The Portland daily press., 1897-01-09
COlored Methodists Call On Speaker
Reed.
THEIR ERRAND A PECULIAR AND
AN INTERESTING ONE.
Relates to the Seizure of Publishing
House in Tennese So Owned by the
Southern Metho dis Church by Union
Forces.
ESPECIAL TO THE rREss.]

Forces.
ESPECIAL TO THE PREss.]
WASHINGTON. January 8.-A call was
made upon Speaker Reed on Thursday
by a body of bishops of the Colored Me-
thodist Episcopal church. They were
m assive, able and fine appearing men,
each a BILE to express himself clearly and
even eloquently when on his feet. Bishop
Turner, of Atlanta, Ga, was leader OF
the delegation. They came upon an in
teresting errand.
Several years before the war the strong
sectional fesling created division In the
Methodist church, and the Southern Sec
ton went off by Itself as the M. Ii.
Church South. When the war broke out
this large and powerful organization hao
at Nash Vile, Tenn, great publishing
house, with plant worth three quarters
of a million of dollars. and controlled
| by corporation styled the Book Agents
| of the Methodist Episcopal Church
South" While the Confederatas occupied
Nashville the establishment was used to
| issue an edition of Hardees' tactics, for
use Of the army, ard in the Christian
Advocate, the denomination paper pub
lished by the establishment.se several seoes-
sion articles were published. General
Thomas. when in command, seized the
establishment aud used the plant for
army printing and for a saddlery naufaot-
ory.
The denomination long ego had
a claim against the government for near
| ly $500, O0U for damages caused the proper
ty by this seizure. This is a war claim,
and one of the largest OF its class. The
great influence of the Methodist Episco-
pal Church South has long been exerted
in vain for it.
The Republican leaders have not looked
with favor on the claim. In the first
place it belongs to class which they feel
| should not be paid. And when the claim
has been made that the organization
is one doing great good, they have replied
that they DO not feel, with the treasury
in its present condition, like giving
pratuities to the South while their party
Ia there denied the constitutional right
to have its voters protected IN their
rights, and while many citizens accused
Of crime are denied by mob violence the
right of trial in the courts. In the very
State of Tennessee, where the corpora
ton is located q Republican fairly elect
ed as GOVERNOR has very recently been
uublushingly counted out. The repre-
sentstives of the M. E. Church South
wbiob is AN Organization of white Me-
tho.ists, saw the force Of this; and owl
IDENTIFY felt that they must bolster up
their case in such a way as to secure Re-
publican sympathy.
The visit of the Colored Bishops on
Thursday was the result. The white
Methodists of the South, who had left
their white brethren In the North years
, ago because the latter denounced slavery,
went to the now enfranchlssd, numer-
: ous and powerful black Methodists. and
asked them to use their influence to get
the government to pay the claim. The
black Methodists readily responded,
because they have had kindnesses from
! the white organization, although that
organization Is itself q monument Of the
old slavery sentiment.
The black Bishops were all Republi-
cans. Que represented the Atlanta
region, another Arkansas and Louisi-
ana, another New JERSEY, New York and
, New England and another declared proud
, " that in his church labors he had been
, upon four continents Of the earth.
They declared that O Few light was
, breaking in the South. Political rights
were now being granted more freely and
! the old solid South of the bull-dozing
Idays was passing away. The change
! amounted to revolution. Maryland, West
7 Virginia and Kentucky had already Ie'
: snonded to the new sentiment, and the
+ wear 1900 would show still greater chang
5 es. They thought that if the $500. o0(
would be given their white brethren il
would create good feeling that would
bear greater fruit in justice for the black
n man.
r The Bishops made an excellent impres
9 sion: although the prospect for the CLAIM
: does not seem very good. With the gov
!, erulnent running behind many million
0 of dollars year, the chance does no
p seem good for meeting damages for {
y concern of doubtful loyalty, which suf
cred in the olashiDgs of war.
The Pacific Railroad funding bill
which was taken UP Thursday, under
% q special order providing for vote upon i
on Monday, is a very important meas
" ure. The question at issue wassez
10 planned at length in the PRESS abou
= three weeks ago. To enable memheT
e TO follow the debate intelligently larg
'f map has been hung, in the area in from
of th. clerks desk, showing the main an
branch lines of the great SYST m betWee
N Omaha and the Pacific.
ID Judge Powers, of Vermont, who
+. managing the funding bill ON the fioo
Il of the House, has been in public life
rs Vermont many years. HIS was born
J. that State in 1895, and graduated fro'
Is ,asSYASy y.n,,,,t ;n 1ohb n