Atlanta tri-weekly journal. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1920-19??, 1924-07-08
UNIT ICAT|ON PLAN
NOW GOES BEFORE
GENERAL SESSIONS

!. CHATTANOOGA, Tenn, July s.
(By the Associated Press.)-Organic
union into one great church of the
1000, 900 members of the Methodist
Episcopal church and the Methodist
Episcopal church, south, depends
upon the action during 1925 of the
annual conferences of the two or
CARNATIONS as a result of the accep-
tance here yesterday of the plan OF
unification by the southern church
in special general conference. The
vote was 297 to rs, considerably more
than the two-thirds majority neces-
sary.
The plan was adopted by the Metz
odist Episcopal church at it's recent
general conference in Springfield,
Mass In accepting it, the condi-
ton was made that the northern an
nual conferences would vote upon
ratification in 1925 only if before
that time the southern general con-
ference had acted favorably and hao
ordered the plan submitted to its own
annual conferences.
The southern conference accepted
the proposal only after three days
of strenuous debate, which centereo
around two distinct questions tour
of it's thirteen bishops were douptIul
of the legality of the call for the Spe.
cial session. and a day and nall
was devoted to argument in which
numerous legal experts and aut1ofl'
ties on church law participated.
Special Plan Rejected
That phase was settled when the
conference defeated resolution pro-
posing a special general conference
tneXt May surrounded by every legal
Psafeguard on the plea that the le-
gality of this conference peing IN
grave doubt, title to church property
might be involved.
The second point related 10 the
| plan of unification itself, The Pro-
4 posal was devised by a joint com
mission, whose members were ap-
/ pointed by the general conferences OF
the two churches. Three of the
southern commissioners, headed by
! Bishop Collins Denny, of Richmond,
Va, were opposed to the particular
plan, but not to the principle of uni
. fication, and submitted minority re-
port urging it's rejection. The ma
jority report, transmitting 1t, was &C
companied by a recommendation tnat
it be accepted. With the recelpt Oh
both reports opponents OF TIE pro
DOSdl IIlOH6u I1ldL IhC iiiA-
adopted as a substitute for inc ma
jority report!
From early Thursday afternoon
until 4:30 p. M, Friday, when ballot.
ing began, unification was DEBATED
from every angle. When the CONFER
ence was polled, adoption of the
minority report as a substitute was s
defeated by a standing vote of 27s
TO sc. The majority report was
adopted on roll call by a vote OF
297 to IS.
Secret Ballot Asked
The next step toward uniflcatlor
will be the action of the annual con
ference next year on ratification
Two thirds Of all the delegates vot
ing is necessary for ratification by
the northern conferences and in the
south three-fourths of the delegates
must act favorably. The northern
conference yesterday, by resolution
requested that it's annual conferences
take a secret ballot.
If the annual conferences ratify
the action of their general confer
ences, the colleges Of bishops of thf
two churches would be called into
joint session, would notify their re
spective general conferences that
unification had been accepted, and
would call them to meet jointly tc
put it into effect. In this event the
two general conferences probably
would meet in May, 1926. The reg
ular general conference Of the south
ern church will be in session at that
time and the northern conference
probably will be called in special ses
sion to sit with it. Where the south
srn conference will meet has MOI
been determined but it was assumed
by churchmen that the city selected
probably would be along the border
between the north and south, with
the expectation that the northern
conference would ma rticinate