Spirit of Jefferson. [volume] (Charles Town, Va. [W. Va.]) 1844-1948, 1899-08-08
SPIRIT OF JEFFERSON.
REV. w. L. GRAvATP A BISHOP
Episcopal Council Elects HIM as
Bishop Coadjutor.
From the ParkersB,lrg Sentinel.

From the Parkersb,vg Sentinel.
AT Clarksburg last night, ,he Rev. W.
L. Gravatt, of Charles Town, was elected
Bishop G ,adjutor of the diocese of West
Virginia. upon the sixteenth ballot. He
is an active, yigoroua, energetic young
man and will make an able assistant TO
Bishop P,tetkin.
Mr. Gravatts strength lay moro with
the clergy than with the laity aud to their
con n.inued support his election is due, in
great measure. There were present at
the council 80 clergy aud So lay dele
gates Under the rules. an election re.
quired majority of the votes of the
clergy and of the lay delegates voting
separately. DR.. 8. scollay Moore was
unquestionabIy the choice of the lay del
egates and at almost any time after the
frat few ballots could have secured ma
iority of their votes. had there been any
disposition on tie part of the clergy to
select him. But while the ever increas-
ing lay vote of DIR. Moore told plainly
that he was the choice of that part ofthe
house, the clergy seemed unable to con.
centrate upon any one Tie inability to
agree upon any one in the diocese gave
riAe TO an opinion during the afternoon
that some one outside the diocese might
be chosen. although the prevalent opin-
ion seemed to be that the Bishop Coadju
tor should be some one who was familiar
with the work in the diocese.
Instead of having nominations made
by speeches it was decided by the council
that after short devotional services con.
Quoted by the Bishop and silent prayer.
au informal ballot should be taken II
was solely for the purpose of bringing
candidates before the council and was not
to lie counted ven if one man should
receive majority Of the vote. of both
clergy and laiiy. On this mllot seven
teen persons were voted fur. DR.. Moore
received G clerical and , lay votes; Mr.
Gravatt ell, and 2 lay votes; Mr..
Spur clerical and ten lay votes.
The other persons voted fer were Revs.
Floyd Tompkius. X j. Hammond, N. S.
Thomas, VIM Cabell Brown. II. v. Lee,
r. r. Svope, John ]. Lloyd ard Mr..
Logan from outside the diocese and Revs
t. a. Meade, John S. Gibson, Burkbart
| acy, r. D. Roller, Jacob Brittingham
and Cook Scattering votes were given
later 10 Rev. Mr.. Dnggett. Mr.. Pearson
and Mr. Ptnick
After the informal ballot the regular
balloting was hegnn. Mr. Gravatt gain.
ed one clerical vote and Dr Moore gnin.
ed one lay vote, Rev. Cabsll Brown be.
gun to loom up and for while heand Rev.
o. NJ. Spur and DIR. Moore were the
leaders.
After the fourth ballot had been taken
Rev. j. A. Gibbons, who had been most
active and ardent in his support of Rev.
Csbell Brown arose aud withdrew his
name, asking his friends. as far as they
could do so, to support DIR. Moore. I'm.
mediately Mr. B. NJ. Amber was on his
feet and in speech supported by a
strong recommendation from Bishop Ran
dolph of Southern Virginia urged the
election of DR.. John ] Lloyd, Of Lynch
burg, Va. DIR. Moore arose aud saici that
while he thought if the choice of the
council fell upon man in the diocese il
would be his duty to accept, stiIl he
thought more good would come from the
selection of one outside the diocese and
he seconded the nomination of John j
Lloyd. Several others spoke for T.loyf
and it looked like there would be Lloyc
boom, but Rev. John g. Gibson mude :
strong speech in behalf of DIR. Moore anc
IN the fifth ,llnt DR. Moore lead with {
clerical and % Law votes Dr. Lloyd wa
next with clcrical and 10 lqy votes.-
Mr.. Gravatt, who had had as high an ter
tcl+rical votes befnre. fell tn five. Or
Lloyd's grew steadily less from that tim
on and when after the ninth ballot AL
inurnment was taken for supper ther,
were but twn strong can.li lates, DR.
Moore with clerical and % lay vote
and AIR Gravait with II clerical aud /.
lay votes MIR. Gravatt lacked of
majority Of the clergy and Or Moore o
majority of the lay vnte4. Half dozer
Others were slift'being voted for by fev
devoted frien,is
Seven bulints we're taken at the nigh
session before there was an election an,
on all of them until the last DIR. Moor
'cnn,inuad 10 lead ON the lay vote :
He had within four votes OF mtjprit
pf the lay votes several times. but tn
, clerical vnte could not be concentrated
Gradually, hnwever, Mr.. Gravatt's cIeri
cal vote increased until on the ffteent
ballot he had 4 votes, a majority of tn
81 clerical vntes His lay vu,e WAS small
: while Dr. sloore'- lay vn,e WAS % out {
81 vo'er cast
As sonn ~ the clergy had thus indies
ted the choice of the majority the lai.
!, voted for the same man and on the siz
! teenth ballot afr. Gravatt received ms
iority of the lay vote and II ofthe cleri
cal.
Mr.. Gravatt is man forty years of ag
an energetic worker, a good earnel
preacher, a sincere and consistent Chril
Z Z tian man, pleasant and unassuming an
: will not forget that Bishop Peterkin
the head of The church in this diocese an
: that he is his assistant. He was a clai
a 49,. - A.. lo,.s,, =,