The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1892-12-28
TO VOTE ON THE BRIGGS CASE
PREsBYTERY MEETS TO- DAY TO MAKE
UP ITS YERDICT.

Proposed Restriction or Explanatory
speeches to Hasten tho votinr-Conv,o-
tion by - Small Majority Is Probable.
Within tho next two days the vcxatlous
question whether Prof. Briggs is a heretic or
not. which has boon agitating the whole Pres.
byterian Church for neary two years. will 10
settled as far as tho New York Prosbytery Ia
concerned. For nearly three weeks the 100
odd members OF the Presbytery have been lis
tcning patiently to the evidence and argu-
ments OF the prosecution and defence and to.
day the court will reconvene at . o'clock TO
vote on the charges brought against the theo-
logical professor by tho committee OF prose.
cution. There are many preliminarcs that
must be arranged before the actual vote is
taken. and these will occupy two and possibly
three sessionss When tho Presbytcry has do.
cided just who arc to constitute the court and
who are entitled to vote. tickets Of admission
will be given to the members OF tho Prcsby.
tory entitled to vote. and oil others, even Prof
Briggs and tho com mittee OF prosecution. will
be rigidly excluded from the lecture room OF
tho Scotch Presbyterian Church. where the
voting Is to be done.
According to the book OF discipline OF the
Church cvery member Of the court has right
to explain his vote before casting it for or
against the accused and unless some restric.
ton Is placed on the sneeches with which
many members have primed themselves the
voting will be prolonged over IN indefinite
period. Then. too. there are six charges upon
which Prof Briggs has been tried Ono OF
these charges was split into two by the vote Of
the Fresbytery, ind another was split into
three. It was agreed that separate vote
should DO taken on each OF these sub charges.
so that every member OF the court must vote
nine times on rs many different charges.
ha rp1 nf fhn 10 lat for oh
OF those charges. and each man ia allowed to
make speech as his name is called. the voting
OF the court may he carried into the middle OF
January The Rev. Charles L. Thompson OF
tho Madison Avenue Presbyterian Church hns
q plan which will be nut before the Presbytery
TO-DAY which has for its purpose tho obviating
luton the roll OF tho rrcsbytory viii be called
Ert on.e and each member will vote No or
les on NJ the charges Mt once. Each men,
her is to have but ten minutes to explain his
vote under DIR. Thomnson's resolution.
in the past two weeks as TO, what tho verdict
o. Prot; Brlggs,s Jurors will be. Many Of the
first. Union ThsoloSical Seminary. through
It's faculty and directors. has u large repre-
w e. east the cr T p4 ss these ,
rromisingly opposed to Prof, BrlGSs's views
cred. and they, have not been shaken In tho
lsnst by tho long argument of. Prof. Briggs.
roll OF the court and from the votes taken in
the past aud the views expressed by
many. 1t is possible Ia estimate very close.
~ whit the final vote upon the question OF
conviction olr ct Or acGuit!al will be- The greshy-
nents Of pr. Briggs so evenly that an almost
perfect balance is maintained between the
two sides. There are now ] 30 ministers and
few moro ,namos under consideration which
may be added to-day They are DR. Shedd.
pr. Parkhurst. Dr. Paxton. and one or two
others who have been absent several days in
given they cannot vote under the rule OF the
book. The balance is 50 even that these few
names would hc enough TO carry the decision
to one side or the, other. There ara only
three three or four men in the court whose posi-
nS' ea9eu the esn na of hs
whole court. has been quietly made ~
nropresen,ative of the ommittee Of prosecM:
not disclose the result. As it looks now Prof.
briggs will be convicted by vote Of about 20
oO1 These figures are the result OF very
close calculations. change, in two, votes
Int in this case the moderator. the Rev. DR..
Bliss. would hnvo the casting vote. and it Is
expected that his vote will be Tor the prosecu.
ton would prohasiv : suit se in Fro B S2as
being suspended from the ministry. He would
undoubtedly anpaai to the Synod Rni from
there to the General Assembly but In the
duties IS Professor Of biblical Theology %. IN
f Proi fmf enry Smith o, Lane Seminary who
hns Just been tried before the Cincinnati Pres
bytery; was convicted by tho close vote OF 1927 to
fully hs close. and his friends say that with the
vote as close rs this the victory OF the prosecu.
ton would DO but a nominal one.