The Birmingham age-herald., 1904-05-07
sYNoDIcAL COLLEGE.
Clerk of Synod Replies to MT. Hooper's
 Interview.

To the Editor of The Age Herald:
 In your issue of April 80 Is communi- cation from Selma which does great in- justice to the Synod of Alabama, and through 1t to the entire denomination of which it is the representative. Through your courtesy I desire to defend that body which 1t has been my privilege to serve for more than thirteen years. Mr. J. F. Hooper of Selma, according to your correspondent, mace the following statement:
 "Selmas bid for the synodical college has been withdrawn It has been with drawn in disgust as the action of the Alabama synod which was full of dirty politics and disgrace to the denomina- ton represented"
 To understand the matter let me state briefly the situation: At the regular annual meeting of the synod last fall the moderator was directed to call spe- cial meeting for the purpose of locating a proposed synodical male college when suitable bids for this college were pre- sented to the board of trustees. Monte- vallo, Anniston, Montgomery, Selma, Bessemer, and Florence bid for the school and accordingly the moderator called the synod to meet at Tuscaloosa on April 2S at 3 p. m.
 After the moderator had issued the call, but before the body had assembled, an ex-moderator learned that prominent men in Mobile Presbytery-one of the four white presbyteries of which synod is composed-intended to ask their presby- tery to request synod not to locate the college until the next annual meeting. >9This ex-moderator then notified members of his. presbytery (East Alabama) of this fact. and this presbytery then sent a unanimous request to synod not to locate the college until the next fall. Chiefly to save members of synod the expense of attending meeting in which 1t was prob able that nothing would be done. Some prominent members then notified other members of the status of affairs In con- sequence of which Montgomery. Annis- ton and Florence failed to be ready to present the claims and asked for further time. After a full, thorough, exhaustive and almost exhausting discussion which did not cease until near midnight and which to my certain knowledge influenced a change of opinion synoc decided by a vote of 50 to S7 in the interest of fairness to cities that desired further time, not to decide on a location until 1t should meet again in Birmingham June 9.
 While this vote was not altogether a test of Selma's weakness or strength it came nearest to it of anything I witt messed at the meeting, as Selmas "ene- mes'' advocated it and its friends op- posed it after this yet t--was announced.
 Selma withdrew its e ror the location of the college. The gentleman interview ed by your correspondent is certainly in error in several particulars First, he claims 1t to have been a test vote that Twas a victory for the Selma adherents when synod referred to a standing com mitt(se instead of to a special committee the request of East Alabama Presby- tery for postponement. This interpreta- ton of synoTs act is truly a surprise to those who arS more familiar with meth ods of businesS in religious associations than in dirty politics. The real ques- ton before synod was first whether a standing committee whose term of office