Cleveland morning leader. [volume] (Cleveland [Ohio]) 1854-1865, 1860-05-04
The Nl,,hoaisfeen Conference

Ale MGNu0uluL eECuEEul AOhAtFGuNN'
The Methodist Episcopal Church in this cOun-
Try was frst organised in l7s4 A Rule was
Ihon adopted fOrbiddmg "the buying and sell
ing men, women end children with an inten-
ton 10 enslaye them. Toe Rule fell into
neglect. The Wesleyan Msthodists seeded
for this and other reasons in ls43 In 1874,
slsYeholding Bishop from Missouri presented
himself at the General Conference. A warm
contest followed, and the Southern MethOdists
seeded. The Methodist Church South became
a prO-slsveTy Church The Methodist Church
North anti>slavery. The latter still has over a
,hOusAnd Preachers and hundred thousand
members in the border lSlave States. This
keeps the Slavery struggle alive. 1t comes up
in every Conference, and will have to DO met
at Buffalo.
The Conference in session at Buffalo is com.
posed Of eco delegates. In the Conference Of
1856 prOpostOi to make nonNslsvehOlding a
test OF member5hip was carried by decided
majority, bu. not by two-thirds vote. By
the constitution of the Church change in its
Rules can only be mado upon the recommends
tion of three-fourths of all the members Of the
Aonual Conference present and voting, and the
subsequent endOrsmsnt by vote of two-thirds
of the General Conference, or rice psrsa--
Under this provision the measure failed. The
contest has been going on since.
The present position of the M E. Church on
Slavery is this:
a. The General Rule folbids ''buying and
selling men, women and children with an in,
tentiOn to enslavs them" CD The CAaplsr
defines Slavery TO be great eUiI, and asks
what shall be done to e1tirpate it 1t forbid.
any travelling minister from holding slaves
requiring their emancipation if practicable;
debars slave holders from official station in the
church where State laws permit emancipation;
and requires thai slaves be taught to read the
Word of God and allowed time for attending
religious services without reference to State
laws.
At present the church is divided on this
subject into the following classes, each o.
which will be strongly represented on the Aool
Of the General Conference
! /. Those who say "The Discipline as it is. y
This class embraces the border Conferences, the
| Uhion-savers of New York, and some others
who contend that under the General Rule and
Chapter all slavehOldiDg may be satisfactorily
dealt with
II. The party healed by DR.. Stevens, editor
of the Advocate and Journal, who contend that
to make nOn'slaveholding test of membership
unless by the change Of the General Rule re
quirng two thirds Of the General Conference
and three-fOuTthS of the members of each Of
the Annual Conferences present and voting
(Which of course is not to be expected,) would
be unconstitutional.
III. Those who discIaim Entirely the Stevens
view, but who, believing that our present D. ed
Scott Supreme Court would decide the question
in conformity to it, hold that policy indicate.
that the Rule should be changed With this
view correspond the expressed sentiments o.
almost the eatire church press-the Advocate
and Journal excepted.
Nv. Those who believe that the true poles
IS to define, GHtAoritGtiVsly, the present Genera
Ruls as designed to prOnIbit the intention Il
snstdUs, whether buying, selling, or holding
This. 1t Is thought, wall ObviaIe the constituu
tional difficulty, and yet give the church cleal
and unmistaksble record on the question. The
action of the New York, New York East, ant
other conservative annual Conferences, indicates
that this policy is the one most likely, if any,
to be adopted. There will be decided major
| ily in the General Conference under strong
| progressive Anti-SlaveTy instructions, but M
one proposition is very likely to receive the
constitutional majority of two thirds.
Three other questions will come prominently
before the General Conference-whether tn,
time for which ordained ministers shall b,
allowed to remain at any station shall be eK
tended to more than two years; whether thu
system of Presiiing Edership, as it now ex'
lists, shall be modified or abolished altogether
and whether the rules of discipline shall be 81
changed as to admit lay delegates to animal
and General Conferences.
The North western Conferences will ask that
the Bood Depository of the church in Chicago
be erected into an independent branch BOol
Concern, with equal powers with the branct
at Cincinnati. It is expected also thst an efor
will be made to consolidate all the publishing
interests of the Church under one Agency
residing at the principal points of publishing
instead Of separate Concerns as at present.
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