The herald., 1895-07-01
F|RSTPRESDYTER|ANC CHURCH
Rev. Howard Explains the Stu.
alton to His People
A DlGNIFIED, ABLE ADDRESS
The Congregation Must Decide Wat
Course to Pursue
A Question of Submission to Unjust Demands
or Of Being Made an Independent
Church

DTOCecQ6Q
nified, logical, able address, ed An
Explanation to the Congregation of the
First Presbyterian Church:
My Dear People The notice which has
Just been read In your hearing, together
with my own relations to the presbytery
and to you make it imperative upon me
to offer a word or two of explanation in
order that there may be no misunder-
standing either in your action or in mine.
In what 1 am about to say, there is no
feeling of bitterness nor desire to influence
you undulv nor to prejudice you in what
you may think or do. l nave no words
of reproach for the presbytery of Los An.
geles and although I am convinced that
their actions in relation to this church
have been hasty and in transgression of
their rightful authority, l nave no dispo'
sition at this time TO enter into any con-
troversy over the matter nor to discuss
the case on its merits. Today I shall con-
fine m ,self to a calm statement OF GER
tain essen tial facts, in order to set you
right in your views of the significance OF
any action you may take at the meeting
called for tomorrow evening, and to set
my own position clearly before you.
There is small need to review in any
oXl00QeO ADDRESS tue events UnaG nave leu
up to the present state of things. You
are all aware of the fact that in the meet
ing of the presbytery in San Diego rec
ummendation was passed by the presby-
terry, recommendation which met with
the approval of the delegates from the
First Presbyterian church, suggesting
that should any consid derable nun ber of
members feel it incumbent upon them to
remain in the center of the city and or
ganize a church there, an equitable dlvi-
sion of the funds of the First church be
made. You also remember, for these
events are quite recent, that no steps
were taken to organize church out of
the members who wished to remain down
town. and that no one was authorized to
receive any moneys that might be set
apart for the uses of that portion of the
First church who should go out from it.
You will call to mind, too, the fact on
which have no comment to make, that
in just fourteen days from the adjourn
ment of the presbytery. and before any
data were given by which the recon-
mendations of that presbytery could be
carried ont, a special meeting of the pres
bytery was called demanding that the
First Presbyterian church itself, as well as
its property be divided by arbitrary act of
the presbytery. At the meeting of the
presbytery held in the Second church of
this city, pursuant to the call mentioned,
the.old First church. which wa have all
loved and for which we have given our
time and our strength and our prayers
and our tears, was declared no longer in
existence, while out of its destruction
there were declared to be erected two new
churches to be known as the Westminster
and the Central. In spite of our protests
and our pleading our name was taken
from us and our sa cred associations rude
ly broken. 1t was stated in extenuation
of this action of the presbytery that it
was necessary in order TO have a legal
hold on the money of the corporation.
In other words, the old mother church
was destroyed for revenue. AS to the
moral and ethical aspect of this action
have no word to offer.
Believing that the action OF the pres
bytery was not in accord with the laws Of
the church or of the state, We still called
ourselves the First Presbyterian Church
of Los Angeles, as We do now, and We
issued letters of dismissal in the old
form. At the same meeting of the pres
bytery that took from US our name and
our history, committee was appointed
to settle the affairs of the corporation
known as the First Presbyterian Church,
and 10 divide its property between the al
legged Westminster church and the pro-
posed Central church. This committee
met on the 22d of May, and without
going into any investigation whatever
as to the correctness OF the list OF names
presented to them as bona hde members
of the Central church, proceeded to award
them the sum of $23, 79l. We have never
contested the right of the Central church
to assistance. But we regarded the
amount awarded by the presbytery as out
of all Just demands. Without rehearsng
what you all know. that the trustees of
this church have no right to disDurse
moneys of the church except on the re-
quest OF the congregation, and that the
session has no jurisdiction whatever over
the congregation acting in Its corporate
capacity. And as you know, at your an
nual meeting you, by vote of 132 to 10,
instructed the trustees to proceed with
the erection of church on the site pur-
chased on Twentieth street; pursuant to
these Instructions the trustees and COM
mittee have selected a plan and entered
into contract with parties to have the
same built at cost OF some $30 600. The
contractor, knowing of the disturbances in
the church, required some guarantee that
the money would be paid when the
church was built, and to assure him, the
trustees placed the money In the Lands of
guarantors, the same to be paid to the con-
tractor as the work progresses, and on
completion. The church when built will
absorb what funds We have on hand, and
to make a payment to the Central church
would require the raising of funds by the
sale of our church property on compile
tion, or subscriptions by our members.
situation before the meeting next Monday
evening.
l pass on to review as briefly as posi-
bic the subsequent proceedings. Another
special meeting OF the presbytery, also
held in the Second churcn, on June oath
heard the report of the committee of
award and adopted its decision. At the
same time another committee was ap-
pointed to meet the session uf that part
OF the church remaining after the Central
church was ses off from us, to put 10 us
certain questions defining our attitude to-
ward the authority Of the presbyteiy.
That meeting was held Thursday nioht,
June 27th in the office Of Mr.. j. c. Sails
bury. Th session was present with the
exception of Mr.. II. q. Wyle, who .iever-
theless agrees in the attitude OF the ses-
sion as ther taken. Several questions
were propounded to the session for di-
Yect answer. The object of the questions,
IS stated by the committee Of the pres
byterv. was in order TO inform The pres
with relation TO the authority of the
presbytery.
In answer to the first inquiry, Do you
recognize the authority OF presbytery
under the constitution of the Presbyte-
rian church in the United States Of Amer
ica? we all replied, Yes"
The second question was, Why do you
advertise yourselves as the First Presbyte-
rian church and issue letters in the name
of the First Presbyterian church, when
the presbytery has given you the name
Westminster, l will not repeat the rea-
sons assigned. 1t is enough to say that
IL was for reasons that seemed good and
uftcient TO us, and that it was done