The comet. (Johnson City, Tenn.) 1884-1916, 1911-02-16
Continued From First Page)
The Slavery Question IN 1874.

he SlavefY Question IN 1914.
In 1874, during the hot debates
in the general conference which
resulted in the separation of the
two churches, not single minis
ter spoke a word in defense of
slavery. All accepted the truth
as declared in the discipline as
follows: "We are as much as ever
convinced of the great evil of
slavery" Wesley himself said:
at was the sum of all villianies. "
1t was estimated that 200 travel
ing preachers at that time owned
1900 slaves, one thousand local
preachers owned 10000 slaves,
and twenty-five thousand men,
bers owned 207, 900 more.
Bishop Andrew was the legal
owner of slaves. l might explain
this by just word. A lady in
her will left a little negro boy in
trust to Bishop Andrew, and all
he could do was to hold him as
such. His wife also inherited a
couple of slaves, and the last wife
that he married had some colored
servants who were willed to her
by her parents. These Bishop
Andrew could not liberate because
the law would not permit it. Res.
olutions were adopted concerning
Bishop Andrew in the general
conference, and he was requested
to resign. When it was clearly
evident that no compromise could
be made between the northern
and southern delegations, the
men on both sides of the line
were face to face with a situation
that was hard to handle without
doing serious harm. 1t was the
firm conviction of the southern
delegates that if they submitted
to the will of the north in the
they would thereby eff
fectually cut themselves off from
the possibilities of any further
service to the slaves and the
slave holders. DR.. Olin said in
the debate: "If they concede
what the northern brethren wish,
they may as we'll go to the Rocky |
Mountains as to their own sunny |
plains" When the vote was TAX
en- on June S, on a substitute Of
fered by J. F. Finley and J. M.
Trimble, of the Ohio conference:
"Resolved, That it is the sense
IF this general conference that
Bishop ]. o. Andrew desist from
he exercises of his Office as bish-
'p so long as he is slave holder"
he vote stood Ill yeas to 60 nays.
Dr.. Lavich Pierce filed a brief of
declaration. DR.. H. B. Bascom
cad protest denying the consti-
utional rights of the general
conference to proceed against
bishop, except by due process of
aw. The declaration was refer
ed to a committee of nine. DR..
Robert Paine was chairman. This
ommittee was instructed That
they could not in their judg-
nent devise an amicable adjust
nent of the differences now exist
ng in the church on the subject
f slavery, to prepare, if possible, ,
constitutional plan for a mutual
nd friendly division of the
hurch. This resolution was s
igned by John B. McFerrin, of
tennessee, and Tobias Spencer,
f New York. The vote was TAX =,
n, 1873 yeas, Is nays.
Plan of Separation. {
simply quote the gist of it.
ALI the societies, stations and I
differences adhering to the t
hurch in the south by majority c
ote of the members, shall remain a
nder the unmolested PASTORAL 4
are of the southern church, and d
1e ministers of the Methodist n
Episcopal church shall in no wise
tempt to organize, churches Q
ithin the limits of the church II
'uth, nor shall they attempt any a
astoral oversight therein, it be- e
lg understood that the ministry a
the church south reciprocally o
oserve the same rule in relation e
} the M e t h cd ist Episcopal 81
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