Lawrence democrat. (Lawrenceburg, Tenn.) 1884-1925, 1906-07-31
Has Aroused
Great Interest
Injunction Bill in
The C.P. Church
Case.
STATEMENT BY JUDGE GAUJ.
Point Which has Attracted Most
Attention Among those OPP
posing Union is Feature of
Bill as to Use OF the Name of
Church.

The bill filed in Chancery Court at
Fayetteville in the matter of the Comber
land Presbyterian Church union
Judge John w. Childress, of Nashville,
granting a fat for temporary inunc.
tiOn against members, has aroused great
interest among members of the church.
Judge John NJ. Gaut, who represents
complainants, on Monday gave an expla-
nation of those features of the bill
which have caused the greatest comment
Judge Gaut said that the bill was
filed at Fayetteville, Tens, because
there is a fierce contest between the
friends and opponents of the union over
the Cumberland Presbyterian Church.
property located in that city.
Are all individuals who belong to
the G. p. church, and who renounce
the union enjoined from calling them
selves Cumberland Presbyterians?' was
asked.
"They are not. The injunction only
restrains congregations, sessions, presby-
teries, synods, General Assemblies,
boards and committees from calling
themselves Cumberland Presbyterian as
part of their official names"
"On what grounds was this part of
the injunction asked?'
"Because of certain facts stated in the
bill to which refer you After stating
that the General Assembly of the church,
its highest court, had twice decided by
large majOrities that the union had been
legally constitutionally consented TO-
and after stating that the civil court at
Decatur, ILL.,, a court of the defendents'
own choosing, had, upon their own
statement of the facts, decided that the
decisions of the General Assembly were
conclusive upon all the members of the
church and upon all civil courts, the bill
proceeds as follows:
IMPORTANT PART OF BILL
Notwithstanding these obligations rest.
ing upon the opponents ofunion to abide
by the action of the Church's constituted J
and respect the opinion of
civil court to which they had vOluntar-
lily submitted the questions involved
number of them, said to be about ninety.
who had been members of the General
Assembly of 1906, who answered to the
final roll call in that body, and remained !
in it until its final adjournment, assem-
bled in the ball OF the Grand Army Of
the Republic in the city of Decatur,IH
an hour or Two after the adjournment Of
the General Assembly, and undertook TO
assume that they, a minority of the
commissioners, constituted the General
Assembly of the Cumberland Presbyte-
rian Church; assumed to contiue its SIT
ing, though it had adjourned until Nav.
1907; assumed that the offices of the
Assembly had become vacant and pro-
2eded to elect the defendant. J. l..
audgins, Moderator, and the defendant
[. II. Padgett, Stated Clerk. They
undertook to rescind the action adopting
,he joint report of 1906 They assumed
that all of the offices of all of
.he boards and permanent committees
If the church had become vacant, and
proceeded to fill such supposed va eancies
)y the appointment of new members
md Officers, ignoring the requirements
If the charters of the boards as to filling
They assumed that all of the
houses OF worship of the denomination I
lad passed under their control as well
Is the publishing house and other gen !
'ral property of the church; and they
assumed that all who refused to recog
nize their authority as the General As