The St. Louis Republic. [volume] (St. Louis, Mo.) 1888-1919, 1901-05-29
General Assembly at Des Moines
Excludes Members of Secret
Societies From Church.
FINAL VOTE WAS 90 TO 63.
Heated Debate on Report of Judi
cial Committee of United Pres
byterians-Favored Putting
Labor Unions Under Ban.

I'es Moines. Ia. May S-By vote OF %
to s.. this afternoon. the Iowa General As
sembly of the United Presbyterian Church
adopted the Judiciary Committees report
with regard to an Interpretation OF article
Is OF the creed.
The action of the assembly is in effect to
exclude members Of secret orders from ad
mission to tho church. It is also Interpreted
by some OF the delegates to mean the ex-
pulsion of members OF the church who now
belong to secret societies.
The final discuseon On the question was
long and heated. NJ. c. McKttrick Of Los
Angeles. Cal, said he would rather out
of his right hand than to vote for the ex-
clusion Of members Of secret societies al
ready in the church.
IF We let this report go through az It
h." said Doctor McCreery OF PittsburK.
heatedly. I'VE are saying that men who
have been good members OF the United
Presbyterian Church for years must be
turned out Of doors. I want to tell you. IA
theirs and brothers. that II We pass this
report without amendment we are going
to make more trouble than the United
Presbyterian Church has ever seem.
"Opposed to Labor Unions"
Some members of the assembly. who are
most violently opposed to secret orders. OBJ
jected to the section Of the report Of the
committee which removed the ban of the
church from organizations which do NOT
'.inculcate Christless religion
r. G. Campbell, who moved to strike out
the section of the report which said the
testimony does not include such orders, held
that labor unions should not be approved
by the church. This idea was strongly op-
posed.
The contention Of some was that unions.
SO far as secretism was concerned. were
more to be feared than any other order.
while the ministers and delegates from
Pittsburg, Pa, maintained that II such q
position was taken by the church that
workingmen would be barred from being
admitted, and that the churches in Penn
svIyania would suffer materially in the
| withdrawal Of a great many Of its mem-
workingmen Defended.
Doctor ]. NJ. Wallace. also OF Pittsburg,
Pa. said: 81 do not believe that the church
should be stirred UP by an overture. For
| the sake Of the workingmen do not want
| this part of the report stricken out. The
workingren have just as good a right to
form a union as Morgan has a trust. and l
do object to the workingmen being Kept
out Of the church because they form them
selves into a union to protect themselves
| against their oppressors."
l The Reverend J. F. Ross Of Ohio favored
the amendment because the great secret or
ders ore rivals to the church. for the rea-
son that they trade in false religion.
( .sThey have wine parties. card parties and
many other snares." concluded tho speaker.
In closing up the debate. Doctor 9s1e<
said: 'T am ashamed Of the United Pres
byterian Church in its shutting In the mat
ter. The report of the committee is more
| to the point than the amendment proposed.
| m the report we say We shall not take pa.
gans into the church. even II they are called
Masons. We say laboring men. Grand
Army men and such have rights in the
church"
Masons May Not Be Admitted.
'"Whnt will be the effect of this report,
asked Doctor Mcconnell. ION those who arc
already Masons and in the church,
THAT b a most difficult thing to handle.
said Doctor Grier. but when men know
the truth and do 1t not, to them II is to be
counted a sin"
The Reverend 3. r. Little offered an
amendment which would permit Masonl
to become members of the church. but Il
was voted down.