Atlanta tri-weekly journal. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1920-19??, 1924-07-01
ME- HOD|ST UNION
CONFERENCE: WILL
MEET WEDNESDAY

NASHVILLE, Tenn, June rs
(By the Associated Press. with the
special session of the general con
ference of the Methodist Episcopa
Church, South, conveninS at Chat
tanooga, Tenn, on Wednesday, July
2, for consideration and ballot upor
the unifica ton of the northern anC
southern churches, and ratified al
most unanimously by the northern
church this year at it's Springfield
Mass, general conference, every
phase of the question that split the
church in 1914 and which has kept
the two branches apart in admins
tration, although holding virtually
the same doctrines and policy, is ex
pected to be discussed,
Bishop Edwin d. Mouzon, OF
Nashville, chairman Of the southern
commission on unification, is one OF
the most enthusiastic members OF
the college of bishops favoring uni
tication, while Bishop w. A. Can
dler, of Atlanta, senior bishop of the
college, is strong in his opposition
to unificatiOn,
1t is stated by some that the legal
lty of the called session will be con
tested on the floor. 1t is also stat
ed that resolution probably will be
brought forth early in the meeting
asking that unification and minor
matters pertaining thereto be the
sole topics considered.
Validity of Call Challenged
Blshops Warren A. Gambler, Col
Inns Denny, q. V. w. DARLINGTON and
j. r. Dickey take the position that a
called session prior to the round of
annual conferences, which f1nally
must ratify any action taken bv the
special session, is unconstitutional
several foreign delegates are
speeding to the states to take their
PAGES IN the conference, the call for
winch was issued by the colleee of
bishops on May 20, last.
rive hundred or more DELEGATES
WIZ be IN attendance, it is estina +.
eu' Approximately 400 attended the
ldsL regular session Of the general
GIro,nIerence, held at Hot Springs. Ark
= ne sessions will be held in the new
ooIolers' and Sailors Memorial audi.
torluIn, While the general headouar.
terS Tor the conference will ha Of
the Patten hotel.
Dr. Charles D. Bulla, of Rerkalav
cal.' will again edit the "Dailv Chris'
tlan Advocate" which will con+a;',
tull account of the procnadin 90 49,,
ing the life Of the meeting.
ACTIVE members of the COLLAGE 80
oshops will preside in rotatioo ~ ~
me called session. al
AS senior noap,bor - l.,
Bishop Warran A. Gambler will ,aa1t1
go ateihent concerning the purpose
anu OBJECT of the call. A secretarv
ana assistants will be eIected e'-
tha me the question of slavery was
~ o,ls!hal cause of dissension in
ene Methodlst church, the specific
t''t; u the separation was consti.
Iu:Iolidl' leaders, in southern Meth.
oul9h assert. A conflict arose he.
o"een tne civil laws and ecclesiasti.
cal rulings.
Until 1880, when the general con.
ference of the church met in Ra1ti.
liIoie' CEere had been no conference
"CClon on the question of slavery
AZ that time, the first official ar.
ION was taken Disappearing of
save holding, and it was in 1874
Shdt the most rigid laws were PASSED
Wy me church bearing upon this
The Breaking Point
Following the Baltimore confer.
ence, tone of moderation marked
succeeding conferences until the
unit Of concessions to the views of
the southern delegates was declared
reached by the abolition wing, when
the conference passed a resolution
presented by official members of
the Westmoreland circuit of Vir.
glnla, complaining that, while geo.
graphically they were subject to
state laws under which emancina-
ton could not take place, the Balti-
more conference, to whose eccles.
lastical jurisdiction they belonged.
refused to elect certain of their To-
cal preachers to orders or to admit
them into the travelling connection
because they were slave holders. In
response to this complaint, the gen
eral conference adopted a resolution
declaring that the simple holding of
slaves or mere ownership of slave
property in states or territories
where the laws did not admit of
emancipation and permit the liberat.
ed slaves to enjoy freedom, consti-
tuted no legal barrier to the cleo
ton or ordination of ministers to
the various grades of office known
in the ministry of the Methodist
Episcopal church and could not,
therefore, be considered as operat-
ing any forfeiture Of right in view
of such election and ordination.
This concession was declared the
breaking point by the abolitionists,
and that wing seeded, and in May,
1913, organized the Wesleyan Meth
odist Church of America. with nom
slave holding as a condition of men,
bership.
Such action by the Wesleyan fac.
ton served to strengthen the con-
victions of both northern and south
ern members, and in 1914 a peace
able and friendly separation took
place, each section of the church set
ting about to work in its own terri.
tory to manage its own problems in
its own way.
lave-0wning Bishop
One immediate cause of the rift
was the presence of a slave holding
bishop, j. o. Andrews. in the Meth
odist church, it is asserted. Becom-
ing a master of slaves through his
wife's inheriting an estate which in.
cluded slaves, and being unable to
liberate them owing to civil legisla-
ton at that time, there seemed no
way out of the difficulty.
After stating that the southerners
could not sanction the action OF the