sanctity of the conjugal and parental
relations, AMI yet within all the borders
of our slave-hoiding territory, the uttered
suspicion that Method SITS are negligent
in these regards would be repealed with III
dignation.
We now enquire whether the time has
come when it becomes the duty of the church
through its representatives assembled in its
highest ecclesiastical. court, so to revise the
statutes of the church as to make them ex-
press our real sentiments, and indicate oul
practice as it s? We answer-first be-
cause it is just and equal it is right be-
fore God and all men that on a subject in
volvng directly the personal liberties O
thousands, and indirectly of millions, of oul
fellow men, the position of the church should
be neither equivocal or doubtful. Secondly
because we cannot answer it to our owl
conscences, nor to God, the Judge of all, il
We fail to do what is in our power to beal
testimony against so great an evil. Thirdly
because it is solemnly demanded at ou
hands by very large majority of those
whom we represent; and fourthly, because
the signs of the times plainly indicate tina
it is the duty of all good men to rally fol
the relief of the oppressed, and for the de
Tense of the liberties transmitted to us by
our fathers.
We are aware that it is objected that il
the present excited state of the public minC
to take any action on the subject will be t.
place weapon in the hands of our enemies
with which they may do us essential injury
We reply that in all cases to say one thing
and mean another, is Of doubtful erpedienc
as well as of doubtful morality. We judg
the rather that on all questions vital to mo
raIity and religion, the honor of the churc
is better sustained by an unqualified decla
ration of the truth.
We come now to state what, as it seem
to US, is, always has been, and ever shout
be, the true position of our church in res
pect to slavery. We hold that the buying
selling, and by inference, the holding of
human being, as property, is sin agains
-. God and man; that because Of the soci;
relations in which men may be placed b
, the civil codes of slaveholding communitie
the legal relation Of master to slave may,
some circumstances, submit innocently
that connection with slavery is p7ima fac
evidence of guilt; that in all cases of allege
crminality of this kind, the burden of pro-
should rest upon the accused, he alway
: having secured to him the advantages of tri
and appeal before impartial tribunals.