The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1900-04-13

4 men to organize an independent church,
Inadvertently disclosed his motive when
he said:-sYou let US get this property un-
der our control once, and 1t will be colo
day when they get it back again. yonr
Board felt it incumbent upon them tc
exercise great caution in settling the
terms Of any contract which would place
valuable portion of the property of this
society under the control of a few of its
members, to the exclusion of the vast
majority.
'Inasmuch as the terms of a majority
of the members of the present Board OF
4 Trustees will expire at the end of the
year. we did not desire to make any con-
tract which would have taken away from
any future board the same freedom in
dealing with this question that had been
ours. Every Individual member of our
Board did, however, frankly state to the
Provisional Committee that in case he
should be member of the Trustees when
the lease expired he would vote for a re-
newal, if the Tabernacle people SO re-
J qilested.
"Such contract as the Provisional
| 6OdFQ deIldHueQ ulu not IuSdu d ledSc
with renewal for one year or two years
or any other determined period. but one
which must be renewed from year to
year indefinitely as often as any MEM
| Der of the new society should demand a
renewal, and would have placed it with
in the power of one or two persons to
open the church on Sunday, sing one
hymn and then claim that a church was
being maintained and that the lease
/ should be renewed.
Had your Trustees permitted them
/ selves to be drawn into executing such a
contract, we would have justly brought
upon ourselves your condemnation as well
as the reproach of all future Boards of
| Trustees of this society.
"In January, 1SS9 a number of people
| who seemed to be trterested in the con-
tinuance of the Tabgrnac,e signed a pledge
in the following terms:-
!" Believing it to be for the best interest
! of the Tabernacle Church that it have a
regular stated supply whose salary and
! such other necessary expenses be ASSUME
| ed and paid by the Tabernacle Church,
| therefore we agree and promise to pay
| weekly into it's treasury the sum set OPP
| posite our respective names, in order that
| the work may sti]i be maintained. The
details and expenses attending the carry
| ing out of this proposed plan shall be
| submitted by the committee now named
| to the First Congregational Church for
| their approval amendment or rejection.
1.-THE total amount of the sums thus
! pledged was stated to be $1.950. During
the year every effort was made to collect
the amount thus promised, but at the
present time, after the lapse of fifteen
months, only $50 of the pledges have been
made good Many refused to pay the
amounts pledged, saying that they had
agreed to contribute with the understand
ing that the Tabernacle was to have a
separate treasury. Although there is
| nothing in the pledge which requires a
separate treasury, we have kept the funds
| of the two branches absolutely separate,
and every cent of money contributed for
| the Tabernacle has been spent for that
branch But even this has not proved
sufficient, and there is now little prospect
of anything further being realized from
| the pledges.
During the fall we granted the use of
| the Tabernacle and Peoples Palace build
| ing to a bazaar committee, who repre-
sented to US that the proceeds from the
bazaar were to be used in liquidating the
| unpaid debts of the Tabernacle. After
| the bazaar the committee sent repre-
! sentative to your treasurer and demand
| ed the unpaid bills of the Tabernacle, in
| order that they might pay the same and
| send him the receipts, such action being
| taken with the evident intention OF draw
| ing the treasurer into recognizing the
Tabernacle people as body entitled to
| conduct their affairs Independently of the
] Board of Trustees. Upon the refusal Of
| the treasurer to accede to their demands,
| the committee sent a portion of the re-
| ceipts from the bazaar to your Board,
! but large part of the money realized at
| the bazaar has never come to our hands
and probably never will
ssOn January IS, 1900, a committee from
| the Trustees visited the Tabernacle in
| order to explain to the people that that
branch was being operated at an expense
| of about $170 per month, and requested
their cooperation in devisng some plan
which would provide an income sufficient
! to meet the same. This committee was
plainly told that the people would not
| subscribe one cent towards pew rent or
| sustaining fund, until the difficulties be-
| tween the two branches were settled sat
| isfactorily to them. At their next week
| ly meeting they took matters into their
| own hands and appointed an assistant
treasurer, although that office was one
created by this Board, and had already
been filled by us
"Such actions on the part of those who
| have covenanted with this church that
! thew will walk in its order, and submit to
! MS discipline;' that they will seek its
peace and welfare, and who have prom
| ised to Tabor together with US in the
maintenance of public worship led us to
| believe that even though they still re-
| manned as members Of the First congre-
| gational society, they intended to utterly
| ignore the Trustees of that society who
by law are made responsible for its
! property and funds, and compelled us to
| employ stringent measures to prevent the
| An Old and Well TriedRemedy.
4 Mrs vv;nslov,s Soothing Syrup for