St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1907-05-01
The Methodist Conference.
Various Comments by the State Pre-.

state papers as the one SO recently
held at St. Johnsbury, nor has one eve
been held in Vermont that elected al
much comment from the state press. Oul
readers will be interested in the opinions
though the length of the editorial utter
ances in some instances prevents theil
complete reproduction in our columns.
On the "open shop" policy of Bishop
Berry the Rutland Herald commented
most favorably and the Montpelier
Journal briefly but heartily endorsed the
new movement.
In its closing paragraph the Herald
said,
"This is a radical change from the time
worn practice of the Methodist church.
The original idea was that of an army,
in which the bishops were the command
ers-in-chief, knowing the field, knowing
their men, working out carefully their
plan of campaign, saying to this man
"go," and to that man come" and
being literally and uncomplaingly obey
ed. But more independent spirit has
gradually taken possession of the church
Men object to being moved about like
checkers upon a board, and churches re-
fuse to submit to losing popular
preacher even on the plea of the general
good. The break in the system came
when the three years limit was wiped
out some time ago, and the ruling of
Bishop Berry at ST. Johnsbury seems to
sweep away the last vestige of the
ancient order. If this decision is follow
ed by other bishops throughout the
denomination, much of the objection to
the itinerancy, which in the early years of
the church's history was an incompar-
able source of strength, will be removed
Endorsing the Herald's attitude, the
Montpelier Journal said, marks a prac-
teal advance in the conduct of denomi-
national affairs that must be gratifying
to the rank and file of the ministry.
Hardships have been worked by bishops
appointments in the past; the new
departure is the only true solution OF the
problem"
On the reference to the salaries in the
denomination in Vermont the editor of
the Randolph Herald and News said,
"Just think: only seven of the 1874
Methodist clergymen in Vermont receive
over 81, 900 year, and 48 of them get
less than $500! This rather dissipates
the notion that men drift into the minis
try for the sake of fat, easy living. It's
no wonder that cry went up at the st.
Johnsbury conference for a lift in sala-
ries, or that one of the presiding elders
suggested the formation of labor union
among the clergymen to force fair liv-
ing"
The temperance resolutions came in for
severe censure from the Montpelier Jour
nal and the Bellows Falls Times because
the conference adopted resolutions con-
demning the present local option law as
an inferior measure to the old prohibi-
tory law and asking that prohibitory
law be submitted to the next Legislature
for action.
The Bellows Falls Times first summar-
ICES the resolutions and then draws it's
conclusions. The Times says
"The resolutions declare that the law
has failed to bring business to the state
or improve business already established,
but on the contrary, is calculated only to
promote the liquor business; that it has
not only failed to attract summer people
from outside the state, but is known to
have turned away some people who have
hitherto sought summer rest, quiet and
recreation in Vermont that it has failed
to diminish the crime or perjury in de-
fence ofliquor sellers, except so far as it
has failed to secure their prosecution;
has failed to demonstrate that it is bet
ter enforced than the law which preceded
it; that it has failed to close the low
dives, either in license or no-license towns;
that it has failed to protect towns vot-
ing no license from the ravages of other
towns voting license; that it is response
BILE for the overcrowded condition of
county jails and state warehouses. We
cannot speak for the rest of.the state, but
cannot understand how anyone can
maintain that in Bellows Falls condi-
lions under the local option law when the
town votes no are not superior to what
they were under state prohibition. Yer
mont will never again have state pro-
hibition and it is waste of powder for
the anti-saloon league or any other
organization to work for it. Where
these organizations can do a large
amount of good is in having the existing
law strengthened from time to time and
rigidly enforced"
The Montpelier Journal in a column
editorial takes the conference to task for
passing the resolutions, denies that bust
ness has fallen off in the state since the
new law went into effect; says that
bakers dozen may have stayed out of
the state because of the new law but the
fact remains we have never had so many
summer visitors as we are now getting;
denies that there has been falling off
of perjury since the law went into effect,
saying that nine tenths of the people
who bought liquor from the old agencies
under the prohibitory law really per-
jured themselves when they swore the
liquor was for medicinal purposes u"
says in the prohibitory days there were
probably nearly rs places in Montpelier
where liquor selling was going on right
along, while the past year in Washing
ton county there have been probably 40
raids and more than rs per cent. OF
them have been convicted, and in closing
says: