The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1893-05-23
PROF. BRIGGS VICTORY.
The General Assembly Decides to
Allow the Judicial Com
mittee to Consider

WASHINGTON. May 20. 1Ss3.-A halt
hours devotion. conducted by the Rev.
A. Nelson Halliield. of Newark, n. j..
began the business of the General As
sembly today. Under the rules, DIR.
Young, Chairman of the COMMITTEES on
Bills and Overtures. TOOK the floor to
present a report from that committee
distributing a number of bills and over
lures to the several committees OF the
bearing directly or indirectly. upon
the case before the Judicial Com
mittee (the Briggs easel Il THESE
were recommended TO be sent TO
that COMMITTEES. Inc Rev. DR.. Chsiies
H. Booth Of New York secured the hoor,
and stated that he desired TO enter his
protest against the obvious attempt 10
influence the Judicial Committee. a sort
OF trial court. by pouring IN upon it
these overtures, for and against the case,
which 1t was considering. He SAID
he thought sucn action false In principle,
and fatal in policy.
Prof. Brown. Prof. Briggs c%o-laborer
and symparhizer in Uni6h Theological
Seminary, answered Mr.. Booth. He
said:-"There are some of us here who
are glad to know that there are fifty
or sixty of these overtures that
have been sent to the Committee
on the Judiciary. But think
DIR. Booth mistakes the functions OF that
committee. 1t is the business of the COM
port business to the Assembly for DISPOSE
ton here. We ave a right to know the
sentiment of the church upon any sub
ject before il, and the only proper way TO
secure a knowledge OF that sentiment is
through the committeesof the Assembly"
DR.. Young explained that the committee
in making its report on this occasion had
but followed the precedent established by
the Assembly yesterday. ana it would be
only consistent, should the AS
sembly decide not to send these
overtures to the Committee on Judiciary,
to recall those that had already been sent
there. He desired to correct DIR. Booths
figures, and stated that instead OF ntty
or sixty Ov~eratures already be-
fore the committee there were but
twelve or fifteen. The action of the COM
mittee upon this question was not unanl-
nous. he exclaimed, but an overwhelmn-
ing majority had voted that way.
The debate on this subject waxed warm
for some time, but the Briggs contingent
seemed to have the better OF tthe debate.
The Raw. Thomas C. Hall of Chicago de-
clared s'that presidents and prac-
tices In civil courts have no
weight with us. No Court would
nave taken up the prosecution OF. an inno-
cent man. Ecclesiastical presidents are
overwhelmingly In favor OF the right OF
petition. 1t is q right that every citizen
possesses These remorks were greeted
with loud applause.
DR.. Young. in concluding the decision,
which was cut short by the arrival of the
hour for the consideration of q special
order, although efforts were made to
continue it for a quarter of an hour
stated thai the Committee nae
no zeal in this matter, unless 1t was for
consistency of action on the part OF the
General Assembly. "We are in favor Of
giving the committee all the light upon
the subject possible. We have nothing
hold back; we have no fear Of the final
result. Give what may be called The
weaker slde.n
II you please. the benefit OF all the
doubt in the premises. Tn recommended
tion Of the committee as to the DISPOSE
tfon Of the oyertures was then adopted
by Q decisive vote in the majority.