The Atlanta constitution. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1885-19??, 1893-05-30
DIR. BRIGGS.

q I w.
| DIR. BRIGGS
| commissioners in attendance upon the as.
| sembly by the trustees and oVerseerS OF
| Columbia university from to = O'Clock
| Thursday afternoon.
| Commissioner Cutcheon, of Detroit stated
| that there was an overture from his presby-
| tery and in view of that fact he supported
the motion to refer all the Briggs ovcrtures
! to the judiciary COMMITTEES. lie conplalheh
| that the moderator had not permitted nm
to speak, although he had been repeatedly
| upon his feet. Mr.. Cutcheon said he would
| appeal from the decision of the chair and
| was applauded. The resolution was adopted.
The Briggs Case Again
| Another outbreak on the Briggs case &c"
CURED just before the morning adjournment
| DR.. Young, chairman OF the committee on
| bills and oyertures, said the oyertureS from
| the presbyteries of Chicago and Detroit,
which, he said had been described by DR..
Johnson and Elder Cutcheon as bearing
| directly upon the Briggs case, had been
found, upon examination, to contain no
reference whatever to any special case likely
TO become before the assembly, bat referred
| wholly to proposed changes ii the standards
| of the church. He, therefore, recommended
that the former rccomme ndaton OF the com
mittee to adhered to and the two overtureS
sent to the committee Oh church policy.
DR.. Pugh, of Bloomington, declared that
the assembly was bound by the terms of
adelphia lawyer to lind III it one expression
that would properly send it to the judicial
| committee
This statement was met with loud clap
| ping of hands.
Rev. A. Nj. Hollficd said the committee
| had dome its duty. but at the same time
| there was some friction, and he believed ne
| saw way out of the difficulty lie moved
that copies of the ov.ertnreS be SEM TO 'ne
judicial committee Tor their information,
| and that the originals be sent to the com
| mittee on church policy.
This did not mcet with the approval OF
either side.
elder Euclaly, of Cincinnati, could not see
why the assembly was called upon to ylo-
late the law of the church because 1t had
been minated that some particular case
| was to come before the assembly fof trlai-
| He had heard nothing OF the case sale III
| ton referred simply to change CT chufch
policy, and he could see no reason why an
exception should be made i'll this case.
| Everybody wanted a vote on the amend.
mani md when Or. Charles II. Booth, of
New York, arose and stepped to the front
| he WAS met with a dcafcnlng demand !or
the question. The distinguished dNliI
| calmly waved aside the demonstrating, ana
| when ii had quoted down. Shouteu' Uu
were to call for the question lor an noul
WON cn,ld NOT nut me down 80. l am from
RriclIv then he stated that he was OPP
| posed to the amendment Tor the reason, ,il''.
# introduced the element of popular clamor
| into thc proceedings of a dcllberallve noaF.
After further discussion by PROFESSOR
Brown. of Union seminary. and f-iHer :.
Cutchcon, of Detroit, the Amendment WIS i
lost and the oyCrtureS We're SIM ~
| committee on church policy by q vote 'nat
met with practically no opposition from 'ne
Briggs men.
Washington May -1.-The Presbyterian sui-
''t"N''''o
eral assemnl, devoted the morning 'esS'0N uA'
| cussng foreign missions. ,,+,,. GRAVE,
| Al the afternoon session Moderator N'"l-
| convened the assembly as court. ne. Voi ~
| II rakrr chairman. reported lhat thc J""i, 49,
| committee unanimously recommended t ,
! prosecuting committe" he ailo"co oN i, -,
| omen IFS case; that five hours DC So ~
| Ir,fessor briggs and that the commute NC
| given two hours III Wnith ~ O'"N' -
| tended if desired to four hours s.,, .h
| AZ DIR briggs assembled the platform 'ne
| quiet of the vast audience was llt'',
| remarks were but preliminary, ana MS oPVli
| ing sentence was spoken WIN d ui't'
| that penetrated the entire mouse.
| 81 reorpt " said he, ITO come beforc you III
| this hot weather with Il request for more tlle'
| The importance of the subject ho"r.el' le
! qures it, and | am glad thc colhH't'r it'
| conceded IT, | will shorten it so t;r us can.
| NV argument on the basis of the printed APP
peal will consume four and half hours ana
! | have allowed myself a half hour III when
} to reply TO any argument when may no'
| have anticipateC -,
q uumher Of complaints now before me New
| York synod and still more to be presented TO
! it, and he thought to have tAe perlHlsSloA 10
| have them read, the same as WAS SlNth' IS ne
| asserted to the others sue. with
| the understandings that he would be per
! mitted to have them printed, Dr. Briggs SAID
that he would not tire the assembly i'll read'ns
| them now.
DE- Briggs went on to argue that the form
of the appeal was incorrect, and THAI there
were many things i'll it which must be re-
| moved before the general assembly could en-
! terrain it. He also pointed out matters IN
cuded in the appeal which, he said, ''Idered
| it invalid.
DR.. Briggs asserted in the next place, that
the final Judgment of the presbytery i'll his
case was really declared by the moderator of
| the New York presbytery '~cemDer 80,
1892, and from that appeal should be taken,
| if from any action of the prcsbytery, and noe
from the action on January D.
1893. He was not to be ex-
posed to the peril that lay in posi-
bic change of composition in the body in the
| interim not put i'll jeopardy Il second time
| because of Il mistake by the court which tried
| him at debate subsequent to that on which
! the final judgment was really delivered. If
| any man thought these objections We're puer-
lie and technical, let him put himself in his
place Why should he waive amy of his rights
| when the prosecution was endeavoriug to take
| his ecclesiastical life?
| The public prosecutors were pushing the
! Presbyterian church into very inconsistent
| and dangerous position. They were endcavor-
| iny to secure definitions of dogma by
| final Judgment in hcresy trial, when they
ought to aim to secure them by oyerturcs in
| accordance with the provisions of the form
| of government. The form of government pre-
| scribed their paths, not the Book of Discip-
| line.
Dr. Briggs spoke for an hour and a half
! and then yielded for n motion to adjourn.
! Against Briggs.
! Washington, May 26.-By vote of 400 to
| 143 the Presbyterian general assembly this
afternoon decided to entertain the appeal
case of Dr.. Briggs. and the assembly will
| proceed with his trial tomorrow morning.
| The roll call on the resolution that the
appeal be entertained began at 415 O'Clock p.
! m 1t was taken amid almost painful silence,
| during which the defendant watched with fe-