The record-union., 1899-05-19
Rev. R. f. Sample Of Westminster Church,
New York, Elected Moderator.
Able Sermon Preached by the He-
firing Moderator, Rev. Wallace
Radcliffe Of Washington-Abo
Six Hundred Commissioners
Present When the Morning Ses-
sion Was Opened.

MINNEAPOLIS, May 1S.-Rev. DR..
r. F. Sample of Westminster Churcn,
New York, was elected Moderator Oh
the one hundred and eleventh Assem-
bly, of the Presbyterian Church IN the
United States, which convened In
Westminster Church to-day.
Immediately after roll-call in the
afternoon the election of a Moderator
was taken up, and DR.. Sample was
elected on the first ballot, receiving
1913 votes, 800 being necessary for a
choice to 127 for the Rev. Mattheas
Haines of the First Church, Indianap-
oils, and 1873 for Rev. Dr. r. F. Coyle
of Oakland, Cal. The contest was a
spirited one, and DIR. Samples election
is regarded as a triumph for the con-
servative element
The morning session was devoted to
religious services, which were ATTENDED
by about 600 Commissioners and so
many spectators that the 1,S70 seats
We're not sufficient to accommodate
them
Dr. Henry Branch of Ellicott City,
Nd, pronounced the invocation; Rev.
Pleasant Hunter of Minneapolis led in
responsive reading; a number of
hymns We're sung, and DR.. Douglas P.
Putnam of Logansport, Ind, read the
Bible lesson. DR.. R. F. Sample of New
York offered the prayer. The sermon
was preached by the retiring Modera-
tor Rev. Dr. Wallace Radcliffe of
Washington
In the afternoon Permanent Secre-
tary Rev. w. E. Moore called the roll,
and Immediately afterward the election
of a Moderator was declared to be in
order.
DR.. McKibben of Cincinnati, hitherto
prominent candidate for the place
himself, got the floor and nominated
the Rev. R. F. Sample. This was re-
garded as a move to concentrate the
conservatives on single candidate.
He appealed to the assembly to elect
DR.. Sample unanimously
DR.. H. P. Carson of Brooklyn placed
in nomination Rev. Matthias Haines of
Indiana, whom he characterized as a
man of keen, ripe Judgment, sagacious,
methodical and of the most honorable
purpose.
DIR. E. B. Wright of Austin, Tex,
nominated Judge Robert Wilson of
Philadelphia, because he said he al
ways made it point to name an
elder.
Judge Wilson withdrew his name,
knowingS he said, that the assembly
would not elect an elder
Rev. John Dinsmore of San Jose. in
the most eloquent of all the NOM
mating speeches, put forward DIR. R.
F. Coyle of Oakland, Cal. who was
regarded as the liberal candidate. Mr.
Dinsmore described DR. Coyle's merits.
and begged the assembly once more
to name Moderator from the Pacific
Coast. which felt itself isolated and in
need of the inspiration that would fol-
low frcm such choice
1t took almost an hour to take the
ballot, with the result as given above.
1t was greeted with great applause
Messrs. McKibben, Shaw and Ora
ham We're appointed to escort DIR. Sam
pie to the chair
The new Moderator expressed his
gratitude that the assembly should
have chosen him to so high a place in
his old pastorate of Westminster Min
nesota, and among his own people of
other days He spoke of the problems
that confront the church, and of the
urgent necessity of carrying the Gospel
into the new lands opened by the
Spanish American War.
Rev. Pleasant welcomed the assem-
bly, to Minnesota, and presented DR..
Sample with a gavel of Cuban, Porto
Rican and Philippine woods.
A resolution was adopted directing
the Moderator to send to NJ. de Staal,