The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1902-01-24

| yF THERE remained any doubt in
4 the minds of churchmen, that the
Il Committee of Bishops, which con-
| siderad the matter of the transfer Of
| the Anglican church in these islands to
the Protestant Episcopal Church of
tanned until the arrival of the Ameri-
can Bishop, it was dispelled when there
was received by the Rev Alexander
Macintosh, rector of the Second Con-
gregation, a letter from Bishop Henry
C. Potter of New York, an extract from
which is printed above.
This arrays on the side of the Second
Congregation as against Bishop Willis,
two of the three members of the COM
mittee, an expression from Bishop
Nichols of similar purport having been
received by the same clergyman in the
last mail. The remaining member, Bish-
op Whitaker, is now so seriously i'll at
his home, that it is not probable that
his mail has been handed to him, and
therefore he is in ignorance of the con-
ditions which have been raised here by
the action of the retiring Bishop. Bish-
op Willis was asked yesterday if he had
received any letters bearing upon the
existing troubles, and replied that he
had no letters of such nature, as his
communications from the mainland
were all personal. 1t may be, however, |
that he would consider a plain letter |
from Bishop Potter, along the lines in |
dictated in the note quoted. as exceed |
ingly personal, and the chances are
that it is so.
The receipt of this communication,
which was communicated to the Off
yesterday, put a new phase upon the
situation in the Episcopal church af-
fairs, and it is more than likely that
there will be action in the courts to-
day, which will bring the affair to a
head. The legal course, it is under
stood, will be the asking for an injunc
ton to restrain Bishop Willis, or any
of the clergy under his control, from
with the services of the
Second Congregation upon Sunday
next. In fact, the court pro-
will take much the same form
Of those which were had some years
ago, when an injunction was asked
when the very same action was begun ,
by Bishop Willis, he setting another
service for the same hours which had
been heretofore occupied by the Sec
md Congregation for its worship. {
The matter was placed in the hands
If an attorney, who spent the after e
loon in looking into the charter of the {
church and the proceedings of the !
synod which framed it, to find the
grounds on which to place the action.
When the form of action shall have !
,een reached, there will be no time lost ,
n getting the matter before one of the :
Judges in the first circuit. 1t is believ- 6
ID that the Bishops orders to hold a f
ervice win not hold if the court should t
ZEE that there is an attempt to prevent [
he holding of a usual service, at the a
lour fixed by the Bishop under an
Igreement with a body of churchmen, /.
n which it was set forth that the hours +
hould not be changed without three a
months notice being given. Y
1t is developed that Bishop Will r
s, acting under what is his interpreta-
ion of the new charter of the church, 1
ssued his orders to effect the changes I
lie desires, before the charter had been
igned or agreed to by the government =.
Also it comes out that at the time OF =
conference upon the granting of the 8
harter, he said to the representative Y
# the Second Congregation that the ]
hurch would not be closed at their US 4
Ial hour. This was then understood to l
re an acquiescence in the continuance Il
# the existence of the Second Congre-
,ation under the old agreement. .
Bishop Willis is said to have advanc- r
d the theory that since the majority of s
he signers of the original application
or the Second Congregation license :
re dead, there can be no claim made
~ the present communicates that the
lights of the old signers inure to their
'enefit. This view is ridiculed by the
nembers of the congregation, who have
;ept it alive for so many years and
Who have watched it's growth, as the =.
congregation.
1t Is understood that an effort will be II
made this morning to place before II
Bishop Willis the claims of the Second t
under the expressed de- n
ire Of the American Bishop that there +
'e no change made in the status. This
will be done by some member Of the !,
who will thus endeavor
o avoid any scandal, such as attended
he former court proceedings There
last night no desire. however. b
o sacrifice the rights which the Sec
nd Congregation worshippers have en-
Dyed heretofore. even If there must be
ad proceedings in the courts. =
The Rev. Alexander Macintosh last e