Press and daily Dakotaian. (Yankton, Dakota Territory [S.D.]) 1880-1889, 1888-05-28
FOR PREsBYTERIAN UNION
NEGOTIATION II FoR UNITING THE
CHURCH ycRTH AND SOUTH.

a E
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The COMMITTEES on Onion Reports to tho
Assembly at sffhiiadelplIa and an En-
citing Debate, Sloilpyrs, with Final Ref
erence of tho whole Msttar
PHILADELpHu May 9a.--The after
ernoon session q the Presbyterian gem
eral assembly vas taken up in hearing
the report of tbs committee of confer
ence. This repol from the committee OK
conference with alike committee OF the
Southern assembl on the question of
the union of the .Wp assemblies, recon-
mended that that assembly endorse the
views OF the CONN tttee as expressed In q
letter to the the CT Ennalttee of the South
ern church.
That communities zion, addressed to Rev.
y. D.. Strickler, HID, chairman of the
the southarn comnA tiee, set forth:
Touching our d etrine of the spiritual
ity OF our church our committee beg
leave to say that VIZ, do not conceive 1t to
be any part the dutt with which we are
charged to sit In Judgment of the consis-
tency of our church with itself at differ
emf periods of history \, or to institute any
comparison with a law to this end be-
tween the earlier and later de~liberances
OF It's successive alSemblies; but rather
to represent the pre- asnt attitude of our
church toward certain issues which are
Iegaroed as pending between the bodies
which we respectfully represent. Our
reunited assembly hue no other doctrine
on the whole subjeia Il involved in this
question than quotts. In the Omaha
paper referred to by y ~, to-wit:
"sSynods and cou.1qAs are to handle or
conclude nothing bun which Is ecclesias-
tical, and are not to- bnsddle with civil
affairs which concern be Commonwealth
unless by way OF humh - petition In cases
extraordinary, or by fay Of advice for
the satisfaction Of cons 3ience, ii they be
thereunto required BY the civil magis-
trate."
stAs to the relations d sthe colored peo-
pie in the south to lae church, u
church Is not In favog be setting off It's
colored members into Hepaiate, inde-
pendent organization. We believe that
we have a great work ti do among the
oolored people for theit own salvation
and for the good Of the d juntry, ard that
this is to be done by re- l5anizfnc those
who are in the church al entitled to all
the rights and privilege u that are in
volyed in church membe Ship and ordi-
nation. We believe, too that the great
work among them can onii be fully done
by III churches reunited y one; and This
one strong motive prompting us in our
desire for reunion, we areyif opinion that
our assembly will agree ttEa basis of or
ganic union by which the resent bound
aries and constituencies III the presby-
teries and synods in the stilth shnl re-
main In statu quo, to be chalyite only with
the consent of the parties Il Interested: and
that all new churches and new presby-
tertes hereafter established shall be CT
ganiZed by and received mi b connection
with presbyteries and syn dds respect
lively; as the interested partit y may Ifuiu-
ally agree
After abiding to the powe Invested in
boards OF the church the COMMITTEE |
states:
AS to your further fnqui ~ concern
ing the existence Of heresytI the church,
our answer IL given only with a view to
enable your Committee to ~sprrect the
Misrepresentation which you lay exists
IN our church on this subjeIN in order
that you may lay the facts h.iore your
assembly. We answer empf aticaliy in
the negative. In respect to THU subject
OF doctrine In its various aspel;ts we say
80 far as our knowledge goes here is no
question of doctrine or of policy agitat-
ing any part of our church. Tl,t reunion
OF 1859 was affected on the hi, OF the
without condition, lid we be-
teve that the subscriptions III those
standards on the part Of our ministers
and elders Is frank, sincere ar lEwithouG
reservation. AM
sIn conclusion permit us titexpresa