Americus times-recorder. [volume] (Americus, Ga.) 1891-current, 1907-10-06
NEGROES IN THE NORTH
NOW WANT BISHOPS
Problem Up In Northern
Methods Church.
CONFERENCE WILL MEET IN MAY
At Baltimore And Claims of Race Will
Then Be Pressed Review of the
Efforts That Have Been Made
In That Direction.
CONFERENCE WILL MEET IN MAY

the annual conference of the Me-
thodist Episcopal Church meet in
one part or another of the country,
and as the bishops of the denomina-
ton begin to look forward to the
next session of the General Confer
ence, which will meet in Baltimore
in May, the fact becomes established
that the race problem will have to be
decided by that body.
In this connection it is interesting
to recall the events of the past. The
first promise of future recognition
was extended to the negroes by the
General Conference of 1872, when this
declaration was made:
There is nothing in race, color
or former condition of servitude that
is bar to an election of the episco-
pacy.
The claims of our numerous and
noble-hearted membership of Afri
can descent to perfect equality of
relation with all others in our COM
munion are fully recognized by the
discipline and amply demonstrated
in the administration of the Method
list Episcopal Church.
Election to the flee of bishop
from among candidates who are mu-
tually equal cannot be special consid-
erations."
In 1880 the General Conference de-
cIared the best interests of our
church in general and of our colored
people in particular require that one
or more of our general superinten-
dents be of African descent
This promise of a position of high
est dignity, for in the church there
is no priority among the bishops,
has been held constantly in view by
the negro members, but at each sue
ceeding session of the convention the
sentiment has been expressed that the
time had not yet arrived and that
it was yet to come.
But in 1904 after pressure had
ben brought for some action, a COM
promise was decided on. An amend
ment was proposed, which will be-
voted on by the annual conference
this fall and next spring, that bishops
for work among particular races be
created. In this amendment it was
provided that the power of such
bishops be less than that of bishops
of the older order and not represent
ing any particular race.
The negroes in the church see in
this compromise a chance to have
some members of their race made a
bishop at once, but a bishop with re-
stricted power. Some of the negroes
believe it possible to use this as
stepping stone to absolute equality
while the great majority are opposed
to the compromise and declare it is
a makeshift that will have the ten
dency of spelling their chances Of
ultimate equality.
The limit of the power of such
bishops who would correspond to the
missionary bishops" would lie in the
fact that they would not be members
of the Board of Bishops. That they
would have no vote in that body and
could only attend by courtesy. They
could be heard only by suspension of
rules, their expenses would not be
paid, and their names would not APP
pear in official documents.
While the whole problem is that
of dealing with the negroes who are
aspiring for promotion in the coun-
ellis of the church, the wording of
the amendment is such that if passed
it would have a wider scope, 1t is
rfor races and languages" and there
might then be bishops for the Ital-
ians. Germans and Scandinayians and
all the other races in the church,
which extends almost around the
world.
The proposed amendment was
launched Saturday night of the clos
ing of the General Conference of
1904, the last meeting of that body,
and the vote upon it was hasty Two
thirds of the members voted in favor
of the passage of the amendment and
its submission to the annual confer
ence. Many of the leaders of the
church, who have desired the final
settlement of the negro problem in
the church to be deferred, have re-
GREETED that the amendment was passed
and that the difficult question will
demand positive answer next
spring.
CAAA