The Northwest enterprise. [volume] (Seattle, Wash.) 1931-1952, 1937-04-09
White Churchman Opposes
Forcing Plan on Group Southern
White Women Against Jim Crow

ATLANTIC CITY, n. j. fCS
Fiash)-The Delaware Confer
enc Of the n. Z. Church voted
AGAINST notification BY 1I8 to
Is here Friday. This Is the first
test vote Of tils Border confer
ences, which viii probably swing
the plan Of KIN it. Other i'm
portant conferences yet 70 vote
ere the Washington. Lexington,
end Central West.
NEW YORK calvin Service
Flash)-The fight started on the
NJ. 2. church merger BY DR.. Lor-
EMO H. King. when he appealed
to the National Association for the
Advancement of colored People
to use its legal staff to prevent
the jim-crow plan from eoingt
through has gradually grown to
q veritabIe avalanche of sentiment
Against the plan. The meeting Of
the M. e. publication council. at
which it was deciaed to ignore
Dr.. Kings protest, has gradually
been worn down. First, the Christ
ian Advocate. published in New
York, carried a letter TO Negro
churchmen," In which the editor
urged Negroes to accept the plan.
Last week, however, DR.. q. STAN
ley Jones, one OF the highest rank
ing white church leaders, In a
signed article in the Advocate. said
in a contributed editorial, caption
ed, "A Word on Methodist Church
Union
Il have not said anything about
church union between the three
Methodist bodies, chiefly because
did not know really what to say.
found myself drawn between two
feelings in regard to the matter.
AS everyone knows I am deeply
interested in church union, and
therefore grateful beyond words
that this union is about to be con-
summated. No one can e this
about to come to pass without
feelings Of deep gratitude. But /
am disturbed that good RAINY
of our Negro brethren are dis
tLrbed.
Their vote so far shows them
aboLt equally divided on the mat
ter. 1t should give us pause to see
that huch opposition from our Me-
gro membership. That opposition
can and viii be overridden by a
majority. But I wonder if that is
wise.
Crux OF the Matter
The N of the matter is in
the Jurisdictional Conferences. A
very considerable opposition has
arisen at that point. There is prob
ably more opposition than appears
in the voting of the Negro Annual
Conferences. For many a man
would probably vote against that
portion if it were a straight issue
at that point. It is not. He is asked
to vote whether he wants union or
not On this basis. He may want
union so badly that he is willing
to take something in the plan with
which he is really not in agree
ment. If it were a straight issue
on whether there would be Juris-
dictional Conferences on the basis
now proposed, namely that the
Negro Conferences should be in
one jurisdiction and the white Con-
f~erences be in others, then the
vote might be quite different from
what it now is.
Can't 'eTeIP' Negro
ut is not enough for the white
people to say that it is for the
Negroes good that he is in a jur-
isdiction of his own where he viii
not be sWamped by a white ma
jority and where he win have OPP
%portunity to develop himself. The
time has gone by for the white
man to tell the Negro what is and
what is not good for him. He
should be free to decide that for
/ imself. He has become of age