Evening star., 1924-07-05
SOUTH METH0D|STS
VOTE UN|FlCAT|ON
Approve, 2s7 to IS, Proposal
for Organic Union With
Northern Church.
CONFERENCES MUST ACT
Final Ratification Required by An
nual Gatherings Of Two
Denominations.
CONFERENCES MUST ACT
BY the AssnciatA tad PnesG

By the Associated Press.
CHATTANOOGA, July 5.-Organic
union into one great church of the
100000 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 organizations
as result of the acceptance here
yesterday Of the plan of unification
by the southern church in special
general conference. The vote was 2s7
to rs. considerably more than the
two-thirds majority necessary.
The plan was adopted by the
Methodist Episcopal Church al its re-
cent general conference in Spring
field, Mass. In accepting it the con-
ditiop was made that the northern
annual conferences would vote upon
ratification in 1895 only IL before that
time the southern general conference
had acted favor&bly and had ordered
the plan submitted to its own an
nual conferences.
Questioned Legality.
The southern conference accepted
the proposal only after three days
OF strenuous debate. which centered
Of it's thirteen bishops were doubtful
of the legality Of the call for the
special session, and a day and a half
was devoted to argument in which
numerous legal experts and author
That phase was decided when the
conference defeated q resolution pro-
posing a special general conference
next May surrounded by every legal
safeguard on the plea that. the legal
ity OF this conference being in grave
doubt, title to church property might
be involved
The second point related to the
plan OF unification itself The pro-
I,an possi was devised by joint commits
SION whose members were appointed
by the general conference of the two
churches. Three Of the southern com
missioners headed by Bishop Collins
Denny or Richmond, Va, were op-
posed to the particular plan, but not
submitted a minority report urging its
rejection. The majority report. trans
m1tting 1t. was accompanied by a
recommendation that it be accepted.
With the receipt OF both reports
opponents of the proposal moved tha t
the minority be adopted as a substi-
tute for the majority report
Annual Conferences to Act.
From early Thursday afternoon un-
til 1870 pm. Friday, when balioting
began, unification was debated from
every angle. When the conference
was polled, adoption of the minority
report as a substitute was defeated
by a standing vote of 275 to S. The
majority report was adopted on roll
call by a vote of 297 to IS.
The next step toward uniication
will be the action OF the annual con-
ferences 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 southern
conference yesterday, by resolution.
requested that its annual conferences
take a secret ballot.
If the annual conferences ratify the
action OF their general conferences.
the colleges Of bishops OF the two
churches would be called into joint
session, would notify their respective
general conferences that unification
had been accepted and would call
effect. In this event the two general
conferences probably would meet in
May. 1926.
The regular conference of the
Southern Church will be in session
at that time and the Northern con-
ference probably will be called in
special session to sit with 1T.
Where the Southeren conference
will meet has not been determined
but II was assumed by churchmen n
that the city selected probably would
be along the border between the
north and south. with the expecta-
ton that the Northern conference
would participate.