The Bamberg herald. [volume] (Bamberg, S.C.) 1891-1972, 1909-12-09
BACK TO NEWMAN.
Bishops Cltimatum Settles Methodist
Conference Trouble.

Bishops Ultimatum Settles Methodist
Conference Trouble.
Atlanta, Ga, Dec. 6.-After visit
ing Bishop Hendrix at Searcy, Ark.
and being told, Newman is your
charge; go there and do your duty,
the Rev. R. J. Bigham returned tC
Atlanta to-day and prepared to re-
sumo his church work at Newman
where he was stationed last yeaI
previously to being changed at the
recent conference held here.
The bishops decision brings to a
close the fight which promised tc
split Methodism throughout the
State. Mr. Bigham was appointed
to St. Johns church at Augusta, at
the last conference. but a protest
from that church caused the bishop
to change him to the presiding elder
ship of the Atlanta district. Here
another protest resulted and to settle
all difficulties, Bishop Hendrix sent
him back to his former charge at
Newman. Dr.. Bigham to-day gave
the following statement to a local
paper: :
81 have been out to Searcy, Ark,
to see bishop Hendrix, who is hold
ing the White River conference there.
l went out, not to ask him to give
me any appointment, but to ask him,
as I had telegraphed him before
left Atlanta, to realease me from
the Newman appointment for reasons
which have been stated heretofore in
the Atlanta papers.
Il have a great many friends that
I fondly love in Newman. Ca, among
all denominations, but I have thought
from the first that l ought not to be
sent back there because they had a
new appointment and l had been re-
moved and they were taking steps
by correspondence and otherwise with
their new pastor and I thought that
appointment ought to remaln-res
adjudicata.
"He said that he would not re-
lease me from Newman. / told him
| was willing to take any appoint
ment in the conference instead, but
he replied to me:
and do your duty.
81 suggested to him several chang
es which might be made, everyone OF
them to my disadvantage. But he did
not know about the points / suggest
ed, and l could not assure him that
the brethren themselves would be
agreeable, even though it would in
crease their salaries.
HE. seemed to have his mind posi-
lively made up. I said that there
was such an uprising in Atlanta both
among preachers and laymen as
would make it impossible for me to
do the work of the district to the best
advantage. That he knew | would be
at such disadvantage as would dis
qualify me for taking up the work OF
the Atlanta district.
81 desire to say to the public that
how great an uprising there really
was among preachers and laymen will
be stated later by myself and many
friends for me in this city.
Under the Methodism system l am
obliged to go back to Newman and |
20 with a very great deal of pleasure
under the circumstances. | did not
originally ask to be relieved of the
Newman charge and I wish to repeat
nv fondness for the entire town and
my church particularly. l only re-
sisted, as far as l could courteously
do so, because l did not think that
after the trouble at st. John and In
the Atlanta district, it was fair to me
or Newman tc, send me back to that
charge.
Grateful to Friends.
please permit me to express my
appreciation to the thousands OF
friends l have in Atlanta and through
out Georgia who have written and
telegraphed nae congratulations, first,
in the case of my St. John appoint
ment and afterwards when l was ap-
pointed to the Atlanta district.
81 have been quiet and courteous
for four or five years. l mean still
to preserve what every gentleman
preserves, spirit of kindness, but l
shall, if it seems advisable to me
later, present some facts touching
me for the last three or four years,
which l have never yet made any
statement of to the public"