Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1907-05-16
Three Presbyterian Bod
les Discuss Various
Subjects.
DIFFER OVER MERGER
Speakers at Columbus Meet
Ing Talk Of Conquest
of the South.

Columbus, Ohio, May 1G.-All inter
est among the 1000 commissioners
present at the opening of the ll9th
general assembly of the Presbyterian
church, is in the outcome of the con-
test for moderator, which will be set
tied at the session this afternoon.
Friends of all candidates are very
active today in trying 10 line up votes
for their favorites.
Roberts Seems 10 Lead.
The leading candidate seems to be
DR.. W. II. Roberts of Philadelphia,
stated clerk of the assembly for years,
who was defeated for moderator at the
assembly in Los Angeles last year.
His friends are actively pushing his
claims declaring his faithful services
in behalf of the church should be re-
warded.
Not Better, HIT Earnest.
Friends of other candidates. howey-
er. insist that Roberts has been hon
ored for years by the church, and that
he ought to be continued to allow other
worthy men to receive their share OF
hOnors. There is no bitterness i'll the
contest, but much earnestness.
The other candidates are DR.. W. o.
Thompson, president of the Ohio State
university Rev. w H. II. Black. presi-
dent of the Missouri college; Rev.
Francis Z. Harston of New York City;
Rev. S. F. Scoville, former president of
Wooster university.
Landrith In Late.
Rev. Ira L. Landrith of Nashville,
Tenn, who delivered the opening ser
mon today, is being urged as a COmprO-
mise candidate, but apparently his can
didacy was sprung too late, and the
moderator will be in all probability Sc
lected from the list above with chances
in favor of Roberts.
Little talk is heard today as to the
place of the next assembly. Seattle is
an active candidate for the honor and
is reported to have offered to give
$4,000 to pay the expense of the as.
sembly. Atlantic City and Kansas City
are also talked of. The 400 seats in
Memorial hall were all filled today
when the assembly convened in the op
ening session.
Applause for Landrith.
DR.. Coyle of Denver called the as
sembly 10 order Rev. Ira f. Landritl
of Nashville, Tenn. former moderator
of the Cumberland Presbyterian as
sembly delivered his annual sermon
His reference to the race question an
declaration that the property of tn,
minority of ObjectOrs in the Cumber
land church to the union will be pal,
for were received with applause.
Plea for Education.
The theme of DR.. Landrith's sermon
was "The Call of Presbyterianisms En-
larged Macedonia" The design of tn,
discourse was. to arouse the genera
interest of the church in educationa
and religious work in the south anC
southwest. where Cumberland Presby
terians We're most numerous at tht
time of the union.
The merging of the two churche
was Interpreted by the preacher as en-
larging Presbyteriansm's field of work
and as uttering a clarion call to tn
united church to possess the west ant
SOUTH
Sees Warming.
The marvellous material prosperity o
the southern half of the United States
he declared. constitutes both a plea an
warning of danger if the spiritual az
vantages of the people do not kee
pace with their commercial develOT
ment. He favored cooperation and II
innate union with the Southern Presby
terian church; declared the south t
be ready for widespread revival, an