Evening capital journal. (Salem, Or.) 1888-1893, 1890-05-03
A RUPTURED CHURCH.
Exciting Scenes at the Evan
gelical Conference in Al
bany Yesterday.
THE STATEMENTS OF BOTH FACTIONS
4 Controversy That viii End
i'm a Lawsuit for Church
Property.

ALBANY, May s. Herald re-
port. AT the annual meeting of
the conference of the Evangelical
church in this city yesterday there
occurred 4 scene which resulted in
the complete rupture OF the church
into two opposing factions. The
trouble was simply the carrying of
the eastern row in the church into
the Oregon conference.
AS soon as the church doors were
opened an exciting scene was in
augurated. The suspended bishop.
Thomas Bowman, at the head Of
one faction and c. c. Polling, the
presiding elder, as the head of the
anti-Bowman faction, each made a
rush for the chair. Somc very loud
talking was done, and almost n
physical encounter ensued, the ma
jority, with the books and the
money in the treasury in their pos
session, left the church after some
balf dozen of the ministers had been
declared suspended by Bowman,
and went to the NJ. f. church South
and held conference of their own,
the others remaining in the Evan
gelical. AS both sides appointed
reporters, the statement of hnth
factions is given.
The rupture will probably result
in a law suit for the possession Of the
church property.
THE ANTI-BOwMAN FACTION.
The Oregon conference OF the
Evangelical association as is well
known was called to meet in AL
bany, May ,, 1890. Having receiv-
ed an official notification that BiSh-
op Thomas Bowman had been tried
in a disciplinary manner by COM
mittee of 10 elders, III good standing
in the church, who, after careful,
thorough and impartial investiga-
ton of the charges preferred against
him, had suspended him from all
official functions, this conference
was left without a presiding officer,
The suspended bishop, however,
came to the conference session ignor-
ing the verdict of the committee
and determined at all hazards to
preside in the face Of the fact that ii
large majority of the conference held
that the book of discipline OF the
church should be respected, wherein
it forbids a suspended bishop to per
form any official functions.
Ignoring the desire Of the con
ference, he attempted to take tho
chair, and to accomplish his pur
poses declared members Of the con
ference suspended, simply because
they opposed his plans and stood
by their convictions of right and by
the law of the church. A majority
of the members of the conference
eleven in number, however, organ
lied by electing Rev. j. BowersoN,
the pioneer missionary of the church
as president. This man who has
labored with great Self.sacrifce and
undated zeal for - years oI tn,
coast was summdrily declared suo
pended because he dared question th
suspended bishops right to presid,
and lord it over the conference. No
satisfied with this a motion wa
passed by the bishop and his five adj
herents that BOwersoX with severa
) others he placed under arrest
Seeing that all efforts to have Gu
rights recognized and the discipline
of the church respected, we adjourn
: ed to hold our conference in the NJ
! f. Church South. Does the publi
ask why?
/. Two applicants for the minis
try were refused examination b'
= cause they answered in the atfirmi
tive when asked whether they b,
r lieved that Bishop Thomas Bow
man had been legally suspended.
>. Two men being appointed b
I the board of missions to the Orego
/ conference during the year, and a
q it is customary for the conference t
. pay 0nc-half of the travelling e.
{ penses Of such appointees, the M
q iOrity of the conference agre d
: do so again, provided that two oth'
i men with proper credentials, be a.
= received into the conference. !
this the cx-nishop's adherents, Vol
ing hissentlmenta, positively refuse
II to agree.
i 3. Threats were made that Sc
eral prominent members Of this go
ference would be suspended becau
they had circulated religious =
lr per known as the Evangelical, az
? because they had furnished eyideD
2, to the committee that tried and su
+ pended Bishop J. J. Esher. All
a. forts to learn whether these thrcl
b. would be be carried out were m
with such replies as Indicated lh
they would be carried our at a
cost
ri /. The epithet publishing ho1
robbers" applied to u by a
would be bishop, we declare to be
base SANDER, as We demand npthi
ol more than the money appropriate
IL year ago for services which gt
rendered during this past year.
These are but few Of the ma
oi reasons aud facts which we mig
place before the public, and viii