The semi-weekly messenger. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1897-1908, 1904-05-31
DEBATE ON UNION MATTER.
Cumberland Presbyterian General
Assembly Has Not Yet Reached
Decision on This MOOted Question.

Decision ON This Mooted Question.
DALLAS, TEXAS. MAY 25.-AT
1870 TONIGHT THE GENERAL
ASSEMBLY OF THE CUMBERLAND
PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH BY "A
VOTE OF 1872 TO rs VOTED TO
SUBMIT TO THE PRESBYTERIES
WITH A RECOMMENDATION THAT
IT BE ADOPTED. THE REPORT OF
THE COMMITTEE ON FRATERNI-
TY AND UNION.
Dallas, Texas, May 25.-Two days OF
heated ebate upon every phase OF the
proposition as to whether or not the
Cumberland Presbyterian general as
sembly in session here will recommend
the union of that church with the Pres
byterian church in the United States OF
America. sees the mooted question I'M
decided. The assembly took a recess
at s o'clock this evening. with h I'M
Outstanding that probably tonight there
would be a vote.
Early this morning the assembly was
in almost continuous session, listening
TO debate from both sides. r. r. King,
OF Mineola, Texas, for the opposition
opened the debate. He reiterated the
claim that by the union the church
would lose its influence in the South
ern States. Ben Z. Guthrie, of Macon.
Missouri, supported the pos union.
limiting that the aus of the opposition
10 1t was more a matter Of prejudice
than anything else.
Rev. B. L. Holder, of Troy, Tenn,
denominated the movement as one of
absorption" and opposed it vehement
ly.
The Rev. J. S. Order, of Smiths
Grove. KY, felt that the educational
standard in the Presbyterian church
in the United States of America would
not shut out any of the Cumberland
Presbyterian ministers in case of Union.
In the afternoon. the Rev. r. w.
Binkley, OF McMinnville, Tenn, discuss
ed the anti-union side OF the case. He
produced a sensation in the assembly
by reading a telegram by Professor J.
Ross Stevenson, of Buffalo, N. Y, a
noted ~theologian of the Presbyterian
church in the United States of America
n a m of the revision committee
of that body, in which it was stated
in effect that the creed of the Presby-
terrain church in the United States of
America had not been revised in re-
gard to the doctrine Of p~redestination.
The reading of the telegram was receiv-
ed with a wave of applause by the
assembly.
Following this, the Rev. DR.. w. H.
Black President of the Missouri Valley
college, Marshall, Mo, chairman of the
fraternity and union committee and
who read the report upon which the
debate is Ringing. spoke favorably OF
| Union. His speech was one of the
| strongest that had been heard on thai
| side of the proposition and was listened
to with marked attention. One of his
strongly emphasized points was that
regarding the race question. He said
it had been inserted in the report be-
aus the Presbyterian church in the
United States of America contained
members of many other ~nationalities
/ than the negro and that it was felt as
q matter of justice that those should
| have representative in the general as
| sembly at least.
Rev. w NJ. Robinson, of Marshall
Texas, P. F. Johnson, of Rives, Tenn.
and Allen Foust, of Mckenzie, Tenn.
were anti-Union speakers.
Speaking further in favor of the
question was the Rev. Dr.. R. NJ. Tin
non, of Denver, Colo, Rev. DR.. B. G
Mitchell. Huntsville, Ala, and Judge
Warner E. Settle, Moderator of tn:
Assembly and a member of the frater-
nifty and union committee. Judge Set
tie closed the debate of the afternoon
in a general way declaring that tn
recommendation should be accomplish
ed, the occasion being ripe and there
being really no difference between tn
creds OF the churches.
Previous to the speech of Judge Set
tie, an attempt was mad to stop &C
ton on the union proposition by a mo
ton which recommitted it. This wa:
quickly voted down.
Most of the speeches of the day b.
action of the body were limited to hal
an hour. 1t is announced that the as
sembly has only a scant quantity o
routine business before it after the de
cision upon the union matter.