St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1884-03-14
DIR. NeWman's Case.

NEW YORK, March 13.-The committee of
five appointed by the Congregational council
to report on the case of DR.. Newman, sub
mitted their findings this morning, and the
council went into executive session which
has lasted several hours. 1t is stated that DR..
Newman has notified DR.. Brickley, the pub
Usher, that if he executes his threat to pub
lish articles derogatory to Newman he must
take the consequences of publishing libelous
articles.
At the afternoon session the report Of the
committee was read. 1t declares that the
council has been deeply grieved by the
troubles in the church and the dishonor they
| have brought on the church. The council
has not seen any spirit of alienation so great
| that it cannot be overcome. The church is q
| Congregational church by its doctrine and
| manual, and DR.. Newman admitted the same.
| Though some irregularities prevailed in the
| issuing of the call, on the whole it was regu-
| lar, and the council concluded it had been
validly called. On the first proposition,
''What are DR.. Newman's relations to the
church?" the report says: ''The duties of a
| Congregational pastor are both ecclesiastical
and legal This council believes in
the resolutions of the general council last
year, that declare the council should be in
vited to install tina pastor. Full Congrega-
tional pastorate requires that the installation
of the minister, who is not member of the
church, cannot be full pastor. This coun-
Gil finds DR.. Newman is still Methodist
pastor, and amenable to the local M. E.
| church. Dr. Newman understood the call
made him become the pastor of a Congrega-
tional church when he accepted it. He is
| xybo I>o
ended at any time the church so desires to
end it. The work of the corporation of the
church is secular, that of the society religious.
The members of the society cannot fix the
salary The trustees must concur
in any fixture of salary. We
| see no evidence that DR.. Newman
ever became permanent pastor and there
fore has no claim to any position other than
as acting pastor. The council declines to
| advise concerning the continuance of DR..
| Newman's services. That should be settled
among the members. This, however it does
advise, that at this stated meeting the mem
bers of the church only hold the meeting and
| that the officers and both factions resign and
new officers be elected. At that meeting of
the church members the question of the
| continuance of DR.. Newman's services
| should be decided. We offer this advice
purely in the spirit of harmony. The church
has an undisputed right to hold business
meetings in the church at any time they see
| fit, and the trustees have no right to inter-
fere. 1t is for the church alone to decide
what nature its meeting should be. The
action Of the trustees on February 18th,
in refusing the use of the church to the mem
beers was illegal. The council is apprehen-
sive that the troubles of the church arise
largely on account of temporal questions
concerning the churches. The report con-
cludes by praying that the warning factions
may unite in peace, forgive all differences
and work together for the benefit of the Lord
and the church. The report was adopted by a
unanimous vote of council. Lawyer Abbott
then suggested that there were certain am
biguities in the report and asked permission
to make request. The moderator declared
him out of order, statingtthe decision of coun-
Gil was final. Rev. DR.. VIM. M. Taylor made
the closing prayer, in which he begged the
Almighty to guide the parties of the church
who had differed, and to lead them to labor
together for the good of the church. The
council was then dissolved.