St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1888-05-09
TROUBLESOME DIR. WEST
Again Bobs Up in the Presbytery-
A Species of Censure-Othel
PpOceadinUs

Again BObs Up in the Presbytery-
A Species of CenSure-Other
Proceedings.
The old trouble between Rev. DR..
West, formerly pastor of the First Pres
byterian church of st. Paul, and his
congregation bobbed up serenely at the
meeting of the st. Paul presbytery held
at Westminster church yesterday. The
case has been a particularly annoying
one to all PreSbyterianS in the state dur
ing the two years it has existed, and on
several occasions has caused any amount
OF lll-feeling. The trouble began some
two years ago and had its origin in dis
satisfaction with DR.. West. A number
of meetings were held by the church
members, and it was finally decided to
have him go. AT the meeting of the
preSbytery in Minneapolis about year
ago, DIR. West was formally fired" and
then turned over the key of his church,
which until that time he had held, re-
fusing to allow the church to be opened.
Soon after this DIR. West sued the
church for his salary, claiming that he
had been employed for certain length
of time. Judgment was rendered in his
favor when the case went into the court,
and the church paid him the money
over to the church. however, the books
and papers in his possession. This
caused still more trouble and dissatis-
faction, which was aired at the
last meeting of the presbytery at
Duluth. DR.. West was then formally
ordered to turn over all the books and
papers in his possession, which he has
refused to do. When the matter was
called up yesterday the various points
and differences were discussed with an
emphasis which caused the meeting to
resemble a stormy session of the Min
neapolis common council. The case
had been referred to the judicial COM
mittee at Duluth, and this COM
port: This committee finds that
Rev. n. West, in refusing to deliver
up the books and documents to the
trustees of the First Presbyterian
Church of st. Paul, as requested, is
guilty of disobedience, and should be
censured,"
AT the suggestion of Rev. d. j. Bur-
rell the report was amended by adding
that as Rev. n. West has not complied
with the order of the church, the state
clerk of the presbytery be instructed to
send an order inStructing Dr.. West that
in all Christian honor and common
honesty he should deliver up all books
and documents to the church." Al
though the report recommended that
Dr.. west should be censured, no action
presbytery might be left in peculiar
circumstances. while we do not
censue DIR. West" remarked Rev. Mr..
Hawley, of Hastings, 1--WE still think
that he should be censued roundly."
There has been trouble for a long
time in DR.. Vests church," said one OF
the members, land the doors have been
closed to prevent him from occupying
the pulpit; and now the members of the
church make special request that the
trouble be settled just as soon as pos
Sible,"
A report OF the state of religious work
within the preSbytery was an interest
ing one, and showed that, with few ex-
the state had been perfectly satisfac-
tory, and that the future was very prom
Using. Most all of the churches
have established mission schools,
and some large number.
The only congregation which
has been without pastor during the
year past is that at Pine City. The
work of the church at Litchfield has
met with most remarkable success.
During the past year there have been
forty conversions, and of this number
the larger part are reformed drunkards.
Rev. W. r. Reynolds, of Hudson, Wis,
received call from the Shiloh Presby-
terrain church and accepted the same.
A committee was appointed to arrange
for his installation.
The reports of fifty Sunday schools
showed that there were 707 officers and
teachers and about 1000 scholars who
attended Sabbath school regularly.
Rev. ID. E. Wells was appointed moder-
ator of Bethlehem church. The meet
ing then adjourned to meet at st. Paul
June 3, when it is expected the West
trouble will be settled for good and all.