The Birmingham age-herald., 1905-10-13
Object to Exclusion from Inter-
 Church Conference
OR SAVAGE IS VIGOROUS
Thinks It Rather Late to Be Living Up to Ideals of Consistency of the Middle
 Ages.

New York, October 12.-At meeting of the legislative committee of the inter- church conference on federation in this city today it was decided to make public the correspondence out of which has grown the discussion on the subject of the exclusion of the Unitarian denomina- ton from the conference. The inter church conference will be held in this city in November. The American Uni tarian association, the national organiza- ton of the denomination, elected three delegates to attend the conference, name- ly the Rev Edward Everett Hale, chap lain of the United States Senate; ex-Sec- retary of the Navy John D. Long of Massachusetts and Dr. Samuel A Eliot, who is a son of President Eliot of liar yard.
 Members of the executive committee which was presided over by the Rev. W. Roberts of Philadelphia, declared the orig inal letter of invitation was not sent to the Unitarians, nor to the Catholics Neither of the latter two denominations. 1t was asserted, has taken any action In the matter.
 The correspondence given out includes the original letter of invitation, and the text of letters exchanged between Dr. Eliot of the proposed Unitarian delega- ton and Dr. E. R. Sanford secretary of the federation of churches, who Is acting for the inter-church conference Dr. Eliot said that as the free Christian churches were included in the membership of the state federation of Massachusetts and Rhode Island, the Unitarians had as- sumed the general invitation of the inter- church conference included that denom- ination. During the summer, however he had learned the Unitarans might not be welcomed, and he wrote to ask if these rumors had any justification.
 pr. Eiot Could Not Believe It.
 Dr. Eliot declared it was impossible for him to believe that the coming confer ence would exclude the representatives of the churches that stand for the Unitarian principle in American religious life. Dr. Eliot called attention to the personnel of the Unitarian delegation, saying that ex-Secretary Long and Dr. Eliot were among the most beloved and trusted of Christian leaders
 Replying to this letter, Secretary San ford wrote:
 "The committee on correspondence felt constrained to limit to some extent the sending out of invitations to denomina- tional bodies asking them to appoint dele gates to the coming inter-church confer ence on federation. This action was taken after very serious consideration, and I am confident that the committee would decline to reopen the discussion of the matter I need scarcely add that this decision was In no way personal"
 It was stated today that the letter of Dr. Sanford had been informally approved by the executive committee. Dr. Rob erts made the following statement about the matter:
 Unitarian Church Omitted.
 "The invitations to the conference were issued to churches which 1t was felt were in sufficient agreement one with another to secure efficient help in the line of fedora ton. The Unitarian churches were omitted. The work of Issuing the invita- tions and organizing the conference has been under way two years. There Is no purpose to antagonize any church, but to bring together for the discussion of plans of cooperation such churches as are now in close fellowship, and for the attainment of great moral and good ends. The conference represents GOO com municants, and at least 50,000.0O0 of ad- herents of the distinctly Protestant and Evangelical group of Christian churches. UnitarIanh do not belong to this group