The Montgomery advertiser., 1906-12-08
Joint Report is Adopt
 cd. DEBATE IN THE CONFERENCE  Stirring Plea Made to Preserve Greensboro University. Proposition For Institution For Men In Birmingham, and One For Women
 In Capital City Is
 Ratified.
BY MRS. L. W. WRIGHT.


 Alabama,n and placed the tnlro uay session Of the seventy-tourth annual Alabama Conference on record as one saf the most important sesslons or tha' body ever held in all it's history.
 At the appointed hour tne church was crowded with ministers and lay men of the Alabama Conference, ana Representatives of the North Aiapanla Conference, eager to near the outcome of this, the most monlentous question.
 The forces for and against were gathered together; the air or the edl- flee was charged, vibrant wltn the intensity of the feeling on the subject. But from the very beginning or ths speeches from the reading of the res~ olution, 1t was evident that those on the acceptance of the report were A grand array of talent fell in line. Every phase of the question was dls- cussed--the whole situation a was threshed from beginning 10 ena' through and through, and after a num- ber of tho finest speeches ever made on the floor of a Conference In Ala bama, when the vote was taken TOT tne consolidation of the educational forces in Methodism in Alabama, and the es- tabIishment of a college for Men at Birmingham and for Women at MonLT xomery. 1t stood: yeas--121; noes--2T; and the report was declared by the blessing was called down on the de- oision of the body.
 Minority Fought Bravely.
 The minority fought, and fought bravely. These were men honest III port meant death to Greensboro Col iege and for Greensboro they pleaded. When the call was made for the read ing of the report, Prof. c. Atkinson read a resolution which was offered as Q substitute to the report of the joint committee. The substitute was read and after speeches pro and con. which lasted for three hours. the sub stitutc was tabled by a vote of 11S to 36, and the original report was again read before the house and adopt<
 The following is the substitute.
 "Whereas, the Education Commission e.l clare S that at present tsefs < i4o, f,csst:: the flo conferences into one instttu- tion for the education of men.
 And whereas. the Southern Univer- sity Is a suitable and desirably sit ted property which represents value for our work whidh could net be re- placed elsewhere by any investment or less than one hundred and fifty or two hundred thousand dollars.
 And, whereas, a failure to define a policy assuring It's permanent continu- ance on the same cite must create Improving and building up the prop
 And. whereas, any certainty $ to the definiteness of some settle1 md sta. ble policy will hinder the norma: building up the interest of which the institution represents;
 Therefore, be 1t resolved, That this Conference declare ah its settled .poli- University as a permanent T. 5titution fo~ the education of men in -labama Methodism at some point satisfactory " AnH that we pledge to our Gonstit. uency that we will not remove from the present location to ay cher un- ISII wiil fully G @r replace the e present prop erty in it's value to the insnsution at the time of sueh proposed ,,,sII esmoyaaII;I val; and only if Ht a ,er,iY Gn tsrrs T1,en wi and organization of the historic insti
 And resolved, further, That we ac- cept and adopt the action of the Com . mission of Education with this suali- ficatlon and commitment to d nolicy.
 Signed a W. Q. Hurt, R. O., Simpson, ". 8.
 Carln, c. P. Atkinson.
 The difference in open opinion pre- vailIng among the members of the Greensboro. All were willing to sta tIon the women'h college ?t Montgom- cry but number refused to .oncur fii any plan to strike at the m' le college
 The first speaker on the subject who gained the privilege of the floor was Rev. J.. B. Cummings.
 tee of the Alabama Conference Col lege for Women at Tuskegee. made one of the strongest speeches in behalf of report of the joint committee of the two Conferences for the establishment ,of the Methodist College in Alabama.
 Mir. Cummings said in part,
 EzHn ERumR.
 Not like Dr. Frazer, do I regret that this matter has come before his Con- ference; for ten years l haye ionsed tor it's coming. I thank God that It IS here and for the opportunity that It brings For Gen years I have been nity. .-.. day in the history of Alabama Metho- dism-one upon which the destiny Of our church in Alabama rests
 Tt Is too important to be controlled by sentiment, by personalities or preJu- dice-nor by an appeal to passion.
 ''The first proposition I lay down is:
 That Alabama Methodism Is not meeting the educational demands upon
 Our girls are not going to Tuskegee, neither can we get them to go. Our boys are not going to Greensboro neither can we get them to go:
 f'We can't get the money for Tus- kegee and Greensboro.
 For twenty-two years we have been trying to endow these institutions and have secured S4O,000. Now the Bap- lists of the State have in few months raised $10O,0O0 cash. The State will continue to improve--it is bound to continue to grow and to prosper, and as long as our school remain where they are, we are bound to continue to fall behind. There is no recourse.
 We cannot get the money for Greensboro. and as the years pass on, it will be worse
 This report must be considered as a whole. It must rise as a whole, or 1t must fall as a whole
 without argument, we know that aducation Is the most potent factor in the development of Methodism in the State. There is no adequate compari- son to be made between our school at Greensboro and the school at Auburn or Tuscaloosa,
 Those schools are gaining every year. We only gather a little of the great flood tide of prosperity that is sweeping over our great State. Greens boro is sustained by the fidelity and the great loyalty Of Methodist minis ters and a few layrnen. Business men will do nothing for us. Sentiment is all right.-we all have soft spot in our hearts for our old college at Greensboro but a great college, such as we need, can not be planned on sen timent. We can't meet the prescnt-day issue, momentous and vital as 1t is, without money--and to get the money, the plans must be laid in accordance with the business principleSy--to meet