Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1896-05-29
PRAYER FOR ST. LOUIS
This the First Ac! In The Southern
Presbyterian Assembly.
CHARACTERIZATION.
COLOREU
Proposition TO Abolish the Execu-
tive Committee Gives Rise to n
Heated DiscussiOn-The EnsIOw
Observation-Disclosures Home.

| prayer Tor the city of ST. Louis in its
calamity and affiiction
A protest was admitted to record from
q number OF members against the action
| approving the contract between the as
sembly's home and the city OF Fredc-
ricksburg. The contract was placed on
the record as an answer to the protest
and in answer to the overture OF the
West Hanover Presbytery.
The assembly determined that the as
scmbly fund be apportioned among the
presbyteries on the basis of / cent to
each COMMUNICATE.
Several hours were spent on colored
evangelization. a substitute. proposing
to abolish the Executive Committee was
defeated. IT was recommended TO the
Executive Committee that, IL IL see fit,
1t employ white evangelist, with a col
Ored associate. for the evangelization OF
the coiored people
The vote OH the Ensow complaint
against the Synod Of South Carolina was:
TO sustain, ~; 10 sustain in part, 81, not
TO sustain, 119.
At the afternoon meeting the assembly
acted on the report from the Committee
on Bills and Oyertures. to the effect that
a pastor should be installed by presby-
terry or by a commission. and not by a
committee; that commission should not
proceed without a quorum; that in a
vacant church, with but one elder, that
elder does not constitute a session.
The assembly heard the complaint OF
several persons against the Synod VI
Memphis.
A HEATED SESSION.
MEMPHIS, May 2S.-The Southern Pres
| byterian Assembly held u heated session
| this morning. Rev. DR.. Praig of Tusca-
loosa, Ala, made a strong effort to have
the Executive Committee on colored evan
| gelization abolished and the work placed
In the hands of the secretary of home
missions. lie said that under Or. Craig
there was steady increase Of receipts,
| but under DIR. Phillips. the secretary.
there had been great decrease In the
last three years. while the expenses bore
| larger proportion TO the receipts than
any other branch OF the work The ex-
penses of the foreign mission Office were
f-5 per cent. and Of the home mission
| Office per cent. Of the receipts. while the
colored evangelistic work absorbed 30 per
cent. of the receipts. zone hundred and
thirty-siX dollars goes TO the secretary
for salary and expenses for every one
hundred dollars divided among the forty
or forty-hve colored preachers"
He said that there would be saving
to the church OF S2.4Oo per annum if his
substitute prevailed. He gave facts and
figures for all his statements.
Drs. Hemphill and James /. Vance at
tempted to silence DR.. Praig by flibuster-
ing tactics. but by a two-thirds vote he
was permitted TO proceed. His substitute
was lost by a large majority. The COM
mittee and secretary were reelected.
A protest. signed by thirty-four COM
missionors, was recorded without answer
against the assembly's action on the
home and school
Rev. Paul +. Brown reported n strong
paper on the address Of Rev. r. f. Steele
chaplain of the New Orleans Seamen's
Bethel
At u O'clock the assembly took vote
on the judicial case between Elder Enslow
and the Synod Of South Carolina. and
decided by vote Of us TO sustain the
synod, 20 voting to sustain the presby-
terry, and voting TO sustain in part.
PROTEST.
The protest was as follows:
1.-THE undersigned do solemnly protest
against the action OF the assembly in
adopting the answer Of the standing COM
mittee on the Assembly's Home and
School to the overture from the Presby-
terry OF ST. Louis, and we base our pro-
test upon the following points:
81. That we believe il to be in direct
violation OF our time-honored principles
and departure from unbroken custom in
refusing TO accept State aid in support OF
UNCONVENTIONAL and religious work
''2. That ii is inexpedient. providing
constant menace to our peace. and
likelihood of frequent embarrassment ana
expense in defending suits at law liable TO
arise under the peculiar nature OF the
contract, and in jeopardizing the interests
Of the home and school before the Church
and world.
''3. That IL will be a source of grief and
regret to a large constituency in our
church, furnish occasion 10 our enemies
to taunt US with inconsistency. and thus
affix stigma upon the fair name of the
Bride OF Christ. whose reputation, no less
than whose character. should be without
spot or wrinkle or any such thing"
Signed by Aiessrs. Lambdin. Ryland,
Brannon. Praig. Tldball, Duncan, Green,
Trenholm, Mccain, Virgins, Cameron,
Brown. Jones, Carson, Glenn, Engle. Tel
ford, aKestler. Bocock. Holt. Tate, Rens-
ford, Craig. Woodrow Woodbridge. Van
lear, Powell Kennedy, Miller, McAlpine,
and others.
II was answered later I'm the day by
admitting a copy of the contract also to
the minutes.
IMPORTANT SESSION.
The afternoon session was an important
one. Several answers 10 overtures inter-
prsting the Constitution OF the Church
Among the answers to overtures were
the following:
The installation Of pastor must be by
a presbytery or a commission Of presby-
terry.
When church has only one elder he
does not constitute a session, and cannot
act as such. This was warmly debated,
but the answer was adopted, and the
assembly took up a judicial case against
the Synod OF Memphis. Argument was
still proceeding when the assembly took
a recess at o'clock TO meet again at
S p NJ.
The time-honored custom of the Pres
byterian Church Of the South Is to have
no dealings with political parties. The
following telegram, received after the
assembly closed tonight was noticed IA
no way:
"Pittsburg. Pa. May %, 1896.
"To the Southern Presbyterian Assembly,
Memphis Tenn:
"The Prohibition party gives assurance
that it will take no backward step IN
its relentless war against the arch-enemy
of God and humanity, the licensed liquor
traffic.
I'D. O. W. STEWART. Chairman.
"A. T. Wilson. Secretary"
Arguments were continued on the |
judicial case. which involved the distinc-
tion between a commission and COM
mittee.