The Birmingham age-herald., 1924-07-04
CHURCHMEN FORESTALL VOTE DELAY Special Methodist Confer e1lce Votes Down Ad-
 j0urninent Proposal LONG STEP TAKEN
 TOWARD COMBINE Day Is Consumed With Debate On Minority
 Report
 DRAFT IS ASSAILED BY DIR. c, R. STUART Birmingham Pastor Takes Fling At Stand O. Bish-
 op Denny
LONG STEP TAKEN
 TOWARD COMBINE
DRAFT IS ASSAILED
 BY DIR. c, R. STUART
lBy Associated Press. )

<. CHATTANOOGA, Tenn., July 5. Proposed unification of the 7,OO0,- 900 Methodists of the country into one body moved a long step for ward when the Southern Methodist special general conference defeated d resolution which would have re- suited in immediate adjournment and received the majority report ot it's members of the joint commis- sion which drew up a plan of a union, along with recommendation that it be adopted.
 There was submitted, too, a re- port of the three members of the commission who oppose the plan. This report proved to be storm center and when the conference adjourned tonight it was being picked to pieces by spokesmen for the notification forces.
 At the outset of today's session de- bate was resumed on the resolution which, setting forth that legality of the conference was in doubt, proposed q substitute special conference next May. Adoption of the resolution would have resulted in immediate adjournment of tho conference, for under the rules t could only consider the unificati0n prob. lem. The resolution, wliicA had been debated nearly all of Tuesday, was dc Heated by viva voee vote of such 2 majority that its proponents did not even suggest roll call.
 Majority Plan Offered
 Wish the resolution out of the way, the majority unification report was pre- sented by Bishop J. N. Moore of Dallas. The plan, which was completed in July, 1928, has been published in virtually every religious periodical and the sec ular press of the country from time to time and is of common knowledge. Bishop Collins Denny, with Judge J. M. Rogers of Savannah, Ga, and the Rev. Dr. J. T. Leggett of Hattiesburg, Miss, opposed the plan presented by the minority report setting forth their objections.
 The report was approximately 1000 words in length. It reviewed the his tory of the Methodist Episcopal church since it's organization in 17S4, the rup- ture in 1844 and attempts since that time at union. It voiced virtually every objection to the plan that has been ad- vanced in discussion of it since it was completed last year, and went at length into the negro question and the relation of the two negrb bishops of the northern church to the whole body in the event unification became a fact. Bishop Denny began reading the report at II o'clock this morning, was interrupted by the recess for lunch at 12 80 o'clock, resumed reading at the afternoon ses- sion and consumed another hour, before he concluded.
 Storm Breaks
 The storm broke. but not before Dr. A. J. Lamar of Nashville, one of the proponents of the resolution to call a substitute conference next May, had moved that the Denny report be adopted as a substitute for the majority report
 Judge John S. Candler of Atlanta, a brother of Bishop Warren A. Candler presiding bishop of the church and an opponent of unification under the plan was the first to take the floor. For one hour and a half Judge Candler, an ardent supporter of unification, held the attention of the conference while he answered statement after statement em- braced in the minority report. Time and again the delegates found that ap- plause could not express their feelings and they cheered at the top of their voices.
 When he touched upon the negro question and concluded his address by remarking that if the northern Meth. odists were "half as mean" as opponents of unification charged, then he would
 Continued On Page TwO.)