The daily exchange. [volume] (Baltimore, Md.) 1858-1861, 1861-05-31
PRESBYTERIAN GENERAL ASSEMBLY, O.
DR. SPRINGS REsOLUrIoNs ADOPTED

|
Tne Finance Committee reported that the Trea
! surer's accounts were correct.
Receipts for the past year, S23 O4f
balance in hand at the beginning the year, 52l7
| Total resOurces 9S 2Ss
| Expenditures, "a AS
Balance IN treasury, 3,7Si
| The report agreed to.
The unfinished business was taken up, being the
| report of the Committee on the State of the
| Country.
the Rev. DR.. ienmans, and he hoped The entire
| Church would agree with its sentiments 1t had
oeen to him source of sorrow to hear that report
ridiculed, and By whom? Why, by one of the
committee VINO had joined them in an appeal ia
God for His direction. He intended to move the
previous question on that report but be did not
wish to stliie any debate generally and hoped il
| would close at II o'clock
The Rev. Mr.. Mcinnes stated that Mississppi
wanted the h"or. He was opposed to closing The
| debate thuS early,
1t was otherwise objected that several members
from the South desired to speak
Dr. eomans moved that the vote be taken nm
the majority report at II NJ but he accented as
| an amendment that the vote should be ia ken nm
both reports simultaneously
| Mr. MclnnrS OF New Orleans, opposed both the
| motion and amendment observing that if the de.
bate were so hastily closed, he should protest and
| retire from the Assembly knowing as he did tba,
the Southern church had not been properly repre.
sented. The South must not be gagged but al
IoN"u Lb express tHtlF views freely; aDd unless tha
were conceded, he must retire, for he should do sc
| with a good Conscience
The speaker asked if anv Presbyterv had sent ur
| an overture on this question? On the contrary
the IreHbv teties have ordered say rothinp on
| tins unhappy subject. At the opening of this :
| semblv the body decided to say nothing on tn,
question, and the speaker thought they were NJ
hetter prepared to speak now. If you could hear
the vote OF all the church. You would feel that tbey
desire no utterance. 1t cannot come before Ms can
| stIut1onalIy. The country does not desire anv de
| Ilverance from us, nor would it Justly appreciate
| the meaning OF our words ANY deliverance we
| might make to-day we might be ashamed of in a
week Even the Southern secessionists desire no
| delivPrance from us
The speaker earnestly repea ted that any action on
| thlS subject by the Assembly would drive off the
South and close it forever against the influence nj
| our church. The South needs the restraining in
luence of the North, and the North needs the
south; but. II We separate, there can be no recon
struction OF the Presbyterian Church. The speak
! er protested against the division in the name Of
the Saviour, in the name of the Church. and in the
name of the Country.
Mr. Harbrson, of Kentucky. stated that he fully
agreed with the remarks of the Rev Mr. McInnes
The Rev. Dr.. Thomas thought the gentleman
| from Nv Orleans was in error. The South had
oeen ilrly heard, as much so, indeed, as the North
and Northwest
Dr. Ogden, Of Mississippi, took different view
from DR.. Thomas, aud several Loints called tina,
gentleman to order. Dr.. Ogden observed that most
y D
were opposed to secession
| The next speaker was the Rev Mr. Frazier Of
Kentucky, who gave a brief history of the action
| o. the church IN several trying cases He was in
favor of State rights and of the rights of rpynlu
tion, though he thought there had not been suII
| cient ground for their exercise by the South.
| The speaker here INDUCED in a depression on the
position ct the country after which he said that WE
must either say nothing politics or else go repu
la,y to work and turn out of the church every mar
| who was not loyal to the United States There i
no middle ground. Further the speaker ther
| took up the minutes of the synod of South Carroll
ma, and said that the delverance there was incon-
| slstent with the opinions expressed bv !eadiDo
members upon other occasions and the result ,f AZ
cltement But be it as it may, South Carolina is
not yet all the south. He did not believe that anv
body OF members from anv section could yet have
ther minds made up unaterablv upon the subject
Ar" you ready to put so many of the elders deacnns
and members of our church in the position of trait
| ors As a man OF compromise, Mr.. Frazier would
avoid part of the evil, and if the General Assembly
| Will take action, let them adopt the paper which
virtually saws the least Let the Assembly exercise
charity. The great mass OF those who are engaged
| In the CONFUSION of the South are Northern men:
while many prominent ia the government are ot
| Southern birth. In HOpkinsvilir Ky one Tom
| Woodward made motion to enlist. and lin the
secesSl0nsts at larpe's Ferry; vet this Tom Wood
| ward had not vet worn out the clothes with which
| he has arrived in from Conneclicut.
Dr.. Musgrave said that, in agreeing to the report
of the committee, and argui in its favor, his sole
object was to concate; but ii then the commttce's
report was not agreed to he would vote for DR.
| Springs resolution.
1t was moved to lay DR.. YeOmans' motion on thf
| table >0t agreed to.
Judge Giles moved the following:
Res0red, That it is inexpedient at this time fo
the General Assembly to make any utterance in re
terence to the present unhappy condition of cur be
| Low ed country
| Adjourned ro ( O'clock r. NJ -.
| AFTERNOON SESSION.
The Rev. DR.. Barr led in prayer
| The Rev. MIR. Muchm're, of Missouri observed
that the Southern delegates had been ridculed-
they had been call d cnerciOnsts submiSsionists
Should he forget his country? Never! lie hat
been 10y al to the Stars and Stripes He had ,Iover
his country much, but he loved the Church of Coz
more He contrnded that the Church had bette
have let this sub iect alone. Many had held the
doctrine Of STATE rights-but he had ever been
loyal. Was such the doctrine of John Knox, who
when taken before King James, said-''Ynur Ma.
jtsty will admit that there two kings King
| James and King Jesus-and if yOur Mai .sty recon
nzes fully King Jesus, then you have nv tribute
We feel that we owe tribute to Caesar, which wt
ohj-ct not to pay.' Mr.. NJ. wanted no revolution
but had the Church the power to decide this matter
or not? lie objected to passing the resolutions q
DR.. Spring. Tue second resolution appeared to hin
particularly Objectionable. 1t WAS unnecessary
1t taught obedience to the country; but some of tn
brethren might be truly loyal, vet they night hav
a different mode of showing it. In his State the,
should that allegiance be at all at variance will
Loyalty to the Union, how would the church de
eide? DR.. Thomas had stated that the Scotch.Irisl
would be seriously embarrassed. That excelpn
class OF Our citizens had ever been loyal to thu
church, even more than to the State vet the,
had been loyal to both. Why should there be
doubt implied-Imped agaist such men?
The speaker said that in Missouri the Methodist
and Baptists were largely secessionsts Man,
Presby terrain church members however, land ex
ceptinus from the churches he had named y though
they right He wished to prevent division
OF the church. The Methodist and Baptists church
es had divided, and the consequence WAS that The
Southern MethodistS and BaptistS were nearly al
sec-sessionists. Such, too might be the case will
the Presbyterian Church, and such division woulC
be a loss to the government of so 900 men. Til,
ministers of all these churches were placed in A yer,
embarrassing position. In many instances The
lives of Christian and Christian ministers
were in jeopardy The proposed resolutions inst cad
0t joing the South good, would intct inrvtabI,
! harm. When the tribes of Israel went up agains
Benjamin they wept. So should we He opposed
the resolutions because they would do what " al
expected of them. They would work to the con
trary. The history of David and Absalom wa.
| quoted to show that the government should feel z
fathers sympathy towards erring children. 1t haC
| been said that if the resolutions do not pass tn,
Scotch-lrish would be driven off, and others woulC
be driven off, But all that was an error They
| were too loyal, and whv should they be disturbed
The Rev. : b. Cheek offered the following:
ResDtred That the paper offered by the Rev Dr.
| Spring expresses the judgment of this Assembly
touching the duty Of all our churches in the State
which profeSsedy in the Union; and that as t,
| those members of our body residing in such States
| as profess to have seeded, this Assembly has n,
| right to make any deiiveraDce as to the govern
ment to which their political allegiance due, be-
cause it would require The ascera tanning of facts
and the settlement of political questions which we
are fOI bidden to entertain.
Not acted upon.
The Rev. Dr.. Edwards spoke at length in favor
| of DR.. Springs resolutions. as embodied in the
minority report. The speech of this gentleman
| was long and able, but the arguments on all sides
have already appeared in our columns, abstain
from any urther reports of speeches an erieRsO.
The minority report stated that this body was the
General Assembly Of the United States and if any
State seeded, we should still say, we are of the
| Presbv Church o! the United States.
In commenting upon the Northern section, DR..
| Edwards said that Northern church had con
| tributed $4,000 last year. DR.. Z. read a letter
from a member of the Cabinet at Was hington
which said-'We can conceive of no objection to
such resolutions Or. Spring's,) they are in IA
of the government, of the Constitution, and OF
! freedom" {Applause-repressed by the Modera
tor DR.. Z. moved at the close of his speech two
amendments, one importing a loyal support of til g
Constitution, the other to the effect that the words
Federal Government did not mean any particular
administration, but the General Government of the
nation. These amendments, he proposed, should
be engrafted upon the minority report
The Rev. DR.. Dixon, of Baltimore, read letter
from the Hon. Mr.. Bates, of Washington in which
the distinguished writer hoped most earnestly that
politics would be admitted into the deliberations
| of the Assembly.
Some discussion arose to how The question
should be put. A motion of appeal was made
against the decision of the Moderator that the ma
ioriv report should be first voted upon The Mode
| ratoI's decision sustained.
A motion to ad journ to this morning, at o'clock.
lost.
Al o