Evening star., 1924-05-07
M. E. CHURCH UNION
PROPOSAL is VOTED
Northern Conference to Notify
Council of Southern Bishops
of Favorable Action.
WOULD END SO-YEAR SCHISM
Bishop Mcdowell Speaks on Report
for Unifcation.
By the Associated Press

By the Associated Press
SPRINGFIELD, Mass, May The
unification of the Methodist Episco-
pal Church with the Methodist Epis-
copal Church South was ratified by
the Methodist Episcopal General Con-
ference here today by vote of S42
to Is. The action, if confirmed by
the southern church, will end a
schism that was created eighty years
ago by a southern bishops ownership
of slaves.
The report on unifcation was made
by a special commission appointed
by the general conference at Des
Moines in 1920, and headed by Bishop
William f. Mcdowell of Washington,
D. C. 1t met with a similar commits
sion, appointed by the southern
church, at Cincinnati. in January,
1928. a joint committee of reference
there appointed prepared the plan
approved today, and it was accepted
by the joint commission at Cleveland
the following July.
The joint report, in essence, unites
the two churches in one church, with
two Jurisdictions, under a constitu-
tion, with a general conference and
two jurisdictional conferences. Every
vote in the general conference shall
be by Jurisdictions, and shall require
the accepted majority vote of each
jurisdiction to be effective.
Provides judicial Council.
Provision is made for a judicial
council to pass upon the constitution
ality of the acts of the general con-
ference and the jurisdictionl con-
ferences, either on appeal or on its
own motion. its decisions to be made
by a majority vote of its total mem
bership. The council is to be elected
in equal number by each jurisdic-
tional conference at the first session
of the general conference.
By restrictive rules in the proposed
constitution, the general conference
is forbidden to revoke, alter or
change our articles of religion or
establish any new standards or rules
of doctrine contrary to our present
EXISTING and established standards of
doctrine"
Changes or alterations in the church
government 80 as to do away with
the episcopacy or destroy the plan of
our itinerant superintendency are not
allowed"
Bishops to Remain.
The bishops of the two churches as
at present constituted are to be
bishops of the united church, accord
ing to the plan, without further
action. Immediately after the union
shall be consummated, they are to
organize as one body and arrange for
the superintendent of the work of
the church
Each of the jurisdictional confer
ences provided is to meet quadren-
nially where the general conference
is to assemble and Immediately prior
to it
Pending the dev1sing Of a method
of amending the constitution at the
first general conference, the present
to be continued
The college of bishops of the south
ern church was in session today at
Nashville, Tenn, and by the plan.
the college was instructed, when a
plan of unification was approved by
the northern church by a two-thiris
vote. to call a special session of the
southern church conference
Triumph Says Prelatc.
"A signal triumph OF the unifying
power o0 the passion and Cross of
Jesus Christ Hshop Mcdowell de-
scribed the work of the joint COM
mission in his address upon the re-
port. He was wildly cheered.
IF these two churches can come
together" he said, ~in such a manner
that the Methodist Church in lands
outside the United States can make
unified impact upon the non Christian
world, it will justify pretty
nearly every sacrifice that either we
or they were obliged to make with
reference to our own work in the
United States.
'The forward look, not the back
ward look, is the one we are asking
you to take. This task can
only be accomplished by uniting the
strength of those whose hearts are
devoted to the things that are ex-
celIent We are willing to take the
southern church as it is, and they
are willing to take us as we are
and with a minority of change to
start with.
by the voting plan whereby the
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