The central Presbyterian. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1856-1908, 1872-05-29
The amendment was rejected, and the re-
COMMISSIONERS EXPENSES.
DIR. Pl,,noer presented the following

DR.. Plllnaer presented the following:
The Committee of Bills and Overtures report
overtures Nos. 10 and II, asking for change In
the form of the statistical tables. The Committee
report adversely to any change at the present time
DR.. PIunaer The Stated Clerk and Permanent
Clerk are committee of finance. 1t is the plan OF
the committee of finance to pay out the surplus OBJ
tanned from the additional assessment of five dollars
to each Presbytery to the commissioners from
distance. Therefore, they think that the provision
already made will be more beneficial to the distant
Presbyteries than any other which could be made.
They recommend that the petition be not granted.
DR.. Marshall said that the present arrangement
had been in operation for several years. but their
Presbytery had not received dollar from the fund.
This year it cost them dollar for each communi-
cant. Next year it would probably cost them four
hundred dollars to send commissioners to Little
Rock. They wanted definite system, so that the
burden might bear equally upon the Presbyteries
By per capita tax the Northern Church was able
to pay all the expenses of its commissioners. 1t
would fall lightly upon all the churches The
churches in Texas were complaining very loudly,
and it was probable that his Presbytery would not
be represented at Little Rock, unless this change
was made. Some of the churches were almost In
rebellion.
The Stated Clerk said that similar proposition
had been presented two or three years ago, and
A per caIita tax would come in, in small sums,
and amounting perhaps to six or eight thousand
dollars, would lead to good deal of confusion. 1t
would be number of years before the rule could
be successfully executed. 1t had been successful in
the Northern Church because it had been in opera
ton several years; and the. church then was more
compact. Last year the Finance Committee was
authorized to make an increase of five dollars In the
assessments and there would this year probably be
&c md fxyO drn0
dollars, to be disbursed to the commissioners from
Texas and from Arkansas This would meet the
exigencies of the case. The present plan was
characterized by extreme simplicity and bad usage
in its favour.
lfr. McGregor said that when the Assembly
met at Mobile the commissioners from Brazos
Presbytery had about fifty dollars left, which
they paid into the general fund, for the bene-
fit of their commissioners in the future. When
they went to Louisville they expected to re-
ceive something from the fund, but the trea-
sury was empty. 1t had then cost him fifty
dollars more than he received from his Pres
bytery, and this year it cost him fifty. If
there were many more like him the two hun
dred dollars mentioned would not go very far.
The Northern Assembly had commenced with
tax of fifteen cents per member, but had
reduced it to six or seven cents. Such a tax
might be paid into the hands of the Presby-
teries. The tax now in Texas was from forty
cents to one dollar per member. This was
too heavy upon the feeble churches supported
by the Sustentation Committee. He moved
that the overture and answer be referred to
the next Assembly; and promised to furnish
the data, by ascertaining the expenses of the
commissioners present
The Stated Clerk said that the commission
ers from Texas had always been assisted till
last year; and would have been assisted then
if the rules had been obeyed. The Assembly
required the Presbytery nearest the place of
meeting of the Assembly to deposit all of its
commissioners fund in the hands of the AS
sembly's treasurer; the adjacent Presbyte-
ries within FIVE hundred miles certain per
centage. This was proposition from Texas,
and if obeyed would supply the treasury. He
had called the attention of the Presbyteries
to it again and again in the proclamation for
the meeting of the Assembly. The rule was
complicated, and required calculation. The
information proposed to be given by Mr..
McGregor was already in his hands; and the
question of a per capita tax had been care
fully considered by the Finance Committee.
But the present plan was, in their Judgment,
the wisest.
DR.. Bunting wished it understood the Synod
of Texas were not chronic beggars. They had
brought this matter forward on general prin-
ciples. The burden rests on all the smaller
and remoter Presbyteries in the southwest.
If per capita tax of ten or fifteen cents
should be levied, it could be received through
IL, a. &c no for.vr
He, as Stated Clerk of the PresbyVery OF
Brazos, would forward the full amount to the
proper officers. They come here as Commits
sioners, not simply to represent PresbYtery
but to work for the whole Church and the
expense should be divided equally among the
churches The Presbytery of Brazos gene
rally assessed its churches two hundred and
fifty dollars for this purpose, heavy assess
ment for about six or seven hundred mem
bers. Other Presbyteries of from two to
four thousand members do not pay as much
as these weak and feeble Presbyteries. The
result of so heavy a tax was, that frequently
the Presbyteries were unrepresented. The
Commissioners were not able to pay fifty or
one hundred dollars out of their own pockets.
The object is to equalize the matter. The
work of the Assembly is for the whole
church, not for any part of it. The subject
was complicated, but might be reduced to a
matter of business. If our church courts
would learn to do business on business princi-
pies there would be no difficulty about the
matter at all
The Permanent Clerk said the necessities of the
distant Presbyteries should be sympathized with,
and they ought to be relieved from the burden SO
unequally resting upon them The best way of
doing that was to increase the assessment already
made. An order directing the finance committee to
increase the assessment two or three hundred dol
lars could very easily be carried out under the pres
emit plan, which is well understood among the
Churches, and the very best that could be devised.
The proposition to substitute the plan of the North
ern Assembly was suggested by our brethren from
Texas year or two ago; but it is very compli-
Gated one and hard to carry out satisfactorily in Its
details. For instance, commissioners now receive
their money from the Presbyteries, and give an &C
count of their expenses. That tends very directly
to economy; but human nature being just as it
always was, if they drew out of common trea-
sure, they would not be so careful; the finance
committee would be overwhelmed with complaints,
and there would soon be no fund. The simplest
way to reach the case Oh. our brethren in Texas,
would be to authorize an increase of three hundred
dollars in the assessment. Five hundred dollars
would be BETTER that there might be some overplus
in the treasury
DIR. lfcGregOT withdrew his motion; and the
report was amended so as to authorize the finance
committee to raise by assessment five hundred dol
lars additional, and was then sdopted.
ELECTION OF COORDINATE SECRETARY.
The special order-the election of a coordinate
secretary, who shall also act as treasurer of the Elk
ecutive Committees of Foreign Missions and Sus-
tentation-was then taken up.
On motion, Rev. DR.. Armstrong offered special
prayer for the Divine guidance in this important
business.
Dr. AdgeT-As a member of the Committees, L am
certain that either of the brethren named will receive
a cordial welcome from his co-adjutors. l do not
personally know of the qualifications of the brother