The Fargo forum and daily republican. [volume] (Fargo, N.D.) 1894-1957, 1918-02-13
Former Member CaSs Coun.
ty Bench Returns From
General Conference
PLANS FOR WORLD
FEDERATION MADE
Colored Representatives to
Be Given Recognition
By Commissioners


the nifty commissioners in attendance
at the general conference OF the
Methodist Episcopal church (North)
and the M. E church (South), held
at Savannah, Georgia, for two weeks,
beginning Jan. %. returned to Fargo
Tuesday morning and declared that
he fully believes unification viii be
accomplished in the near future.
Judge Pollock's statement on the
action taken at the general confer
ence for world federation of Method
ism, follows:
oTo construct an ecclesiastical
government for the control Of mil
lions Of people scattered over the
world is no small undertaking.
Geography, race, color, environment
education, ignorance, previous meth
DDS of religious thought and a score
Of other elements must be consider
ed. At Savannah, % commissioners,
representing the Methodist Episcopal
church NORTH and 25 Of the NJ. Il.
church (South) met Jan. % and re-
manned in continuous session for two
weeks. 1t was considered wise to as
semble at Savannah because that
was where John Wesley lived and
worked while in this country. The
Episcopal church (not building) or
which he was the pastor (for Wesley
never left that church) is still in ex-
istence on the same spot where it was
when Wesley was there in 1886 and
1897. The Identical building Is point
ed out where Wesley held his Sunday
school, and tablet on the govern
ment building tells us that there
Wesley preached in the open, on that
spot, from May 3, 1850 Nov. u.
1887.
Marching Through Georgia.
Heavy SHOWS in southern Illinois.
Kentucky, Tennessee and Alabama
delayed some Of us "a hours in
marching through Georgia.. Our
place OF meeting was in a Presbyter-
ian church, distant but two blocks
from the home where General Sher-
man had his headquarters during the
Civil war. Southern hospitality
everywhere abounded, and no single
family did more to make our stay
pleasant than that of Judge Charles
Adams, whose daughter, was happy
to find, married Judge Douglas, q
relative of Bishop ]. Poyntz Tyler OF
this city.
Plan For World Federation.
"A plan for q world federation Of
Methodism is nearly completed
There are some sixteen branches in
to which followers of Wesley have
become divided, the greatest num-
ber, over six Million being members
OF the two branches North and South,
which In 1884 split over the slavery
question.
Generally speaking, the plan Of
federation divides the white members |
in the United States into six regional
conferences, having as nearly as pos |
stble about one million members in |
each region, with a supreme body or
general conference made up Of dele |
gates from the various regional con- |
ferences. Using the organization OF |
our government by way of COmpari- |
son, the general conference would |
represent the United States, while |
the regional conferences would be |
classified as states having full power |
OF local self control, including the |
election Of their own bishops. sub /
ject to confirmation by the general |
conference.
Negroes Recognized.
TO properly care for the members |
OF African blood. and the mission /
work in foreign fields, there will be /
created Ave so-called Central confer |
ences' which will be given certain
powers as well as inducements to ex-
pand and finally become themselves /
an associate regional conference.
At present it is provided that when
a central conference has 10000
members, it will have the right to
elect its own bishops, subject to the
approval Of the general conference.
Since there are now $40, 900 color
ed members OF the M. e. church
NORTH In the u. s., it win be seen
that Immediately they will have the
right 20 elect one of their race as q
bishop, something not likely to oc-
cur 80 long as they remain as now,
members Of the same representative
body with the North church.
The southern representatives were
very anxious to have the colored
members In a separate church. The
colored representatives do not want
this. The plan above suggested is
as a method by which the
colored members may be given the
incentive for advancement and
at the same time positively assure
every one that under no considera-
ton will social relations with the
i've Of these central conferences. the
Afro American the Latin American.
the European, the Eastern Asiatic
and the Southern Asiatic.
Create judicial Council.
In addition to the foregoing there
win be created a judicial council
with fifteen members, corresponding
to the supreme court of the United
States, whose duty Ii will be to settle
all disputed legal questions and
whose decisions shall be final save In
certain instances and by methods to
be provided by law.
The Southern members were
anxious to have a provision agreed
10 that when a central conference Sc
cures 100000 members they must be- (
come practically conference by
Itself. The northern members in
sisted upon using the word may.
Here we broke for the present.
TT Is clear that the Southern mem
oers do not desire to use the word |
must" because of foreign missionary ]
work, but simply as 1t applies to the
negroes in this country Il Is hoped
hat by the time Of the adjourned !
meeting April 10, 1918, in st. Louis, !
his knotty problem viii be settled, 8
10 that a unanimous report can be-
unlimited to the general conference
IL the M. p. church South, which
meets in Atlanta In May Of this year.
mo friction existed among tho
members Of the commission. never +.
saw men work so hard, and with !
iuch harmony, to overcome all OBJ I
itacles.
THE people of the South are slow
n getting over the war and recon !
,truCtion periods. One member of :
he Southern commission was an =