The Montgomery advertiser., 1906-01-02
ALABAMA BIBLE SOCIETY
 HAS A STORMY SESSION
MT. WaShburn Reelected President and All Pro- teStant Denominations Are Allowed Repre-
 SentatiYeS on Board of Directors.

The A1absrna Bible Society at it's annual business meeting last night in the house on Dexter Avenue passed through the stormiest session perhaps ever experienced by that organization in the ffty.four years of It's history. Charges of narrowness and tyranny IT the recent administration of the society were freely made.
 The chief occasion of the sharp fric- tion in the meeting was the election of officers. It developed that there was pronounced opposition to the rc-election Of President B. NJ. Washburn and Sec- retary Ira Champion. The elections. for the past few years have been auiet affairs. contrasted with that of last evening. It began with the-opening of the session.
 re- elected he made tho declaration fellingly that it was the proudest mos ment of his life.
 II have been vindicated at last" ad- dsd Mir. washburn as soon as his elec- tion became known. T am much grati- fled that an effort by my enemies to injure me has failed"
 The discord of the meeting seems to have originated several months back when there were meetings of the Board of Directors on which are representa- lives of the Methodist Episcopal Church, the Methodist Protestant Church and the Presbyterian Church. Numerous questions of policy had come before the Board since the last meet ing Of the Society on which there were pointed differences. There was every evidence that the dissenstons were purely denominational. The Presbyte- rians desired some things and changes which were voted down by the other E2A nf A6. nomination.
 These brooches in Board sessions were reflected and ventilated in unre- served fashion last evening. So plung- ed were the numerous members pres ent into sudden darkness and, rnisuri- derstanding that W. N. Cox of the Dexter Avenue Methodist Church moved for prayer to the Almighty to re- store harmony in the threatening hours. The motion called for Rev. G. W. Patterson, D. D., pastor of the prayer but he explained that for pro- priety's sake as he had participated in the previous debate, he should be ex~ cused. Rev. j. A. Rice, D. D., pastor of the. Court Street Methodist Church, was finally called upon for the invo- cation. The prayer was followed by a tendency to restore harmony.
 The disSensionS before the prayer had resulted in all Presbyterian mern- bers who were nominated for directors declining to serve on the board if elect ed. No nominations could be obtained that would stand in representation of the Presbyterian denomination. This was the crisis. The actual bolting of the Presbyterians. or d good portion of them, was averted by stroke of arr bitration in which Dr. Rice, of the Court Street Methodist Church, figured notably. During the. pause that at- tended the difficulty of finding nominees for the Presbyterian members of the board, that part of the election was passed over and the question of Methodist Episcopal members was taken up. This led to the nomination of Dr. Rice. He protested against his nomination earnestly, but on being greatly pressed to accept he seemed to suddenly seize upon the opportunity. He arose and in emphatic voice he said:
 "If the Presbyterian brethren will consent to serve on the board I will myself agree to accept the nomination. Will they serve?"
 Rev. Neal l.. Anderson. D. D., pastor of the Central Presbyterian Church, whose name had been used in the non1- nations, answered that he would con sent to serve if elected. He said he had been greatly moved by the fervent prayer of Dr. Rice and as tho help of so faithful and much needed man as Dr.