The daily morning journal and courier., 1899-05-23
MEMBERSHIP NOT REDUCED
DECISIVE ACTION OF THE PRESET
 TERI1N GENERAL ASSEMBLY,.

Committee on Reduced Representation n
 Scarcely Given Courteous Treatment
 so Pronounced Was the Feeling
 Against Getting Farther Away from
 the People.
 Minneapolis, Minn., May 22.-Democ-
 racy asserted itself in the Presbyterian
 general assembly this afternoon. With
 a shout the assembly voted down two
 carefully considered and prepared plans
 to reduce the membership, one by a
 third and the other by more than a
 half. The committee on reduced repre- | sentation appointed a year ago was scarcely given courteous treatment, so pronounced was the feeling against get
 ting farther away from the people. Two
 members of the committee presented the
 two proposed plans-one making the
 basis of representation 6,000 communi-
 cants and the other making the basis thirty-six ministers in the Presbyteries instead of twenty-four, as at present.
 Colonel F. L. Hitchcock of the commit tee argued for the representation by synods, according to membership, and
 declared that there was no doubt that
 672, the present membership of the as-
 sembly, was too large It was plain
 from the Interruptions that Colonel
 Hitchcok was on the unpopular side and
 when he sat down expressions of the democratic spirit came out strongly and
 profusely. They call this a mob,' said Dr. Page of Topeka, and if it is mob God grant that there may be more such. God pity the Presbyterian church with the bulk of the wealth of the United States in it's coffers if it cannot afford a large assembly"
 The time has not come to reduce the assembly and hope it never will come,'' cried Dr. George w. P. Birch of New York. We ought to keep as near the people as we can. The backwoods Pres byteries now hold the balance of power; I do not know what we would do with out them, til y h Id the balance so true.' Impressed by the strength of the oppo- sition a friend of reduced representa- tion proposed to send an overture down to the Presbyteries asking their advice. The motion was laid on the table with great alacrity. Dr. John w. Dinsmore of San Jose offered a substitute motion, thanking and discharging the commit tee and indefinitely deferring the ques- ton of reduced representation. When the vote came there was a mighty yes and a feeble no. The decision against another part of the same committees report was closed. By vote of 1S4 to 16S the assembly decided not to increase from five to ten the number of ministers necessary to constitute a Presbytery.
 The judicial committee came in with reports on a number of matters and was granted permission to refer to special committee for trial such cases as re- quired supreme adjudication. The ap- pealed case of Herman Warszawiak, suspended for alleged gambling from the Fifth avenue church. New York, | two years ago, was referred to com mittee. The Rev. MT. Backus of Kan sas got commission to try his appeal ! from the Synod of that state. An ap- | peal from the decision of the Indiana | synod in the matter of unfermented | winet at the Lords Supper was not sus- tained. The appeal of A. M. McCul- | tough of the synod of Baltimore was | recommended to the consideration of the Baltimore synod The appeal of Charles S. Lane from the decision of the synod l of New York will be tried by a special pr. w. R. Kirkwood of Kan, presented the report of the committee on the board of educa- tion. The report held that the expense of the board was not undue and that it could not be reduced without consoli- dalton of boards, which was not wise. The standard of ministerial education was declared not to be declining and the day of shrinkage in the number of candidates for the ministry was said to be in the past. The reelection of the members of the board whose terms ex- ore this year was recommended. The Chicago and Schuyler overtures callirg for commission to investigate the whole subject of ministerial education was approved by the committee and 1t vas recommended that a commission of not less than eleven be appointed for hat purpose. The report was adopted intact Rev. Edward B. Hodge was ,lected secretary of the board of educa ion and addressed the assembly in de- ense and explanation.
 The McGriffort matter was made special order for Thursday. The feeling LOW is that drastic action will be taken. The denunciation of recent outrages in he south made in the report of the committee on Freedman was finally re- erred to the committee for re-consid- ra ation. D. w. Glass of the Presbytery if Baltimore is arranging simultaneous meetings tomorrow morning at S:30 in he interests of the reunion of the eld- IFS of the assembly north in Minneapo- is and the elders of the assembly south n Richmond Va. Colonel James Rice f Peoria, IL, was the father of the aeoria overtures aimed at reducing the power and says he expects igorously to push his pet measure. )vertures now before the committee on
 ills and uveTtures in favor of an anti 'olygamy amendment to the national constitution and in favor of expelling Roberts of Utah from the ouse of representatives are likely to be J assed by the assembly almost unani- lously if they get by the committee.
 All Free from Debt. Minenapolis, Minn., May 22.-At the
 tjnr, to inlf nf tl.o l