Atlanta tri-weekly journal. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1920-19??, 1924-05-22

the Methodist Episcopal Church,
South. called last night for July =
by the College of Bishops in session
here, to consider the proposal for
unification recently adopted by the
| general conference of the northern
branch of the church, is expected to
be fixed at an early date by the COM
mittee on arrangements, headed by
DR.. S. II. c.. Burgin, of San Antonio,
Texas.
Because Of the absence Of DR.,
! Burgin from the meeting last night,
! it was impossible to conjecture the
meeting place, but four southern
cities have already filed invitations
for the special session, according TO
DR.. r. S. Satterfield, of Nashville.
secretary of the committee on ar
+ rangements. The cities are Memphis,
Louisville, jackson, Miss, and
Springfield, Mo.
1.-The committee Will be inclined,
in my opinion" said DR.. Satterfield
''to favor a place centrally located,
| to which the cost of transportation
will be least for the members at
| large"
Members Of the committee on ar
engagements besides Dr. Burgin and
| DR.. Satterfield, are: w. o. Cross.
Salem, Va; w. E. Brock, Chatta-
| nooga, Tenn, and j. NJ. Rogers,
Savannah, Ga. They probably will
| meet within the next two weeks on
the call of DR.. Bursin, it was said
! last night.
Four Bishops Dissent
The date of the meeting, July 2,
ic h6lipNn6 tn u
vote of 10 to 4, as Bishops War,
rem A. Gambler, Collins Denny, o..
V. w. Darlington, and James E.
Diclley later issued a statement voic-
| ing opposition to the date on the
| ground that so early a time would
| deprive the annual conferences of
their constitutional right to elect
| new DELEGATIONS, if they prefer, to
| any special conference called by the
| bishops
The dissenting bishops pointed out
| in their statement that the consti-
| tutionality of the paragraphs con-
| ferring on the College of Bishops
authority to call special Sessions has
| been seriously questioned, inasmuch
as these paragraphs were never re-
ferred to the annual conference for
! ratification.
| More Time Advisable
!, Conceding the constitutionality of
| the authority thus granted, however,
! Inc statement says, the bishops are
not empowered to call a conference
| at any time (which would deprive
| the annual conferences of their right
| to be represented by the delegates
elected to the preceding general con
ference or 10 have a new elction if
they should SO prefer,
Disclaiming any intention Of sub
| Vertlng the purpose of the special
| session, the dissenting bishops de-
clare that in their opinion a later
date, May, 1925, for example, would
| give the proper time for discussion
and consideration of so grave a sub.
| Ject as unification, and, moreover.
the later date would avoid all ques
| ton Of legality and would be mora
conducive to justice and harmony.
Plan of UnificatiOn
The plan Of unification, approved
/ by the joint commission on unifica
ton which met at Cleveland, O., on
July "a, 1923, was ratified by the
general conference of the Methodist
| Episcopal church, meeting at Spring
| field, Mass .~~ May Z, 1924, by an al
most unanimous vote and the South
ern College of Bishops, then in SEES
sion, were formally advised of the ac-
ton taken.
The official heads of the southern
branch, at a special meeting on the
| day following. set Mayl20 for Il meet
ing to be held at Nashville, when
they would formally consider the
calling of general conference to
/ take up sthN Or~~''.-- of combining
with the northern church.
/ Under the plan ado~10d by the COM
mission in Cleveland. the churches
would be joined together as one re-
! ligious organization, with two juris-
dictiOns under a constitution with a
general conference and two iuriSdic-
tional cor .-0~>"es while the epiSco-
pal areas Of each would remain sepa-
rate without any change in the bish-
opric jurisdiction. The plan follows
Article |
Declaration of Union-The Meth
odist Episcopal church and the Meth
odist Episcopal church. south. shall
be united in one church with two
jurisdctiors under a constitution
with a general conference and two
iurisdictiOnal conferences.
Article IL
Name: The name Of the church
ShaIl be '....'. II he
name was left to be selected by the
first general conference of the united
church,
Article Ill
Jurisdiction. Section 1 - Turisdic-
tion No. shall comprise all churches,
annual conferences, mission confer
ences. and missions row constituting
the Methodist Episcopal church, and
any other such conferences and mis-
sions as NAV hereafter be organized
by its jurisdictional conference with
ence.
Section .. Jurisdiction No. shall
comprise all the churches, annual
conferences, mission conferences ano
missions now constituting the Meth
odist Episcopal church. south, and
any other such conferences and mis-
sions as NAV hereafter he organized
by its iurisdictional conference with
the approval of the general confer
enCeS.,
Article "
I Composition of general and juris
dfctional conference.-the genera
conference and the jurisdictional con
ferences shall be composed of tbs
same delegates. Said delegates shall
be elected by and from the annual
conferences, provided said genera
and jurisdictional conferences shall
nave not more than one ministerial
delegate for every fortY-tiVe members
Of each annual conference and no.
less than none ministerial delegate
for every one hundred and twenty
( l1e,,,berS Of each annual cOnfereCt
and an equal number of lay dele
gates chosen according to the regu
latious of each OF the two jurisdic
tons; but for n fraction of two-third:
or more of the number fixed by tht
/ general conference as the ratio o
representation an annual conferecI