, 1874-05-23

Institutions. .,,,.
Professor in the Columbia Seminary. .,
Tine Assembly resolved to meet no1t yeaG at
st. Louis by a unanimous vote.
TIE METHoD1sTs.
THE TEMPERANCE QUESTION.
Lou1sv1EtE, May 22.-ln the General Oonfor-
cnco the minority report on temperance, which
provides as m anondmont to tho general ral1o
thut any porson making, buying, selling, OR using
aa q beverage Intoxicating liquors shall DO,
upon conviction, bcbarrod from mombor-
slip in the Church, was adopted by
3S-beng more than tho two-thirds necessary
fur tho change OF ono Of tho general rules.
This action will DO sent round to tho General
Conforences, aud ii tho majority Of three-
fourthB oncur Herewith, II wlll pass into law.
Pro codng the flnal vote, a very unlimited de-
bate occurred. DR.. MCCARTHY said they wore all
agreed upon tho subject Of temperance itself,
but tho question WAS whnt Is tho best MEANS to
promote 1t. The rule as 1t stands III the
discip line, he claimed, Was bettor, BROAD
or, higher and stronger than any specific
legislation could be made. Il rested On Scrip
tural grounds. " Cursed iB be that putteth the
bottle to his neighbours lips to male him drink
thorewith." The present law oxclu ded not only
the manufacturing and sale, but alBo the giving
OF HpirituouH liquors. ue put tho question,
Ills thero man who would say that this is do
ing no harm II there iB. lot him stand until
he is counted. I'll tako the vote: Lot us SEQ
the man who bolioTcs that there La no uao in
having q revision.
The speaker turnea to the Chair and said that
tho yoie had been taken and tho report Of tho
minority eustained.
John piperB mid TINT he would not be truo to
his creed, to lis conscience, Or lis Church to let
the subject pass without saying something on it.
Some logiBlatson Ia necessary. We nzo awnse
that tho College Of Bishops decided that The
making and selling Of whisky is q violation Of
tue egferal rulos. We are a,varo also Of another
things TINT We all are not Bishops. We nil arc not
lawyers. we all aro not 8olomons. We noed
something to holp us In e1pounding the law, 20
that, when man mikes whisky, as hundreds
man drinks It, as hundreds Of Thousands do,
We Gun bring tho law to bear on him. They say
that tho good book allowed the drinking Of
epirituous liquors IL cases Of necessity. Hore is
beon bintling in tho ann. little whisky Ia ane-
cessty Ho takes 1t, and, whom tho preacher goeH to
him aud tells him It's violation OF tho law. He
asks whore 1t is You can't put your Anger On
DR.. Hamilton said TINT the rule aa it stood
simply raforrad to the drinking Of drama, not tho
sale or manufacture Of liquors. The Genoral
Conference had time and again boon asko0 to
had mover been said that tho
general ruloa were opposed to
lilo sae or manufacture OF spirituous liquors;
but now the General Conference found isself
Hlcl iB sweoping over the country on the sub
loct Of temperance Nov, being ashamed to
acknowledge our position on the question. wo
claim TINT the 'aw has been perfectly sufficient .,
the Annual Conferences and General
Conferences beep doing that they
have allowed persQuB to continue In tho Church
who arc quiIty OF making end selling liouor, Tie
General Conferences had uoyor dotinod It's posi-
tion on .hia poiut, aud they could not longer
furry eyade it.
tho subject. 1ntenporsnco ] Lad dono more harm
allegation There was perhapa not member
Of tic Conference who was not an ndsocatp
If Temperance, but il they wero to bring tue
collea-houae men in to hoar this discussion, thay
the question, He feared everybody would vote
for tho minority report.
". Price said that. with the exception Of three
tho Committee was in favor OF special legisla-
ton on tae subject Tho time Ind como for tho
Church to present bold 'front.' He thought the
general r1lles ought not to contain thu prohibi-
tiou Of dru,,kaupeaa aud drinking suiritouB la-
uors without including also the manufacture aud
nale.
cific law fiat would enable them to oxpel mom-
Iera for indulging in tho use OF arlort spirits,
or for making and selling liquors.
Dr.. Wneat said that f tLis waa harmful t1op
it was forbidden BY Tho general rule, and another
Inv was not needed. It would not do to say that
thirty years ago it was not couatrued as for
bidding the Manufacture aud sale Of liquor,
for It ought not to havo been the evil TINT it III
now, Tie preacher in Charge was Judge Of tho
law, II nlo1nber IL arraigued on this charge.
aud the preacher in charge decides that he 6as
not broken tile rule, 1t stands as law against
him. II aocuged wished to appeal, let him dogo,
but tho Conference will decide TINT the preacher
il judge OF the law, and tho decision is not re-
yeraed. II they went on with this specific legiH-
lation they would work havoc with the book Of
discipline.
Nv. philpott aaid that apeoificIegieation waa
needed Oh the subject. Some time ago there
~as a Inv making it wrong for local preaclor
to manufacture Or sell liquor. It wan not 10
clear then that tho rule applied to all ca8og Of
1nombcr. who we're guilty Of this. Since the dis.
tluction had boon drawn as to the application Of
tho rulo. ha himself could expouud tue present
i