The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1910-09-10
CHURCH As OWNER
HAS FULL CONTROL
FarmvilIe Conference Makes
Declaration In Randolph
Macon Matter
MUST AMEND CHARTER
AND MAKE SPECIFIC
Action of Trustees Of Vanderbilt
Cied to Show That Specific
Characer Provision is
Essential.

on the Randolph Macon College quenr-
ton. For nearly three yeaxa thu
question has been the nvI.est tissues
In Virginia Methodism and both ths
Baltimore and the Virginia confer
ences have for three successive ysax1
requested the trustees to make 4,
change in the charter which VIII
guarantee the rights OF the confer-
ences in the Randolph-Aacon fnakt-
tuition.
The General Conference of -
church which met at AsheviIio Inst
May enacted legislation which uphe16
the position taken by the Bslftm0xo
and the Virginia conferences and oAit-
ed upoH the trustees OF all Methodist
schools to amend THAR charter wheEq
necessary TO guarantee the rights e.
the church.
The Farmviile District conferenca
adopted a paper, which set forth u
clear and explicit language thu
church's side OF the question. AZ the
matter will be thoroughly discussed ~
the approaching conferences to BE- held
In Centenary church in this city. the
papers adopted Is printed In full-
There will doubtless be q great de-
bate Bishop A. w. Wilson. who pres
sides, Ia a trustee Of Macon
and was a trustee Of Vanderbilt Uni-
yersity, but he resigned his poaltion
an trustee when the Vanderbilt board
refused to be bound by the action Ok
the general conference.
This IL the paper adopted by thu
Farmviile conference at Blackstone:
We, the undersigned members Of
the Faruville district conferences
offer the following paper to be acted
upon by the conference:
On August Is. 1906. the board OK
trustees or Randolph Macon College.
without any consultation with this
Virginia annual conference at the
suggestion and solicitation OF chan
ceiior w w. Smith. ip order ~ OBJ
tain certain dement's from the Car
neeie foundation for the advancement
OF teAchings paused u resolution de-
clarinx &c the trustees of the said
Carnegie foundation that In this cons
duct Of the Randolph-Macon W0-
mans College no denominational teek
ID imposed In the choice OF trustees.
officers. or teachers"
This resolution declared to the Cars
negie trustees that the said Randolph-
Macon board " q corporation. en-
tireiy Independent OF UNCONVENTIONAL
control and 1t IL in effect. II not In -
many words. a distinct deial that the
trustees OF Randolph Macon College
are representatives TX Tue NH8lH40
and Baltimore conferencess And,
moreover. this declaration 10 In direc3
opposition to all the facts in the hiss
cory of the founding and the growth
OF Randolph Macon College, and In
opposition TO the specific and oft re-
peatsd declarations Of the board OF
trustees. as made by Its officers ana
agentA such ~ the declaration made
by the said trustees TO the virginiAs
legislature in 1870, that
The creator Of the college was the
Virginia conferences and that the
college Is in moral law and just1ca
the property OF the conference" And
| this declaration IL in direct oppoga-
ton to numerous declarations made
| In print over his own signature ~
Chancellor W. w. Smith. such ~
These institutions are for tho
| whole church. The property IL deed-
Macon College, and is q straightou9
| gift to our church TO be used for edu-s
cational purposes"; and again. This
| Randolph-Macon institutions deserve
the united support OF our people They
ara amphatically ours, belonging N
our church In fee simple. and without
/ stockholders or individual ownsrshtp,
they are ours forever. Their Succae4
| Is our success: sheir failure would ~
Macon in all It's branches beIonx4
jointly to the Virginia and Baltimori
conferences OF the Methodist Episcc9
pal church, south. The college n
essential to our work and our stand-
| ing as church. 1t il power Tor
our church and for the cause %
Christ. and should be heartily sus-
| taine by our people. The Baltimore
conference has equal rights to all thu
Ax-a x.kn aF hA II.
| (including the Woman's Colega) and
! is represented on the board OF tru1s
! tees in proportion to membership,
/ furnishing one-thjrd Of that body. #
Demand Change in Charter.
The declaration Of August 1s. 1905.
of the non-representative character 04
| the Randolph Macon trustees An6
their independence OF denominations
control astonished and disturbed yfE%
ginfa Msethodismfl and there was II
general and immediate demand ~
the part OF our people for such chAnG6
In the character as would give I6gnK
form to the moral and equitable own
ership of the church In the RandOlp{M
Macon system and as would insure ~
representative character Of the trt8s
tees. The trustees have declined ~
accede to the request of the conr4x<
ence thrice repeated, that the trnxt4G&
unite with the conference In an appeaX
to the civil authorities for aucak
changes in the charter OF Randolp1@
Macon College as will guarantees tnQ5
rights of thu conference. x3
In June. 1909, the trustees OF Ra0N!
dolph- Macon College adopted papS1
which declared that the duties Of f1<6E
board OF trustees Ia OBLIGATORY uy&
the board and cannot either be Co., e
United to or shared by any either N@