New-York tribune., 1919-10-20
Bishops of Protestant Epis-
copal Church. Asking
Conferences, Are Charged
With Dodging the Issue
Fight by Deputies Likely
New York Clergymen at Ses.
sion of Church Say Unity
Effort Is Far From Dead
staff Co-rcsponde :,

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DETROIT, Oct. 19.-If the will OF
the House Of Bishops of the Protestant
Episcopal Church prevails there will
be no definite action on the propos ed
concordat with the Congregationalist SITS
at this convention. 1t was announced
tonight that the special committee Of
nine bishops appointed to study the
proposed agreement, which would -er-
NIT the ordination of Congregations al
ministers by bishops of the Episcopal
Church. while men so ordained could
remain in their own communion. has
recommended further conferences with
the Congregational sgnatories, "a
wider consideration Of the proposed
concordat" and q report to the next
genera convention. 1t has also rec
commended that new committee con-
sisting of five bishops, five pre- byters
and five laymen shall continue the
conference
When the news Of the action of the
bishops was conveyed to supporters OF
the proposed concordat they became
indignant and said the bishops had
been guilty of the very thing that hao
been. charged against them on the floor
of their own house-''dodging tAe is
sue"
Denies Issue Was Dodged
Bishop Charles P. Anderson, of Chi
cago, said tonight: "The House OF
Bishops has not lodged the issue
That is only the superficial view. They
have seen in the proposals something
larger, perhaps, than the signers them
selves saw, and they have proved this
by voting unanimously, 101 of them
tor the further conferences. They have
recommended the appointment of q
joint commiss on to discuss the sub
jeo$ with the Protestant churches; the
bishops would have been dealing With
individuals. We have not rejected the
concordat. Instead we have placed the
i:nprimatur of the House of Bishops
on the steps toward Church unity. We
have given our blessing. 1t was to
save unity, not to defeat the concordat
that introduced the resolution
Bishop Boyd Vincent, of South
ern Ohio, who introduced the
resolution for the concordat in the
churches were capitalizing the rebuff
chaplains be given Episcopal ordina-
tion so that they might administer the
sacraments more freely.
"If we reject these overtures We
may be assured that the Protestant
churches no longer will look to us fol
leadership in church unity" he saids~
Fight Is Expected
Bishop Anderson, of Chicago, in
troduced the resolution which would
have referred the advances of the Con
gregationalists to next years Lambeth
conference, which session takes plac,
every ten years and is attended b,
bishops of the entire Anglican com
munion. Bishop Charles II. Brent. O.
Western New York, who served q:
senior headquarters chaplain, A. E. F.
protested vigorously. EITHER we are
national church or we are not he
exclaimed He read an extract from I
letter signed by one of the leaders
"outside our communion in the ad
vocacy Of the proposed concordat
which stated that if the Protestanf
Episcopal Church bishops found them
selves hampered by constitutional
limitation the signatories from tho
Congregational side would appeal theil
case to the bishops at Lambeth, who
are not so hampered.
Bishop Brent than urged substi-
tute motion for committee to re-
port on the concordat and this is the
committee that has just reported. is
report will not be communicated tc
the deputies until tomorrow.
The Rev DR.. Ernest NJ. Stires, rector
of st. Thomas's Church, New York
said the concordat is not dead issue
in the convention.
The Rev DR.. Charles Lewis Slat-
terry, rector of Grace Church. New
York. said: This matter undoubt-
edly will be fought out OF the floor
of the house of deputies"
Tonight in the Hotel Statler, where
the convention headquarters a . es w.
lished, there were little group of dep
uties discussing the report of the
bishops. One deputy said: IF the
bishops want to pass the leadership
to the deputies. well and good. The
interesting thing ABOUT this is that
the friends of the cotcordat had The
proposal introduced in the House OF
Bishops for two reasons, first as 3
matter of courtesy, because 1t touched
peculiarly episcopal duty, that OF
ordination; secondly, because they
felt it might receive more favorable
consideration there. However, the
supporters of the proposal will not
give up so easily"
Some deputies insisted that the &C
ton of the bishops in approving the