The Columbia herald. [volume] (Columbia, Tenn.) 18??-1935, 1906-07-27
ANTI-UNIONISTS
ENJOINED
FROM USING CUMBERLAND NAME
INTERFERING WITH CHURCH
PROPERTY OR EMPLOY
ING LEGAL MEASURES.

vile Saturday issued nat LOT d leAn
porary injunction against members OF
the Cumberland Presbyterian Church,
Tho are opposing the recent union with
the Presbyterian Church, U. S. A. The
complaint was filed in the Chancery
Court on Saturday by Judge John M.
Gaut, and is very lengthy, being TWEEN
three typewriter pages.
The compliments are DR.. Ira Ian
drith, ]. M. Hubert, B. P. Fullerton,
w. A. Provine, G. B. Hogan, Thomas
Hagley, ]. L. Waggoner, r. B. West,
M. B. Mulloy, ]. T. Burns, R. j. Par
ness, B. A. Burkhalter, ]. F. Ridley,
W. w. Hamilton, r. H. Brown, W. A.
White, w. F. Colline, J. w. Howell, H.
T. Fullerton, C. A. Hudson and B. L.
Jones.
Specially named as defendants
though the injunction is operative
against all members and ministers OF
the church who have been actively
opposed to the union, are P. L. John
son. ]. L. Hudgins, T. H. Padgett, A.
N. Eshman, A. Seagle, T. A. Havron,
". M. Robinson, Allen Foust, j. W..
Smith, ]. r. Granada, J. S. Dinwidder,
C. A. Larde and w. A. Larde.
Facts in Bill.
The bill recites facts regarding the
early history of the church, which was
first organized about 200 years ago,
and then goes into the history OF the
union, stating that the best informed
members were convinced that the best
interests of Christianity would be
prompted 10y union. All OF the de-
tails as to the action by committees
appointed, and also the General AS
sembled of the church are given.
THE General Assembly of the Cum
berland Presbyterian Church was in
vested by it's constitution with legis-
lative, executive and judicial author
ity; with power to decide all questions
of law, doctrine or ecclesiastical
polity coming before it in judicial cases
or other controversies, or propounded
to it as abstract questions, or arising
in the exercise of its reviewing or
experimenting power over the
whole church." the bill states.
Exhibits are made to show that the
union has been constitutionally
adopted, and that all members had ex-
pressly or implicitly promised to sup
port the rules of the church, and sub
NIT to its constitutional authority so
long as they continued members. Com
plainants also cite the case brought in
the Illinois courts in support of the
contentious, and it is insisted that it
has decided correctly the matters at
issue.
Power Of Union.
For about $50 years the Presbyte-
rian constitutions have been construed
as granting or not Withholding the
power to form such unions. Instances
in which the power has been exer-
cised or asserted are set forth in Ex-
hibit No. TO- hereto annexed" the bill
says.
"Complainants are therefore advised
and believe that the decisions of the
Assembly in question were and are
correct, but whether correct or not
they are binding upon every church
member and cannot be reviewed by
the civil courts, and compliments re-
ly on such decisions as conclusive"
The bill then goes into facts regard
ing the dissenting members, who met
at Decatur, ILL.,, and assumed that all
the houses of worship and publishing
house had passed under their control.
1T has always been the boast of the
Cumberland Presbyterian Church that
it was not sectional 1t had religion
enough to pass through the storms of
the Civil War and the perils of recon
struction without division, and has
ever studiously labored, and with
marked success, to suppress sectional
feeling. Nevertheless, these cham
pions of the remuneration have made
thousands of people believe that this
was not mutual union of twodenomina-
lions but disorganization of the Cum
berland Presbyterian Church and an
absorption of it by the Presbyterian
Church, and they have told the people
that the union people were going to
take from them all of their church
property and give it to Northern
church or Yankee church. and that
the united church would force upon
them an admixture of white people and
negroes in all of the congregations of
the South and in all of the Indicator
les of the church, and even force upon
them social equality between the
races the bill states.