The Nashville globe. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1906-193?, 1918-12-27


National Baptist Convention Qncor- t
porated) and the National Baptist '
Convention (unincorporated) will not Il
obtain, and seems as far away this a
morning as it was in September, 1915. ?
when they divided at Chicago, if the p
action of the joint Peace Commission v
which closed its session here last q
night, is sustained by the respective v
conventions in their neiit annual ses- v
sions. During the deliberation of this a
joining commission dhab was held at S
the First Baptist Church (white),
corner 7th Avenue and Broadway,
this city, intelligence was pitted a. a
gainst intelligence, wit against wit,
parliamentary tactics against parlia-
mentary tactics, resourcefulness a.
gainst resourcefulness, eloquence a.
gainst eloquence, and through it all
it developed that the so-called "Lit.
tie R. f. D. Baptists," through their
commissioners representing the unin-
corporated National Baptist Conven-
tion, seemed to have won every point
and came out more than victorious
because of the superior generalShip
on the part of their leaders Sum-
ming the proceedings up 1t develops
that the Morris faction known as the
Incorporated Convention, was forced
by their own action to bear the stig-
ma of being a barrier to the peace
that was proposed. "As you were
evidently will be the order of the Ne
sgro Baptist National Conventions as
a result of the report of the finding
bfsthe final action ofsthe joint COM
mission. "A titanic struggle in which
diplomacy of action and words, IN
which craftsmanship presentation
was used, brought about the supreme
test, and at every turn of the road
the observer and the visitors could
see THAT the unincorporated or little
r. F. DIS were masters of the situa-
ton. Without encouragement appar-
emily, entering the conference with
the seeming odds against them, theyA
came out triumphant, i'm that they of-&
fered everything but surrendered
nothing that would jeopardfze the
principle for which they contended.
Their prompt refusal to allow the in
corporated brethren to divert the is
sue from the real causes that split
the convention, viz: the securing Of
the much-discussed charter by the un-
authorized seven brethren, and the in
stitution of many law suits now pend
ing, caused the incorporated or Nor
ris faction to reject what they had AL
ready unanimously accepted. 1t be-
came evident that when they saw
they could not gobble up the $35O,O00
worth of property now held in trust
by the National Baptist Publishing
Board, they withdrew 1t was stated
by several of their leaders in the
opening Of the conference that they
were there for spoils, they were there
for money, they wanted, according to
their own statement, the great Ma
tfonal Baptist Plant. admitting ap-
parently that they were unable to
operate it should they get it, they
felt that it should be given to them
and they were willing to subordinate
everything if they could have turned
:, over lock, stock and barrel the mag
nifcent plant which the unincorpor-
/! ated or Little r. F. DIS" declare
should remain In statu quo as
, plart owned, operated and controlled
by all the Baptists, those from the
forks of the road as we'll as those
from the metropolitan centers; the
un{utored and uneducated rural dis
trict Sunday school worker, church
member and pastor as well as the cul-
tured, educated, refined member Of
the Sunday school, church and pastor
from the metropolitan centers. Twen-
ty-five super-superior, stalwart repre-
sentatives of the unincorporated con-
vention defended every contention and
advanced many arguments to sustain
the contentious of the incorporated
Baptists. A survey of the entire
conference shows that.
AS early as Tuesday morning and
continuing until Thursday morning
representative colored and white Bap-
lists from the various states in the
Union were coming into the city as
members of the Peace Commission Of
the National Baptist Convention Qn-
corporated) and National Baptist
Convention (unincorporated) and the
Southern Baptist Convention (white)
and many other members and friends
of the two colored conventions re-
spectively. The meeting, according
to previous arrangements and an
nouncements, was called to order at
eleven o'clock in the First Baptist
Church (white) by the Rev. Null
Inns, president Of the Southern Bap-
tist Seminary at Louisville, KY, who
acted as temporary chairman in per-
fecting the permanent organization
of the joint Commission, which re-
suited in the election of the grand
and beloved DR.. Gambrell, president
of the Southern Baptist Convention
as permanent chairman Rev. G. ]. w
Boyd, Prof Chas. H. Stewart, DR.. O.
L. HALEY were elected secretaries. Dr.
HALEY, who had acted in that capac
ity in the last peace conference
which met at Memphis, felt disposed
to decline and allow others of the
colored brethren who were elected tc
do the work. However, he did moi
insist upon his declination, but die
not render any active service In thai
capacity. There was beautiful ex.
+ position of friendship and brotherly
love exhibited on the face and ex
pressed in language by all present, Il
was a real Baptist meeting on higf
order, for the doors were not closet
against the public. While no invi
tation had been extended, the ques
~ f Y n ~ y, ~