The Columbia herald. [volume] (Columbia, Tenn.) 18??-1935, 1898-09-16
THE CLARIOS NOTE.


disaster lowering over the MethO-
dist Church, South, are melting
away, and out of the Churcn's ira
vail spiritual strength and power
will come.
Large bodies move slowly; and
the Methodist Church. South, is
large body. 1t has taken time for
it's Bishops, clergy and laymen to
consult as to ways and means to
efface forever from their fair
escutcheon the black blot of the
Publishing House scandal; but the
leaven is at work, and the Church
will be true to itself and true to the
Christ whose servant 1t is.
On this subject the Missouri An
nual Conference last week sounded
the clarion note. This is one of the
largest, one of the strongest, one of
the most able conferences in the
Church, and we take it that their
utterance is but the expressed
thought of the Church at large, and
that the Church's final action will
be along this line. Their resOlu-
tons were adopted with practical
unanimity, and without objection,
if we may Judge from the report of
that Conferance's organ, although
DIR. Barbee himself was reported
present. These resolutions could
not have said more, and should not
have said less; they read as follows:
"WHEREAs, There have been divers
publications concerning the representa-
tions made by the Book Agents of the
NJ. +, Church, South, to Senators of the
United States, pending the passage of
bill to pay the claim for damage and
use of the publishing house of said
church during the late civil war; there
fore, be it
"ReSOIUed, BY the Missouri Annual
Conference. that any wrong-doing of
any kind whatever, either of deception
or evasion, by any person or persons
authorized to act for the NJ. E. Church,
South is hereby condemned.
"WHFRFAs, The United States Senate
Agents, Messrs. Barbee IL Smith. and
that said deception was either inten-
tional or in ignorance or out of SYM
pathy with Stahlman: therefore be it
"ReSOlUed, If intentional, the Book
Agents are unworthy of their place.
~ If they did it in ignorance they
are incompetent
"3. If out OF sympathy with Stahl-
man, they are unsafe: therefore, be it
tp8SpJ1aI That II IL Tho Of fhn
Missouri Annual Conference that our
regularly constituted authorities ought
to take the proper steps looking to the
suspension Of the said agents.
"Be IL further reNOlUed, That we in
dorse the action of onr bishops, look ing
to the return of the $2SS000 to the United
States Government, and that we hereby
authorize them, in so far as we have a
voice or right as an Annual Conference,
whether in calling an extra session of
the General Conference or otherwise,
to take such steps as are necessary, at
the earliest possible moment"
From their reading You will note
that any wrong. doing of any kind
whether of deception or evasion-is
condemned; second, that the Senate
was deceived, and by the Book
Agents; third, that whether that de-
ception was intentional, through
ignorance or out of sympathy, the
aforesaid agents are unworthy, in
competent and unsafe, and should
be suspended; and last but not least
they endorse the action of the
Bishops looking to the return of all
the money.
Good may yet come out of evil il
the Church will follow the lead of
the Missouri Conference, and this
present calamity may be made a
future blessing by showing to the
world that neither by the power OF
money, official prestige nor personal
influence, can the Church be tempted
to do wrong.