The Birmingham age-herald., 1920-03-21
Bishop Denny Sees Danger h Methodist Unification Plan
Discusses Transmission of Unfcation Proposal and Analyses Relations of the Plan to the Negro
 Question in Southern States

been possible to think through even the questions that have come before us"
 When the result of the deliberations at Chattanooga were submitted to the gen. efal conference of 1914, with the request for more specific instructions. many, per haps most, of the delegates inferred that tlse report was indorsed by the men who had thrown it together, and this in spite of the above mentioned resolutions which were a part of the report. This report was not approved by Bishop Wilson, who because of sickness left Chattanooga on the second day of the meeting, nor by the writer A member of our commission. who at Louisville voted to transmit the proposed constitution, said that he had voted for the action taken at Oklahoma because he did not suppose it possible for Bishop Wilson. to whose name he ccurteously joined the name of this writer, to be party to the transmission of a paper he did not approve. He fur ther stated that he had never noticed the resolutions referred to above. and fur tier, that he doubted whether other dele gates to that general conference had any knowledge of them. If even men of thought and ability fail to take account or emphasized statements, can the busy man burden with daily cares be expected to discriminate between transmit and approve" between submit for consid- eration' and recommend for adaption?" One such experience should put man on his guard. (Minutes of the joint federa- tion commission held at Chattanooga. Pages IA, 26, 2S.) With that experience in mind this writer could not by his vote to transmit leave it open to multitudes to in fer that he approved the proposed consti- tuition. In 8 matter so grave, so serious. affecting as 1t does the very life of our Methodism, he could not do otherwise .--4 the beginning of these negotiations he had been a member of the several com issions charged with the consideration of these important questions. He con tinues to believe that what neither com mission would recommend ought not to be transmitted. Ths Associated Press re- port sent from Louisville and published the morning after the adjournment of the joint commission nisled our people and misled some of our church editors.
 The Associated Press, careful as in gen. eral 1t is, trustworthy as we so often find it, published, in the words of one of our careful church. editors, that the joint commission on unification had unan- imously agreed upon a plan for the uni- fication of the two Methodisms, and had sent the same up to the general confer enee for it's adoption
 REASONS FOR OPPOSITION
 In assigning some of the reasons for his opposition to the proposed constitution, the writer well knows that as one of the minority it is his misfortune that nothing will be conceded to person or official influence. He knows that he will almost certainly be charged with narrow Eess, prejudice, the persistence of sup posed early associations, and especially of unfriendliness to the negro, and the last in spite of long years spent in varied service gladly given on every possible occasion. He must win every inch of ground by use of the arms of fact and reason, and that at a time when the multitude is too impatient either to un- dergo the toll and pain of the investiga- tion of facts and the application of req son, or to give serious attention to those who have not lost faith in reason based on facts and principles. He does not need to be told that the action of so respect able and respected a body as the joint commission must have great effect. He is not now learning for the first time how strong Is the bias in favor of any system which promises to put an end to the work of inquiring, at once and forever and to give momentary relief from the pain of doubt and the discomfort of dis trust Long years ago he warned his students against the common and fatal fallacy due to ''the bias of impatient im- pulsiveness," using from year to year these words: ITO examine and re-exam-