The Columbia herald. [volume] (Columbia, Tenn.) 18??-1935, 1899-05-19
1T WILL NOT DOWN.

Methodist College Of Bishops re-
solved and declared that, under GER
tain conditions, they would take the
proper steps to have that money
fraudulently obtained from the Fed
eral government by the accredited
agents of the Church, returned.
But at their meeting in Nashville
last week a new light seems to have
dawned upon them, by which they
discover that they have no power in
the premises, and that 1t is none Of
their business anyhow.
After they had thus declared
themselves the Book Committee
took the matter up, and for the
fourth or fifth time decided that
their agents had done no wrong. 1t
was perfectly natural for the said
committee to so decide, for, barring |
q few technicalities, they are about
as deep in the mud as Barbee q
Smith are in the mire.
But the committee go further than
this. After fully generating their
agents and themselves, they naively
remark, now we have said it, the
balance of the world, and Method
lists in particular, must keep silence,
the good of the Church requiring it,"
Those gentlemen have doubtless
brought themselves to the honest
believe that this disgraceful double
dealing upon the part of their agents
must be flushed up. We believe
it was Hamlet who said, there's
nothing good or bad but thinking
makes it So" And so they have
thought themselves into this happy
conceit, that the world, to oblige
them, will stop talking. And Broth.
er Stahlman's paper, the Banner, of
course agrees with them. Like
ostrches they have their heads in
the sand, oblivious to the fact that
the world still looks down upon their
acts, and that Methodists every
where blush with shame at the dis
grace they have brought upon the
Church.
But with all their foolish thinking,
the question is as live as ever; and
will not down until it has been set
tied right, or until it splits the
church in twain.
The Bishops having referred the
matter to the Book Committee, and
the Book Committee to the next
general conference, the time of hold
ing and the personnel of that gem
eral conference is now before the
church, and will be discussed at the
district conf erences this spring, and
at the annual conferences this fall.
These conferences have nearly all
spoken on the subject heretofore,
and with rare unanimity have de-
manded the return of the money.
The facts were all before them then
and we presume their further utter
ances will be the same this year as
they were last. We have no fear
but that the great body of this great
Church will be true to themselves,
and demand an early session of
their general conference, to right
the foul wrong put upon their Bride,
to rebuke the money changers in
their temple, and turn them out.
The first district conference to
meet after the College of Bishops
had relegated the question, was
that of the Nashville District, and
their utterances on the subject are
just as they should have been, and
very significant. They read as fol-
lows:
"WHEREAs, Under the action of our
Bishops the Publishing House claim
matter is relegated to the church at
large, acting through the General Con-
ference; therefore, be it
"ReSOlred, Thai the delegates to our
annual conference be, and they are
hereby, instructed:
"First-To vote for calling q special
session of the General Conference.
"Second-To vote for a new set of
delegates to said session.
"Third-To vote for persons as such
delegates who disapprove of the meth
DDS resorted to by the servants of the
church in procuring the passage of the
bill in the United States Congress
appropriating $2SS,0O0 to our church
and who will use their efforts to purge
our church of the shame and disgrace
that has been brought upon it,"
THE Nashville American says il
is waste of time to argue with the
COLUMBIA HERALD, which is "sot
in its ways" The HERALD pleads
guilty to the soft impeachment
When we have once espoused a
cause we believe to be right, we
stick to it. The Americans policy
is just the reverse. 1t has been on
all sides of all questions, and con-