The Savannah morning news. (Savannah, Ga.) 1900-current, 1904-09-24
WOMEN DEMAND
RIGHT To VOTE
AGAINST C0L0RED BRETHREN
OF BRYAN BAPTIST CHURCH THEY
RAISE WALL OF PROTEST..

Ask Superior Court to Grant Man.
damus Compelling DeacOns to Let
Them Vote in Church-Lengthy
story of Troubles Lasting Nearly
Year-DencOns Broke Up COmmun-
ion SerVice-Were Expected, But
Met and Expelled other DeacOns
Who Remained Faithful.
Not yet has the dove of peace
spread it's wings in benediction over
the congregation of the Second Bryan
Baptist Church, nor has any kindly
hand poured soothing oil upon the
troubled waters. And now the sisters,
driven to the last resort by the dis
sensions which have torn the church,
have applied to the courts for aid.
Lucy A. Waters ct al. filed an ap-
plication for mandamus in the Su-
perior Court yesterday morning pray
ing that the male members of the
church be ordered to allow the female
members to vote. That little "et al"
includes the names of 1875 of the wom-
en- members of the church. AS the
list grew and grew the leaders began
forgetting first names and last names
and the let al closes with long list
of persons designated only by the gen.
tie term of sister"
AS far as could be CLEANED from the
petition, and it occupies fifteen closely
tyepwritten pages, the root of all
trouble is Rev. ]. ]. Durham, the
ex-pastor of the church, and certain
deacons, alleged to be very refractory.
The troubles have been stretching
along since last January and now the
grand climax has been reached. and
demand that they be given the right
to vote. Their pitiful wall is that
the deacons. contrary to all scriptural
and Baptistic law, refuse to allow
them the right of franchise.
Broke Up Communion.
The petition gives the following YER
sion of the beginnings of the trouble:
On Jan. 10, 1904, certain deacons of
the church, namely, J. F. Jones, r.
M. Davis and Stephen Maxwell, met
in the lower rooms and held some sort
of a meeting. Just what was trans
acted is not stated, but there are
hints that it was even as bad, from
the spiritual standpoint, as a "Befo'
Day Club"
Meanwhile the pastor of the faith
full, Rev. J. J. Durham, was preparing
in the rooms above to hold the COM
munion service, when to the horror
of the good sheep, the three deacons
came rushing up the stairs, yelling and
otherwise carrying OH in an extremely
boisterous manner. And they kept 1t
right up, just as though they enjoyed
it, so the petition reads.
Decorum then went to the winds,
and the sanctity of the service was
forgotten. Communion was abandoned
by many and, in nearly every phase,
the meeting was a failure.
Fired the DeacOns.
Then the congregation rose In it's
might and fired the aforesaid deacons,
it is alleged. They were fired spiritual
ly, mentally, morally. and, if they
hadn't left Immediately, they would
probably have been fired physically.
They were scorned of women especial
ly those of the congregation, and the
faithful allowed them to come no more
into the midst of the congregation.
Then another deacon, one w. r. Field,
joined the ranks of expelled from
choice, and departed from the midst
of the chosen, it is written.
The next move was up to the dea-
cons and they turned the trick. They
held a meeting and expelled all the
other deacons and then elected them
selves to fill the vacancies. Then they
abandoned the Scriptural injunction of
treating kindly their enemies, and took
away from the women the right of
franchise, which, they maintain, UP
to that time had been enjoyed.
Row Over the Pastor.
In the mentime the pastor, Rev. J.
]. Durham, tired of the constant bick-
| erings and feelings that his usefulness
was ended, resigned, much to the cha
| grin of the women members of the
| church, who loved him better than a
brother. This course suited the de-
| posed-re-e nthroned deacons, and they
reJoiced in their hearts.
In August the congregation met to
call new pastor, but Deacon Fields
announced that the recall had been
| postponed, and that pastor had been
chosen to preach to the congregation.
Later he gave as his reason for post
poning the call and appointing a pas
tor. so the petition alleges, the fact
that the deacons feared Rev. ]. ]. Dur
ham would be recalled, and that that
| would mean even more trouble.
Feeling that they were secure in
their self-assumed power, says the pc
| tition, the deacons then began to do
several stunts. They expelled certain
members for asking for information,
and at last the GROWING sorrow came
when they had one of the other dea-
cons arrested. He was dragged into
Police Court, but turned loose by the
| Recorder.
Quote Baptist Law.
Now the women ask that they be
| given an order from the court COM
pelling the deacons to let them vote,
and the writ is made returnable on
| Oct. !. In support of their position
they quote copiously from Baptist law,
and give in full a set of resolutions
| passed unanimously by the colored
Baptist pastors of the city.
These resolutions state that the
| women, as co-workers and supporters
! OF the church, have the right to vote
and that to deny them that privilege
is neither lawful scriptural. nor
Baptistic." and that churches which
do not allow that privilege are, Corrupt
! in doctrine and practice"
Thus the matter stands at present.
and the court must decide who is I'm