The Northwest enterprise. [volume] (Seattle, Wash.) 1931-1952, 1948-05-19
MY OBSERVATIONS OF A. M. E.
GENERAL CONFERENCE

/ tic. "They should be retired" One
thing, however, that was crystal
clear is that so per cent of the
delegation was for retirement of
at least three bishops for the good
of the church, and the removal
of all.
The delegation stood as one
man = they wanted to do what
they came to the conference to do
-VOTE-vote their convictions.
A tumultous No! MOI was shouted
In protest of anything they didn't
want.
Memorial Hall was a sea of
faces. Look long enough and
you'd see everybody. Even folk
you knew to be absent. Stand in
any one place for an hour and
just everybody that you'd ever
seen or known through the years
would pass by. Refreshed by a
coke, a sandwich, hello, howdy-
do-we'd again be listening to the
story of a struggle. The A. NJ. Il.
Church came to Kansas City to
struggle with whatever and who
ever. Delegates had been humili-
ated by headlines In the daily and
weekly papers concerning the bus
mess of the church. They came
to Kansas City to do what they
could to prevent it happening
again.
Isn't it the truth-rightly or
wrongly, when something goes
wrong the blame must go to the
leadership? Our bishops knew
this and worked like beavers to
stave off disaster. Here at the
conference the laity took over. 1t
was through them that the bish-
ops would have to go into their
ivory towers of righteousness and
leave the politics of the church
to more profound hands.
In the struggle for cleansing,
the laymen were strong. They
were pressing hardest and shout
ing the loudest. They would not
compromise. they would not ac-
cepte a substitute, they knew
what they wanted-an Episcopal
Committee that they could trust
-one minus the bishops relatives
tsons-in-law and sons). They
were not in the chair They could
not get motions through-could
not be heard-recognized by pre-
siding bishops. The maze OF par
Hamentary procedure was beyond
them. 1t was then that they re-
sorted to the primitive and the
elemental They became deaf to
everything but what they wanted
to hear. Time came for supper
but no one was hungry. Bodies
were tired. but they stood-stood
and cried aloud. They were glori-
ously out of order
Our own eyes saw in the midst
of what to us seemed hopeless
confusion-order couldn't be re-
stored-a preacher boy stand up.
He was parsonage-born, followed
by his intinerant family from sta
ton at long last come to live on
a college campus as the presi-
dents son. Here he learned the
presidents business. Today he is
easily the most outstanding of
college presidents in America. 81
am the center of controversy, he
said. He was right. II am ask
ing Georgia to withdraw my name
for the sake of peace The
ChuICu lOOk HOllC6 anu cOHSClOuS-
ly dropped Little" from before
the name of William Alfred Foun-
tain, Jr Bishop Fountain).
Leaving the auditorium for
suppers long since cold and for
beds all too welcome, delegates
called cheerily to one another
I'VE have won a great victory"
And they were right. But win
ming one victory does not mean
that the war is won. We must
fight on until the church of AL
len, under God, again hoist her
proud banner of peace and go
forth to world leadership making
the Kingdom of God glorious.
We leave the scene as election
of bishops gets under way (pos-
sibly a 36 to 4S-hour procedure)
OF the rs in the race, leading
are: Walker, Gomez, Giles, Bon