Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1883-06-20

| barrier Nhough that is not nconsiderable)
that hinders the af1iliatior of the district
with the Vermont conference, as the delio-
crate, persistent, reckless and repeated
ignoring and overriding of the wishes,
votes and protests of the ministers and
members of the district. Instead OF
adopting the methods which leaders in
this country use of winning the people
over TO their views, these leaders have
never sought to create q sentiment in
favor of forming the whole st tie into one
conference. Not so much as Il circular
has ever been sent to the churches, or II
canvass made, but they have simply sought
by the powers of the general conference
to chain the district to them. 1t is no
strange thing in this country that such
methods have driven men into united,
firm and successful resistance.
1t seems strange that any honest, truth.
ful man can question the statement, SO
often made, that large ma jority of the
people of Burlington district are opposed
to union with the Vermont conference, in
view of the following facts: Flrst-Just
previous to the general conference of 1880.
in view Of the request of tho Vermont
conference for u commission to transfer
the district to them, every quar.erly con-
ference on the district but voted against
such transfer. (rhese quarterly confer
cnces contain all the official members Of
the churches. Second-The electoral col
lege, which met that year, made up of one
delegate from each church voted unani-
mousy against such transfer Third -
Two years ago II memorial signed by a
large number of laymen was sent to the
Vermont conference, praying that body TO
appoint n commission to retrocedo the
district. FUurth-One year ago resolu-
tion prepared by committee of the
dist ict stewards, expressive Of the conlin.
ued and united opposition OF the laymen
of the district to the transfer, was adopted,
in most cases unanimously, by nearly
every quarterly conference OF the district.
Fifth-At the last season of the Vermont
conference a memorial was presented.
signed by Il large part of the Official
members of the district, in which they
strongly express their firm conviction
"that continued attempt 10 cocrce these
churches to IN alliance that they have
from the fist objected to will not only be
damaging to the interests of the several
churches of the district, but will be OF no
advantage to Methodism in Vermont. ="
A committee of six prominent laymen,
accompanied by thirteen other laymen,
were present, seven of whom addressed
the conference. These men stated that
there was u remarkable unanimity on the
district against the transfer of the district
to the Vermont conference, and that TO
continue to hold the district would work
harm to the churches, with no good result
to the conference.
There has been evidence given to the
Vermont conference showing the strong
and firm opposition of the laymen of the
district, sufficient to send 100 men to the
gaIlows if they were tried for murder and
had as strong evidence against them, and
yet the committee who prepared that
report asser that these statements, made
by laymen aud by ministers. of their own
personal knowle &c and feelings. that the
people of Burlington district are sorely
afflicted with the transfer, is ''utterly
without substantiation."
Much of this report is an insult TO tbe
ministers and laymen of the Burlington
district, and can only tend to further
ALLEVIATE the churches from the Vermont
conference.
II IN no pleasure fer us to bring these
matters before the public; and but for the
! remarkably reckless statements referred
to, and to the fact that the veracity Of s
number of ministers and laymen was thus
called in question, we would have beer
silent. JOHN j. NOE.
Having complied with the request t
publish the foregoing, that our readers
may see how strong case can be made
out as against the report of the committed
referred to, when the best arguments are
stated on the other side, as well as ir
Difference to the claim that we ought tC
: give both sides hearing in these columns
we call attention to the fallacies of the
article. So far us its personal allusions
are concerned. as regarding the partisan
ship of "ths cast iron committee" M
reply is called for, and the intelligent ant
observing reader will comprehend tina
they are only the superlluous expressions
of an energetic writer who is unculturet
in the art of condensation. Their effect il
also likely to react upon the writer, for i
is generally understood TO be indicative o
a poor ctuse, when writer or speaker
must impute unworthy motives to other.
as the groundwork of his own arguments
As regards the points of argument WI
note: /. The quotation from the repor
of Rev. Bennett Elton, then presiding
| elutI, W llC COIlcithCO vi lOuc 10 buO III
isolated passage as quoted, and wher
read in its proper connection is simply
explanatory of the difficulty of supplying
"the charges with pastors according t
their varied wants" If Bro. Noe will
tu,n the leaf on which he found th
language quoted by him. he will ther
lind the summing up of Bro. Eaton
report as follows:
"rhe standard of religious eXperienc
and the tone of personal piety have,
think, not deprecated bat improved some
what during the year; and, as the resul
, of this, and of faithful Christian efforts b
/ ministers and people, many churche
, have enjoyed gracious revival influences
This has been the case in Burlington
, Bristol, Starksboro, Hinesburgh, Middle
bury. Weybridge, Shorehan, Benson
t Rutland and Pittsford; and in some @
, these places large numbers have bee
converted to God. The converts are c
all ages, from childhood to three scor
years and ten, and from ali classes Q
D sinners, from the virtuous youth to tn
q hoary headed infdel and blasphemer
= Probably the number of conversions il
. the district during the year, through tn
, instrumentality of our ministry an
CQurCDeS, mas Deeu SelneluluS ike lou
T hundred, and the number of probationer
f received not far from three hundred an,
q fifty; and the figures in our forthcomin!
+ minutes will doubtless show goo
increase both of probationers and mem
# bers."
e To use the language of Bro. Noe
n "This was the statement of the presidin
n elder of the district at the close of eigh
a years; ana no man was in position t
/, know rs well as he the exact state G
l. things"
: In regard to the statistical comSariso
C upon Burlington district, even if we tax
1t Bro. Noes own figures, there is n net gai
t, of members and probationers, and witt
n the evidence of his own witness, Presidin,
n Elder Eaton, it all goes to show that tn
district in common with other localitie
: was recovering from the depression of th
d war period and beginning to grow il
n numerical strength.
n Meanwhile four church edificcs an
n three parsonages were added to the mum
It ber and the value of church propert
G increased from S87,975 to Sl2l. 800. an