Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1907-05-20
SENSATION AMONG
THE PRESBYTER|ANS
General Assembly at Columbus
Agitated Over Saloon Question.
DR.. DOSKER'SS TRONGACTION,
He Returns the Overture in the Tenn
perence Question.
FEELING IS BECOMING BITTER
Whole Question Will Come Up for
Discussion at the Session Next
Friday Morning.
FEELING IS BECOMING BITTER

COLUMBUS, Ohio. May 2O.-A sensa-
tion was created today among the 1000
commissioners to the Presbyterian gen.
eral assembly by the announcement that
DIR. Henry E. Dosker, chairman of the
standing committee on temperance, would
today return the overture on temperance
referred to his committee Saturday by
the committee on bills and overtures.
The overture In question condemns the
organization of the church federation of
temperance, and recommends that the
church give hearty support to the Anti
Saloon League. Dr. Dosker announces
that it is the business of the overture
committee to handle this temperance
overture, and he will turn it back to that
committee. DIR. Dosker's action Is being
criticised by many of the commissioners,
and the feeling on the temperance ques-
tion seems to be becoming bitter among
some of the commissioners. The whole
question is scheduled to come up next
Friday morning.
To Consider Reports.
The general assembly was called to or
der at o'clock this morning to consider
reports of special and standing commit
tees and boards-work which, it is now
thought, may take all of this week, and
may run into Monday of next week.
On the program for today the most
important, report was that of the COM
m1ttee on administrative agencies, to
whom were referred at the last assem-
Oily the overtures of fourteen synods and
presbyteries asking that consideration be
given to the advisability of consolidating
the church boards.
All Boards at Once.
On this topic abe committee simply re-
ports progress and advises against CONSOLE
dating any two more of the boards, as
taken in regard to all boards at once The
committee also took into consideration
other administrative agencies in addition to
the church boards, and it reports at length
on the Improvement of executive oversight
and direction.
The committee deplores the fact that the
church with Its pastor and its session is
the only unit in the church thoroughly or
ganized. The synods, the presbyteries and
the assemblies lack an executive admins
tration head at all times except when they
are in session, and the committee is of the
opinion that the church at large has suf-
fered from this fact. 1t advises giving
presbyteries and synods the power to APP
point executive commissions with admins
trative powers only of which the modcra-
ter of the respective synods and presby-
teries shall be the head.
As Advisory Council.
1t advises similar commission for the
general assembly to act as a sort of ad-
visory council for the moderator and which
may be given the work of some of the spe-
cial committees. The council, it advises.
should be composed of the moderator and
the two preceding ex-moderators, and three
classes of four men each, one class to re-
tire each year.
1t advises also that the terms of all
synodcal and Presbyterian moderators be
made one year. Should the overtures COW
ering these suggestions be adopted by the
assembly, they will then be referred back to
the presbyteries for ratification by ma
jority of them before the changes made
law. The new plan cannot, therefore, be
put into execution before next year.
The board of missions for freedmen made
its report today
No Objectionable "Ads."
Overtures from the presbyteries of Lima,
Portsmouth, Steubenville and Columbus
will be reported to the assembly this after
noon, asking that church Endorsement be
withheld from publications of religious
nature which print patent and proprietary
medicine advertisements. We demand that
every line and sentence in the church pa
pers, whether editorial, advertisement or
other reading matter. be the truth and
nothing but the TRUTH say the overtures.
Unofficial announcement Is made that the
temperance question may be brought up
Wednesday afternoon or Thursday morn
ing, instead of Friday. 1t is claimed that
majority of the commissioners favor the
Anti-Saloon League but a strong fight is
being made against official Endorsement of
the league on the ground IL is re-
sponsible to the church.
That a mistake was made in 1865 in CIV
ing the negro unrestricted citizenship was
the intimation made in an address today
by a friend of the negro voter, Commits
sioner Wilson of Pittsburg, in connection
with the presentation of the report of the
board of missions for freedmen. The senti-
ment was received with applause from the
assembly.
Fourth Session at Birmingham.
BIRMINGHAM, Ala, May 20.-The fourth
session OF the general assembly of the Pres
byterian Church in the United States OPEN
ed this morning with devotional services.
led by DIR. y. Jefferson Smith of Georgia
Moderator Howerton presided. Dr. William
McF. Alexander made partial report for
the committee on home missions. 1t had
reference to the alleged interference on
the part of the Northern Presbyterian
Church with missionaries of the Southern
church. The report included certain cor
respondence carried on between the two
churches and recommended that a telegram
be sent to the assembly of the Northern
church at Columbus, Ohio, asking that
committee be named to go over the cor
missionaries in the field, with a view of
making report to the Northern church.
DR.. Alexanders report and recommended
ton were adopted. DR.. Morris addressed
from missionaries the frontier in which
they complained of Northern Church evan
gelists appearing on the scene where South
ern missionaries were at work and organic
ing churches
Members Leave Pittsburg.
PITTSBURG, Pa. May 20.-Three Pull
man cars loaded with commissioners to the
United Presbyterian general assembly,
which meets at Denver this week. left here
today The special feature of the ASSEMBLY,
will be the election of a successor to DR..
Alexander Gilchrist, corresponding secre-
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