Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1889-05-10
ONE NEGRO ALLOWED
Southern EpiscOpalians Admit a Sol
itary ColOred Clergyman,
BUT PUT THE LINE RIGHT THERE,
The Result is a Compromise Between Con-
tending Factions.
ca1rr crnFnFPS REFUSE TO RETURN
SOME sECEDERS REFUSE 10 RETURN
,spxor,r, TELEGRAM TO THE D1srArcH.,

,sprorAI TELEGRAM 10 THE DIsPArcHl
CHARLESTON, S. c., May e.-The Epis.
coDal Diocesan Convention, in session al
Aiken. has finally settled the negro ques-
tion. After the convention was organized
Bishop Howe delivered his address, in which
is the following reference to the negro ques.
ton:
'The questions which have rent us asun-
der have no doubt tended to cool interest in
one another, and to impede diocesan work.
whether these questions can be settled SO
that we can all work harmoniously together
once more and the parishes resume their ac.
customed places remains to be seen. I am
not sanguine here, but of one thing am as
sured, however il may go out with us, and
however parishes may go out one by one
like sparks up the chimney on winters
night, 1 am sure that the church to which
we belong will, as a whole, in the future Of
this country increase and be glorifed. Our
constitution provides the qualification for
clerical delegates.
NOTHING ABOUT COLOR.
''There is no word of color in that canon.
1t simply says: AN ordained Christian
minister, one in holy orders Now if you
would have me add color to the definition
and say, for instance, "a white man in holy
orders 1 answer thai cannot do it because
you are substituting 3 local for an ecclesi-
astical definition. You urge possibly the
opinion of gentlemen learned in the law,
and 1 answer that while yield great re-
spect to the reference in matters pertaining
to life and property and civil affairs, l must,
rolo f0 nh
canons and constitutions, follow my own
conscientious convictions.
81 must use my own eyes and not an
others. I say these things partly by way of
self-Yindication, partly for another reason.
In Standardization because l learn that
some thought that 1 ought for peace sake to
leave off from my list names of colored
clergymen who come up to canonicaI requi-
sitions and constitutional acquisitions. If
/ could even think of such a thing 1 should
be unworthy of my position and of you who
invited me to it.
The bishops party had majority Of the
convention. The lay delegates from the 13
seeding churches were present. The only
colored delegate at the convention was the
Rev. Pollard, known in this controversy as
the bone of contention.
THE sECEDERs' PLEA.
EarlY IN Ine proceedings the SeceQers pre-
sented themselves in q body and read an ad-
dress in which they announced their will
ingness to return to the convention, pro-
vided there was to be an entire separation
of the races. Next was submitted an
amendment to the constitution defining the
qualifications of clerical delegates in such a
manner as to exclude negro clergymen who
may hereafter apply for admission, but in
effect admitting the Rev. Pollard, the bone
OF contention.
A fight was made on this by the anti
FsgAp party, but it was finally passed and
mas be again passed at the convention of
Lo5O G-two-thirds vote. The upshot of
the pie matter was that majority OF the
secede accepted the compromise and re-
turned their allegiance to the convention.
About half dozen marched out of the
SonVentt ton, declaring they would not sit in
has- long as a negro occupied a seat.
There are four negro churches in the dio-
cese, none Of whom have elected lay dele
gates to the convention for the past five or
six years. The Rev. Pollard is the only
colored clergyman whose name appears on
the bishops roll. The plan for the future
will be the organization of the colored
churches into separate mission. Leading
Episcopalians seem to think the matter
settled and that they are at an end of the
dissention.