The Montgomery advertiser., 1907-05-23
AN EXCITING DEBATE.
Northern Presbyterians Discuss Tenn
nerr nee 6uestiOn.

Columbus, o.. May 22-Follewihs
| two short hours Of exciting DEBATE
| and verged upon personalities tne
PRESBYTERIAN General Assembly today,
| - tha close of one of the liveliest
| sessions in tbs history, adopted WIN
| ont a dissenting vote resolutions de-
| claring as its policy that the perna
nent committee on temperance snall
not embark upon or interfere In po-
litical work and endorsing the Ameri@
can Anti-Saloon League as oaie'
sane and effective" organization in the
furtherance of the great cause of tenn
perance and pledging Itself to 1t the
| fullest cooperation consistent with
| the constitution of the church"
In anticipation of a momentous fight
on the temperance question every
commissioner was in his seat and the
gallery was filled with spectators a
majority Of them women when at
| o'clock as a special order for the day,
the assembly called for the reports of
} the committee on church policy and
| temperance. 1t became evident almost
| at the outset that a majority OF the
| commissioners were bent upon setting
| then and for all time the controversy
which has been aroused by the conflict
| between the permanent temperance
committee of the Presbyterian Church
which has been instrumental in organ
izing the Interchurch Temperance Fed
Grafton and the AntiSaloon League.
| A program which sought to defer ac-
| ton on the vital question had been
mapped out by the committee but THIS
was quickly dissipated when the as
sembly temporarily put aside the re-
port of the committee which had been
| directed by the assembly to define the
| duties of the permanent committee on
| temperance and adopted the following
| resolution as a substitute for one pre-
| pared by the committee which pro-
| posed to create a committee to prepare
a definition of the duties of the per-
| manent temperance committee and re-
port to the next general assembly,:
whereas, the Presbyterian Church
has always stood for the separation of
the church and State and the assembly
| believes that the church in it's organ
| lied capacity should not through any
| of its agencies. be entangled with the
political organizations of the State.
while urging upon its members as
Christian voters to take an active IN
| terest in political affairs. bringing to
| the service OF the State a conscien-
| tious performance OF civic duties.
therefore be Il
Resolved, that the assembly declares
| as its policy that the permanent COM
| mittee on temperance shall not inter-
| fere in political primaries, advocate
| the election or defeat of candidates for
political office, enter into the organi-
cation of campaigns, frame bills for
presentation to the Legislatures. lobby
| before Legislatures or otherwise en-
| tangle the church with the political
| activities of the State provided that
nothing herein may be construed as
limiting the constitutional right OF the
petition as granted In our standards.
Whereas, we contend that the
| orRanizatinp nuSt cOO-
tinue to do tbs own temperance work,
| Resolved. that the general assem-
bly, of the Presbyterian Church, u. s.
! A., most heartily commends the Amer
lean Anti-saloon League as safe,
sane and effective organization In the
perance and pledges thereto the fullest.
cooperation consistent with the con-
| stitution of the church.
Report ON Church Policy.
The report of the committee on
church polity was the first called for
and was presented by Rev. DR.. Will
liam H. Fulton, of Philadelphia. An
overture from the synod of Indian
Territory asking the assembly for a
deliverance on the subject of how the
| church might secure representation In
non ecclesiastical temperance organi-
| cations, had been referred to this COM
mittee 1t reported a resolution de-
| claring that while acknowledging the
work done by various temperance or
| ganizations and especially commend
| ing the achievements of the Anti-Sa-
| loon League, Women's Christian Tenn
perance Union and like societies. the
| assembly reaffirms the undertaking
| custom and policy of the churcn TO
avoid official representation In non
ecclesiastical bodies but raises no OBJ
| lection to it's members or ministers
| affiliating themselves Win sucn socie-
| ties as individuals.
| Rev. E. O. Whitewell of Oklahoma
city. Okla, Immediately took the floor
| in opposition to the report OF the COM
| mittee on polity and in a speech which
| electrified the vast assemblage, made
| an impassioned plea in behalf OF the
work which he has been doing in con-
| nection with the Anti-Saloon League
toward securing a provision for pro-
hibition in the constitution In the State
| of Oklahoma. He declared that he had
been threatened by the brewery inter-
| ests. who had told him that when the
| Presbyterian General Assembly met, he
would be called down on his perch.
when threats had failed, he said, an
effort had been made to buy him off
with promises of a contribution to his
| church, He pleaded with the Assem-
| bly not to put a burning torch In the
| hands of the brewery interests of the
Indian Territory and Oklahoma.
| Rev. Samuel Semple of Louisville.
| Pa. declared that there was nothing in
the constitution of the church to pre-
! vent the church federation from ad-
yancfng any great moral reform, and
| cited the action of the Assembly on the
slavery question in 1861. Henry Jes-
| sun of New York defended the ruling
| of the polity committee, and made
| plea for conservative action.
Rev. DR. Dosker of Louisville, KY,
as chairman of the polity committee
then reported that the committee had
acted adversely on the overtures from
| certain presbyteries asking that the
| inter-church temperance federation
movement be abandoned, and the Anti
Saloon League endorsed. The report
declared that the movement was con-
sistent with the attitude of the church
on the temperance question, since 1t
had become a factor in church work.
and cited the records of the Assembly
showing that the permanent temper
ance committee had acted with full au-
thority from the church. The commit
tee recommended that the basis of agree
ment for the interchurch federation be
approved for reference to the inter
York in 1898.
Debate on, Temperance.
on the matter of defining the duties
of the permanent committee on tenn
peranoc which had been referred to 1t,
the committee reported that IT con
sidered the question too great to be de
cided hastily and recommended that a
committee of FIVE be appointed to de-
/ 1,rN,t4 To- 4