Belmont chronicle. [volume] (St. Clairsville, Ohio) 1855-1973, 1890-05-22
BALLOT NOT REACHED.
A MOTION TO REcOMMIT TO THE
REVISION COMMITTEE.

Before the Vote Could be Taken the Time
for Adjournment Acknowledgements
Beaver Took the Platform and Argued
Against the Adoption of the Report
No End to the Changes That Will be
Made in the Near Future, if the Re-
port be Adopted.
SARATOGA, May 19.-The first half
hour of the morning session of the Pres
byterian general assembly Saturday was
devoted to religious exercises. In antic-
ipation of the exciting discussion which
will take place of questions involving
the absorbing subject of revision a great
congregation gathered. The Christian
greetings of the assembly were voted to
be sent to the Southern church and to
the United church. The committee on
the revision of proof texts and of the
larger catechism made report that they
had nearly completed the revision of the
confession of faith. With the revision
of the creed itself they had nothing
to do. They reported progress, asked
for the continuance of the committee
and will make full and final report to
the next general assembly.
The Question of the Hour.
The discussion of the report of the
committee on methods of revision, con-
ton as the special order from Friday.
was resumed. Saturday it was agreed
that DR.. Howard Crosby, to be followed
by DIR. Robert NJ. Patterson, begin the
discussion. DIR. Howard Crosby was
greeted with applause. He said, in part:
THE report Of your committee on the
methods of revision brings before US
just two questions, namely, Can the
constitution of the Presbyterian church
and its confession of faith be amended,
and if so, how All constitutions and
all fundamental laws can be amended.
To say they cannot is simply to give
utterance to nondescript absurdity.
There is no arbitrary power over US that
binds our intelligence and makes it i'm
possible for us to move" DR.. Patterson
declared and quoted from the discipline
passages to prove that the general as
sembly has legislative authority. Under
the ten-minute rule Governor Beaver,
supplementing his one leg with a crutch,
took the platform and argued against
the adoption of the report of its cOmit-
tee
On Methods of Revision.
He said: Il am in perfect sympathy
with the object to be obtained by the
overture, and yet I cannot vote for it.
do not believe that the adopting act
binds this assembly or any assembly
hard and fast. This overture should be
tN tho hoo o,,1 no
amended as that all danger shall be
eliminated from it." The next speaker,
the Rev. DR.. Hoyt, said: ''This report,
it is claimed, is intended to make re-
vision easier, but think revision ought
not be made easier. The age in which
we live is too apt to make changes easy
Shall it be made easier to change the
confession of faith than it is to amend
the constitution of the United States,
which requires three-fourths of the
states to ratify, while we require only
two-thirds of the Presbyteries. If we
adopted this report, then there will be
no end of the changes that will be made
in the future. Adopt this report and
the Presbyterian church will be
Launched Upon Sea of Troubles.
Let us go slowly. 1t is not a matter
of life and death that this report should
be adopted now. Let US be cautious
how we put our hand upon the ark
which contains the faith and form of
this great church founded by the in
spired wisdom of our fathers" With
the suggestions of some amendments
Judge Hand, of Binghamton, moved
that the report be recommitted to the
committee. This was surprise and
caused confusion The enemies of the
report, seeing their advantage, were
prompt to second the motion and to call
for the question. As vote was about
to be taken, it was discovered that the
hour of adjournment had arrived and
the moderator's attention being called to
the fact he declared the assembly ad-