Omaha daily bee., 1898-06-01

argued that this being the cnse. a divorced
person Is absolutely single and has the
came rights as other single persons. why
then should there be an eternal disability
put upon him. he asked. when there are
other equally heinous sins. no matter how
much a man might repent, and to say he
can never again resume the marriage re-
lation? ?"
A last Or. Boyd came to the rescue again.
but with a compromise substitute that leaves
the question just where II stood before the
general essembly's attention was called TO
Il. He is a member Of the judiciary COM
mittee. His substitute he proposed to take
the place OF Mr.. Parks, and 1t reads thus.
In answer TO the memorial Of tho presby-
terry of Allegheny:
Resolved, That no deliverance ION this
question: is necessary, as the the d~eclara-
ton of the Confession OF Faith is sufficiently
explicit:
DIR. Boyd's substitute was entertained by
an overwhelming majority and was at once
easily carried:
Question of P~resbytcrinl Power.
The same committees report contained a
decision on the cause of contention between
the Iowa and Illinois synods over Monmouth
college maintenance. 1t was made on the
question put by members of the Iowa
synod: whether it is in accordance with
church law that one synod invite the pres
byterieg of another synod to take action
nulifying the action of their own synod"
Since 1869 until last year, under a com
pact with the Illinois synod. the Iowa synod
had contributed toward the maintenance Of
Monmouth college. The Iowa presbyteries,
however, of Cedar Rapids, Keokuk, Des
Moines and lie Claire continued to con-
trfhitta and tho Illinois cynpd tpnE action
allowing them to do so. The committee
was anxious to pour oil on the troubled
waters and its opinion was that the Illinois
synod was not b~lameworthy in this matter
but had acted in good faith, but it recon-
mended greater carefulness in such mat
tiers, and a study of the things which
make for peace
This manner of ~peacemaking was far
from satisfactory to Rev. S. E. Martin Of
the College Springs, Ia. presbytery. He
saw the whole question of Presbyterian law
involved, and offered an amendment detin-
ing the jurisdiction of synods, and the re-
lations between presbyteries and synods. Its
object is to restrict the jurisdiction of syn
DDS to their own boundaries. He would
have the clause in the Book of Government
and Church Discipline so declared.
The chairman Of the judiciary committee,
DR.. X. d. Williamson of Troy, N. Y, natu-
rally came to the support of the committees
mild method of disposing Of the question.
In his explanation of the general status Of
things he said the synod of Iowa had come
into the territory of the synod of Illinois
to found and maintain a college and when
it withdrew from the relations between the
Iowa presbyteries and college,
they were not in the least disturbed. "Why
now have a dividing line?" ne asked; why
have one synod to remain on one side Of the
river and the other on its side instead of
enjoying mutual interest and cooperation?
The Iowa presbyteries have the same privi-
lege of supporting college as the
Illinois presbyteries have of supporting the
Tarkio college"
He thought Mr.. Martens amendment, in
stead of helping matters, would really pro-
duce discord. Rev. r. f. Lackey of the
Cedar Rapids presbytery also reasoned that
there should not be any sharp line of divi-
sion.
Iowa would always be debatable ground
between the Monmouth and Tarkio col
leges,' argued DR.. w. T. Campbell of Mon
mouth. 1.-THE charter rights Of Monmouth
college permit 1t to receive support from
other territory and also other ecclesiastical
bodies than the Illinois synod"
Rev. ID. E. Smith of Pawnee City con-
tended for the amendment, however,, because
it was necessary to settle a question of
Presbyterian church government, in defn-
ing the relationship between presbyteries
and synods.
The amendment was then put and was
carried by a vote of 10S to "A.
Immediately DR.. Campbell wanted the
four Iowa presbyteries constituted into a
separate synod. DR.. Spalding Of Spokane
then made a motion charging the College
Springs, Ia, presbytery with being
guilty of the same offense imputed
to those of Cedar Rapids, Keokuk, Des
Moines and lie Claire, in that it had sup
ported Tarkio college for ten years, while
the Iowa synod was pledged to the support of
nmou college. Al the hour for the
noon recess had arrived, this motion was
simply docketed. Afterward DR.. Spaldlng
withdrew his motion.
In the judiciary Report.
Many other subjects were embraced in the
judiciary committees report. 1t recon-
mended cutting up the present presbytery
of Egypt into four and constituting them
the Synod of the Nile This was agreed
to.
AS to the temporary licensing of students,
1t that temporary licensure
should not give the same liberty and au-
thority as the regular licensure and 1t there
fore urged the repeal of the action of the
assembly of 1885; also that no licenses
should be granted until the student had
completed two years at the seminary, and
it left to the judgment of the presbyterles
the revocation of the licenses whenever the
licentiate was considered Objectionable.
These recommendations were all agreed
to by the assembly.
The Rock Island memorial asking for
modification of the Book of Government and
Discipline in regard to admission of church
Members was, in accordance with the com
mittee's report, referred to Drs. Grier, Nc
Gill and Witherspoon.
In the case of the complaint of c. p.
Meredith against the synod of Iowa, whose
cause was that in giving him a letter of
dismission the synod omitted to state that
he was an elder and refused afterward to
amend the letter, the advised
dismissal of the complaint 'as 1t was based
upon a mere technicality," but it also
added an Interpretation of the law of the
church on such an elders status-he still
remains an elder. but is not a member of
any session unless duly elected and in