The Morristown gazette. [volume] (Morristown, Tenn.) 1867-1920, 1875-10-27
HoLsToN COMPETENCE.
BROTHERS CARTER AND boring


Inc nfSy-secOnd session OF HOlsCoD
Conference Of the Methodist Epis-
copal Church, South. convened at
in Church street church.
last Wednesday. About one hun
bred and sixty preachers belonging
to the Conference, and a large lay
delegation were in attendance. Bish-
OPP McTyeire presided. During the
drst days proceedings, as reported
in the Press and Herald, in answer
to the question, Are all the preach
ers bIameless in their life and official
administration. we find two we'll
known preachers from the Morris.
town district brought prominently
to the front. For the edification Of
our local readers, we copy from the
published proceedings:
When the name of Rev. John Boring,
Presiding Elder of the Morristown Dis
trict, was called, one brother announced
that there was nothing against him. Rev.
d. B. Carter of the Rutledge Circuit
arose and said he had been for forty-eight
years member of this Conference and
he was not willing that Brother BOring's
character should go off that way, and
proceeded to charge him with incompe
tency, Partially in the discharge Of his
official duties, and selfishness. He pro-
ceeded to state specifically and at length
the acts complained Of
As an evidence of his incompeteney he
stated that although Brother Boring had
been Presiding Elder for several years,
and though the Discipline required that
no man should be licensed to preach with
out first being examined in open Confer
ence and showing knowledge of the Or
binary branches of an English education
yet he had put the question to vote and
granted candidate a license to preach
without any examination.
As examples of his partiality-he had
given much more of his time to some Of
the charges in the district than to others.
He had only given two hours at one of
the quarterly meetings-held one quar-
terly meeting in the middle of the eek,
saving he did not have Sundays enough,
though for four Sundays he had been
running around he didn't know where.
AS evidences of his selfShness-he had
influenced the Stewards TO allow him sal
airy of 81 900 while the preachers salaries
were not more than half that amount;
and by that means he received two dol
lars to their one in the distribution of
the money collected; in addition to this
he had sold his horse In North Carolina,
and collected funds to buy him another
and did not account for it as quarterage;
he also wrote to prominent Steward in
one of the circuits on his district asking
him if there were not forty men on his
circuit who would give fifty cents each
to buy him a COW, and this IN addition
to his claim on the circuit; also that he
attempted to collect moEey to pay his
house rent for the previous year on a cir
cult that had only paid him 1.-THE speakeF)
seventy live dollars for the year.
These charges must have aston
ished the Conference as they no
doubt for the moment COMPOUNDED
Mr.. Boring. The report says that
as the hour was late Mr.. Boring ask
ed the favor of all present to attend
the sittings the next day to hear his !
vindication. The next morning, az
ter the routine business had beer
disposed Of T
The Bishop stated that the conference |
was ready to hear from brother Boring. |
Presiding Elder Boring advanced to |
the front of the Conference. He said, !
this Fall, twenty-four years ago was |
received on trial in Holston Conference |
and never until yesterday has there been
a shadow or shade of complaint against |
me. Brother Carter, who makes the |
charges against me, gave me my license |
to preach, and have the timestained |
document now.
AS have arranged the complaints in /
my mind, they embrace the following /
points: want of administrative ability, |
seIfishness, and Partially. h
In regard to the complaint of voting /
in Conference, Mr.. Boring ex- !
planned that be had not voCed in the |
case referred to at all; that it was sug /
gested that he would have the casting
vote in the case, but there was no coca
sion for his voting. 1t was thought at
the time by several brethren, whom he
named, that he had right to vote but /
since he was convinced that he did not |
have the right. 81
In regard to the second case, thai of 1
licensing man without the necessary i
literary qualifications, Mr.. Boring said
the incident occurred at Morristown
Station, Geo. Rowe being licensed. At
a love-feast his earnest and impressive
manner of speaking SO impressed me,
that advised him to apply for license.
Next day found that he had not the
necessary literary qualifications as re-
CURED. read the law to the Confer
ence, and the Conference voted the Ii
cense over the law. 30 81
In regard to the complaint of partiali-
ty, embracing the house rent, horse and
COW case, Mr.. Boring made q lengthy
and characteristic explanation. He had
rented q house at $3.50 per year. The
Stewards had fixed his salary at 81 ,0OO
He had received $3.50 of it. Paying the
house rent cut it down to $3.50. Feed
for his horse left it at $400. At six
places in the bounds of the District, in
what considered manly and digniied
way, stated the circumstances, and
eft it to the good will of the people.
received $50 and paid the other, $50,
put of my salary. One of these six
places was in brother Carriers circuit.
Here, for whole years work, $14 only
had been received. : ~ 80
Concerning the cow case, Mr.. Boring,
aid that brother had been sent to a
circuit, and being old, and minus some
IF his teeth he couldn't talk well and so
he Stewards were dissatisfied and did
lot do much for him. The brother was
,alled to heaven, and another brother
ent there, but there was some dissatis-
action in his case also, so the Stewards
lid not do much for him either. So the
peaker made the effort to get up sub
cription to buy COW for the circuit
not for himself at all.
In the horse case, Mr.. Boring, said
hat brother Carter had made it appear
hat the selling of the horse in North
carolina and the buying of another IN
he MorTistown district were close con-
lection. when the fact is there was over
years time between the two. After
he close of my labors in the Asheville
District, the Quarterly Conference unani-
nonsly petitioned the Cabinet to send
ne to Asheville station. AS fully ex-
ected to remain at Asheville-there (