The central Presbyterian. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1856-1908, 1874-12-02
For THE CENTRAL PRESBYTERIAN.
THE NEW EXPEDIENT FOR RAISING
THE COMMISSIONERS FUND.

1t will be borne in mind in considering this
plan.
l. That it involves the alteration of con-
stitutional provision made to this end
Form of Government, chapter %, section
3. !"In order as far as possible, to procure
respectable and full delegation to all our
judicatories, it is proper that the expenses
of ministers and elders in their attendance
on these judicatories, be betrayed By the
bodies which they respectively represent"
Gtalics ours The action proposed in this
plan is manifestly an alteration of this con-
stitutonal provision, and if done should Ger
tainly be recognized as such, and provided
for accordingly.
2. That the expenses of this kind are be-
coming and that rapidly, much more nearly
equahzed. The delegates from the east have
had to incur greater expenses in attending
some of the late sessions of the Assembly
than those from Presbyteries proposed to be
benefited by this new plan. And very soon
all the churches likely to be visited by the
General Assembly will be accessible, and
the sessions of the Assembly held in turn,
over the entire limits of our territory.
3. That in distributing responsibility yOu IN.
variably lessen the sense of 1t. A man never
feels the same responsibility for the debts
of company or corporation of which he is
member as he does for his individual debts.
And it is true in the Church. We feel more
Immediately responsible for the expenses
of our own representation in the Assembly
than that of all the Church. 1t is natural.
Will it be well to change our past method,
wisely based on this fact, and adopt one
which distributes the responsibility over the
whole Church, instead Of making each Pres
bytery responsible for its own representative +?
4. The plan itself embraces the following
conditions:
a. All the expenses of the Assembly
shall be paid first, before any division of
funds to meet travelling expenses of dele
gates. So that it makes the expenses of the
Assembly of first Importance, and all delin-
quencies must be lost from the commissioners
expenses.
(2) No money is received by any delegate
till he gets to the Assembly, though he may
have his PreSbytery's full quota in his pocket;
then he puts it into one general pocket to
get certain proportion of the whole. He
will have to borrow or draw from his own
private purse to get to the Assembly, and
then wait upon financial committee and
upon the fidelity of other Presbyteries to
get it back. And somehow it most always
turns out, that in a division, somebody gets
less than they put in, and less than they
think they are entitled to, which is not very
agreeable.
g. A Presbytery must pay its "tuH pro-
portion according to the per capita rule, to
avail itself of this fund" So that every
Presbytery is excluded from this arrange
ment, that does not IN full pay it proportions.
This we suppose was intended to ensure
full compliance by all, but we need scarcely
say that practically, any plan that is based
upon universal compliance, in every particu-
lar, will never be universally adopted.
From the above considerations, which are
simply stated and not argued, it appears to
US that this expedient is Objectionable, and
should not be adopted. The constitutional
provision is the simplest, wisest, and in every
way it appears to US, best. M.