Ottumwa semi-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1899-1903, 1903-09-22
CHARGES FALL FLAT
A. M. E. CONFERENCE AT DIES
MONIES CONDEMNS ARTICLE
OF REV. SLATER.
Iowa Conference Shows Church is
in Prosperous Observation-Disclosures
ing House at Nashville, Tenn, Max
ing Money.

AT the meeting of the Iowa confer
ence OF the A. M. q. church now in ses-
sion at Des Moines, the question of an
answer to the article of Rev. Geo. w.
Slater OF Chicago, who wrote COM
munlcation condemning Bishop Grant
and the A. NJ. e. conference as being
corrupt and ruled by money power
rather than that of the good of the
church, and in which it was said that
each OF the presiding elders received
the sum Of $25, was taken up in discus
sion. The Rev. Mr.. Slater made these
charges through one Of the Chicago
papers and it was copied by the By
stander of Des Moines. The discussion
brought out much feeling against such
persons that would aid in it's publica-
ton, and the article was condemned as
unworthy of the attention of the hon.
ored body. The question was drowned
in We shall know each other better
when the mists have cleared away"
and was sent to committee to be re-
ported some time today.
Conference Prosperous.
The colored people of the Iowa con-
ference of the A. M. E. church have
raised over $4,000 for all purposes
during the last year Not all the re-
ports are i'm from the different charg-
es, but the presiding elders have made
their reports and all show the condi-
ton OF the churches to be fourishing.
The meeting of the conference yester-
day morning was given to the reports
OF the presiding elders and the report
OF the committee on temperance. The
morning opened with the usual devo-
tional hour. Rev. H. H. Thompson of
Chicago presiding elder of the st.
Paul district, reported no friction
among the members of his charges.
The matter Of Rev. Fenwick of Mil
waukee was explained and accepted
by the conference. In his district,
there are twenty charges, total mem
bership Of 1,849 and Is probationers.
The amount paid the pastors was
$500, an Indebtedness of $8,110 was
is $2,725 in banks. There are TWEEN
a membership of 923. During the
year just closed there was added to
the membership 173 members and
the conversions were 1913. Rev. J. w.
Malone, presiding elder of the Iowa
district, made his report that the
churches in his district were never
in better condition. There are thirty
charges in the Iowa district with an
enrolment of 1000 and the probation
ers number 21S. The amount paid the
pastors by the district was $7,046.46.
There are twenty-five Sunday schools
that have membership of 1911. Dur
ing the past year 191 members have
been added to the church member
ships and 379 conversions made. The
local st. Paul's A. NJ e. church is in
this district and the Indebtedness OF
the church has been reduced from ST.
400 to $500 the past year. The Chica-
go district has prospered under the
presiding elder, DR.. G. C. Booth. The
| Chicago district is comprised Of TWEEN
| ty-two charges with membership of
3,737 and 500 probationers. Seven
4 hundred accessions have been made
in the district and 497 conversions.
For all purposes $43, 169.1S has been
raised.
4 Support the Publishing House.
DIR. w. d. Chapelle, secretary of the
Sunday School union. reported that
one year ago the publishing house al
4 Nashville, Tenn, was $4,000 IN debt
and that he has been successful in lift
ing $4,000 of that Indebtedness and has
put in new machinery to the value OF
$4,000. The publishing house employs
about fifty-five hands all the time and
1 has monthly pay roll of $3.50. The
papers of the church are published
there and all departments of the pub
fishing and editing are filled with col
ored hands from the editor to the
devil"
Industrial schools or societies are
conducted by three of the churches
The Institutional church OF Chicago
conducts school similar to the Tus
kegee institute at Tuskegee, Ala. The
churches at Madison, Wis, and Mime
apolis, conduct similar schools, but
call them social settlements.