Atlanta semi-weekly journal. (Atlanta, Ga.) 1898-1920, 1902-05-22
JAMES NJ. ROBERTSON.
chairman"
The Minority Report.

hot affair and took full hour in reading
and covers 25 to 30 pages of typewriter
matter. The publishers of The Christian
Advocate, which is being issued daily
during the conference. refused to
publish 1t, pleading lack of space, but 1t Is
thought as a matter of fact that they are
afraid Of libel. The report was submitted
by L. Blaylock proprietor of The Chris
tian Advocate, to a lawyer, who rendered
an opinion that 1t is libelous. The confer
ence ordered that both reports should be
printed In pamphlet form for distribution
to the members Of the conference on Mon
day. the 10th. The minority report char
acterizes Major z. B. Stahlman as being
guilty Of deception and the passage of
the war claim as being the work OF
vicious ring. 1t also censures Major
Stahlman and the book agents in the most
unmeasured terms. Messrs. Barbee and
Smith are both, according to the report
guilty with Stahlman, and the report
cites the famous letter of Barbee and
Smith to Congressman Gaines. of Tonnes
see, which is as follows: Mr.. Stahlman,
who in connection with large number of
others, has been giving our matter some
attention, will be in Washington again
within the next few days and will be glad
to talk TO you about the matter"
The report further says: Gaines had
interviews with Barbee and Smith. he
says, and they assured him they had no
contract with .Stahlman, that they owed
no one a cent and would pay no money
for the collection of the claim. Gaines
says he had this direct from Barbee ana
Smith and repeated it to Senator Hoar.
The minority then condemn severely the
attorney and the book agents and con-
clude by recommending:
Il That the entire sum $22S,OOO be re-
turned to the government.
So That a committee of nine members
of the conference be appointed to repre-
sent this conference in preparing plan
whereby the money may be returned
49, The letter of the bishops ofrering 10
return the money be indorsed.'
The report was signed by James Cannon.
Jr, of Blackstone, Va, as chairman. and
by eighteen others
The majority report was signed by twen-
ty-six delegates and members of the COM
mittee.
committee of five was ordered appoint
ed by the chair to enron and engross the
clear and correct grammatical defects,
clear up vague contradictory, or mega
tive features, that committee to report as
soon as possible to this general confer
ence.
Bishop Galloway appointed ]. E. God
by, Arkansas; T. w. Jordan, Tenn; Pau
Whitehead Virginia; w. S. Winton, Mon
terey, Mexico.
League was next taken up and after
brief discussion adopted with only one
material amendment that providing that
laymen shall be eligible TO the office of
chief secretary. The war claim was once
more and Unexpectedly forced into the
general conference. w. w. Baker, of st.
Louis, moved that the minority report of
the publishing committee on the war
claim which has never been printed in
the official organ of the general confer
ence, be printed in pamphlet form at the
expense of the official organ and that
every member Of the conference be given
a copy; also that all expense heretofore
incurred in the publication of the minor
ity report at private expense be borne by
the general conference fund. A spirited
discussion followed which was finally cut
off by a demand for the previous question
The general conference refused to adopt
the Baker resolution and the contemplate
ed publication was therefore not author
lied.
Bishop Isaac Lane. of jackson. Tenn.