New-York tribune., 1868-10-08


ranged it may have important uses. Ifit shall tsr
ancient precedents and expect the prone. ipdanas
ence of Dioceses it may help to preserve upitv
territory of the larger States, and assist in tbs
ton OF some such problems as we shall have % |u-
slider in this Diocese"
In 1866 a committee OF fifteen, with DR. Uaia
Chairman, was appointed OH the Division OF the M
cese and in 1861 they reported in favor of se,ti,
two new DiOceses-that of Long Island and th.s
Northern NewYork, lying North of Columbia IG,s.O
and Delaware Counties. They also reported ,ha.
Committee of Western New-YOrk. which Il :,
about to be divided, were IN favor of asking to~
the General Convention n permissiye con""
authorizing Federate Council of ths ~
ceses in one or more States with deleo,,.,
powers, to "enable the Diocese to combine 70, a'
defense of their common interests and 70 inaucr,a
such common enterprises as the best good % A.
Church may seem TO require" The Committee :,
Fifteen recommended that there shonld he n, 49,
cation Of the Dioceses which now exist or NAV b.
after be erected, within the limits Of this State %.
the protection and preservation Of their commas
interest," and they referred especially to the relaor.
of the Church to the State and its Legislature aod
the Importance of a confederation for pron,pt ana
efficient action whenever any of her interests .,
privileges are threatened with hostile action.1
The Convention upon this report. adopted reso.
luton in favor of Federate Council of the Doeess.
in the State and appointed committee, with DR.
Haight as chairman, to prepare the draft Of memo
rial TO the General Convention on the subject, "to
gether with the plan for such Federate Council in
conformity with the principles contained in this re-
port This was the Committee whose reported plan
aroused such a warm discussion last week. as going
beyond the simple proposition which the Convention
-. .1.fs1
with delegated powers" for the defense Of their
common interests" and ito inaugurate common
enterprises"
The fifth clause Of the plan reported was as iol
lows:
Primary Council Of Federate C9uhc!L Conn or synodiea
Union of the several dloceSes within INC states. meh
power consult all matters pertaining 10 the common
sary thereto not inconsistent with or Tepunant to hs
constitution and Canons OF the General Convention Of
this Church or TO tho Book Of Common Prayer.
This Identification of the proposed Tolerate Com
Gil with "Synodical Union" having full powered
legislation, was at once opposed as revolutionary
change in the organic law OF the Charch replacing
its ancient system of independent DiOceses and equal
Bishops. by the English provincial system, whit
Archbishops and suffragans; and it was asked il
were not better TO Americanize than thus to Euro
peanize the Church. Clerical and lay delegates Of
great weight and prominence and Of widely differing
theoogic views followed each other in eloquent and
powerful denunciation of so radical revolution in
the time-honored Constitution under which the
Church had so long prospered
The Hon Mr.. Pruyn of Albany, the Hon. Samuel
b. Ruggles, the Hon Hiram Ketchum and lay
delegate Whose name escapes usl from Northern
New-York, opposed the scheme as an innovation
which they did not understand for which thers
existed neither necessity nor apology, Which
would extingush the independence OF the
dioceses. destroy utterly the value and IN
huence Of their conventions. by destroying their
power and extnguishing their rights; that It would
impair also the dignity Of the General Convention
while il would tend to diminish the respect for the
Episcopal Office by raising one Bishop in Province
to the dignity of a Metropolitan and lowering tLs
rest to an inferior rank and humber position The
venerable Mr. Ketcham expressed bis surprise
and his fears at the proposition: What" said be-
was this Council Was it Union or was it Secs
sionl
Two members of the Committee, the Rev AlexH
Vinton and the Rev DR.. Littleiohn who had sigrsd
the report, frankly admitted that they had used Ian
guage which they now discovered had a meaning hi
beyond their intentions and they each became the
Ndiulesb opDp.tIN VI ~ pau VI ''''' N"''~'
with power of legislation although they approycaOt
them provided all legislation concerning discipline
and iudicature should rest exclusively with the Dio
cesc' Dr. Washburne. Dr. John Cotton smith, and
DR.. Montgomery sustained. earnestly. the same view
In support of the plan Dr. IIaight the Rev j. H. Hop
klns. aud Dr. Frank Yiuton of Trinity were equally
energetic and eloquent DIR. Vinton frankly avowins
that they desired the Provincial Councils 10 he IN
vested with sovereign power; and Nh Hopkins
moved an amendment to the plan which would stil
moro thoroughly have destroyed the equality OF tue
Diocese and the equal representation Of the lay by
giving them delegates TO the Provincial Council ac'
cordng to the number of clergy and communicates
one clerical representative for every eight clergy
men, and one lay delegate for every coo communl-
cants. Mr.. Haght expressed his approval OF TINS
system of numerical representation, bni doubted the
wisdom of now adopting it. lest it should have tue
effect of defeating the whole plan IN the General
Convention. and with the separate DiOceses. MI
Haigts fears this point will not seem unreasona-
bic when il is known that the effect of the change
would be to give to the Diocese of Newlork. mond-
ing the city. more than three times as many dele
gates as will be allotted to Northern Acw-lork win
its scattered population.
An attempt was made to strip the scheme OF the
dangerous features engrafted It in the plan OF the
Committee. by substitution OF the power 10 'o"H"''
and recommend for the power of legislation. Ims
was lost-he lay vote being A for the amendment to
So against and the scheme being still pressed by It's
advocates, the opposition renewed their attacks
upon it with such force and resolution that on mo-
ton to strike out the whole of the fifth section made
by Mr. Ruggles, the vote was nearly unanimous ana
the recommendation of the Provincial system by tho
Diocesan Convention. which will come before tho
General Convention. is unaccompanied by any sng-
gestion that it should exercise the powers whch tho
omitted section was intended to confer
An effort perhaps may still be made III the Ueherai
Convention to engraft upon the present so'erhmehs
of the Church the English system OF Provinces, with