The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1897-05-26
DISC0RD LATER IN THE DAY
WHEN THE HOME MISSIONS COMMIT
TEE REPORT WAS TAKEN UP.
One Secretary to BE DrOpped-Echo of
the Briggs Case That Escaped No.
tice OF Many Commissioners.
Special to the Indlananolis Journal.

! Special to the Indianapolis Journal.
EAGLE LAKE, Ind May 25-Perfect
harmony was the unexpected result in the
| final consideration of the New York build
| ing matter by the General Assembly this
| afternoon, and by a unanimous vote the
majority report of the committee was
adopted. That the tumult which has char
acterized the session of the assembly during
the past few days when the New York
building has been up for consideration
should have given place this afternoon TO
such a symphony of sweetness and accord
is the cause of as much surprise as it is of
congratulations among the commissioners.
TO Rev. DR.. Withrow, chairman of the
committee, belongs the credit, for his was
the persuasive voice which brought har-
mony out of discord and the hand which
dispensed the needed Oil upon the troubled
waters.
The subject came up as the first order of
the afternoon, the committee on aid to COL
leges having yielded the floor from 2:30 to
! O'Clock providing it should be agreed to
| take the vote during the hour and a half
| granted. A few speeches, none of them
| particularly eloquent, were made on both
sides of the question, and the assembly be-
| gan to call for DR.. Withrow. AS chairman
! of the committee he would be allowed the
! last thirty minutes before the vote, but in
! response to the repeated calls he took the
| floor Immediately. Even the most bitter of
| the opposition commissioners could not
| treat with disrespect the lovable and sweet
! tempered man who now undertook to har-
monize the factions. With clear logical,
minute explanation, and touching appeals
to the feeling of his hearers, he went over
| the entire ground. Before he was near
| through it became apparent that his speech
| was telling and that much of the opposition
was giving away.
copy of the Indianapolis Journal figured
largely in the good work, for holding a
| copy of this mornings edition aloft, Dr.
| Withrow said: Il hold in my hand a copy
| of an Indianapolis newspaper which tells
of stormy session yesterday under a
Il headline in which the word 'wrangle' is
fused But that is now ancient history Let
| Jus give these newspaper men an oppor-
/ tunity of telling under a scare head to-
morrow how this matter ended sweetly and
| in perfect harmony
| MAJORITY REPORT ADOPTED
So carried away by the speech of Dr.
| WithroW was the assembly, that when DIR.
| Logan moved to lay the minority report
| and all substitutions or amendment to the
| majority report on the table, the motion
| was carried with only few dissenting
| voices. Then DR.. Withrow came forward
| again. With tears in his eyes, he asked
| that the majority report be adopted by
| unanimous vote, now that it was plain that
| it was to be adopted, as hearty expression
| of confidence in the men against whom so
many aspersions had been cast during the
debate. Those who were still opposed to
| the report were asked to keep their seats
and not vote that the word of unanimous
acceptance might go over the country.
They did as requested and on a rising vote
not man voted no. With one accord the
assembly began singing Praise God, from
Whom All Blessings Flow" and the sound
as it came from thousand throats shook
the rafters of the auditorium. There were
tears in many eyes during the singing, for
the excitement had been intense. When the
confusion had subsided, a vote was taken
on the rule governing future action in mat
ters of bequests, which Dr. Withrow him
self offered to be appended to the majority
report. 1t, too was adopted unanimously.
for unanimity seemed now to be the order
of the day. A perfect deluge of votes of
thanks and resolutions of congratula-
ton and confidence followed, and
everybody who was in any way connected
with the New York building received a
share of the flow of good feeling
The beautiful unison of the session was
somewhat marred when the report of the
special committee on home missions came
up at o'clock. The spirit of antagonism
and opposition which seemed to get control
of the assembly at the least possible excuse
broke out again, and the flow of good
spirits once more relapsed into heated dis
cussion There were various speeches on
both sides of the report, some of them bit
ter in tone. The main discussion came
over the adoption of the second resolution
of the report, which was passed al first
without giving an opportunity for debate.
A motion to reconsider was lost, and a mo-
ton to reconsider the reconsideration in
volved the assembly in the worst parlia-
mentary tangle it has yet encountered.
Finally the action was rescinded and an
opportunity given for debate. The resolu-
ton under discussion was the one making
changes in the methods of business of the
home board and the i'll feeling which per-
vaded the assembly may be seen from the
fact that a motion to amend the resolution
by prefacing it with the words, without
in any way rejecting on the previous con-
duct of business by the board, g" was tabled
by a large vote. and in the midst of such
cries as No! Nor Get out! Get outr'
Finally the whole report was adopted after
the assembly had done as much as possible
to destroy the harmony that reigned earlier
in the afternoon.
ECHO OF THE BRIGGS CASE.
1t had been expected by many that this
session of the General Assembly could not
pass without some mutterings of the thun-
der in the old Briggs case. The mutterings
came this morning, but they were so low
as to be unno,iced by any at the time they
occurred, and only few tonight realize