Year: 1870

The Book Committees Majority Report En-


dorsed, alias Wbitewashed - Shaking the


Church to it's Foundation.


Yesterday the New York Preachers Meeting
of the Methodist Episcopal Church discussed the
recent majority and minority reports of the
Book Committee. The subject was introduced
by the Rev. DR.. Andrews in the form of resolu-
tions congratulating the Methodist Church aud
community that the charges made against the
management of the Book Concern aud its
officials have been disproved, and hoping that
hereafter the subject would not be agitated until
it shall come properly before the General Con-
ference for Its action.


DIR. Ridgaway opposed these resolutions be-
cause they aspersed by imputation the charac-
tiers of the minority of the committee; aud
he knew them to be men of integrity and
honesty of purpose and thoroughly loyal to the
Church. Dir. Foster believed the discussion had
already taken such wide range that the
Church has been shaken to Its foundations, and
bitterness of temper has been reused to such an
extent as he feared would interfere with the
harmony and peace of the Church. DR.. Craw-
ford also believed that the agitation had already
done irreparable damage to the Methodist
Church, and it was about time now to stop it,
He was an outsider, and had no knowledge of
facts that had not been published, but he was
willing to take the testimony of ten good and
true men, servants of God, rather than that of
three equally good men who present different
verdict. He was in favor of dropping the sub
ject here.


DR.. Curry had sifted and winnowed the whole
matter, both publicly and privately, and he never
had seen presented such bundle of chaff with
out single grain of wheat There had not been
a single tangible preof of fraud or defalcation
sustained against the head of the paper depart


ment and the head of the bindery department
| had proved conclusively to the committee that
| he had lost money by accepting the gold sweep
| ings in lieu of a certain amount which had been
| deducted from his salary. Although the Doctor
| and the committee believed that such an ar
| rangement was highly impolitic and unwise, yet
| it did not evidence fraud There was in it, to
| be sure, temptation to dishonesty; but nothing
| more. 1t was a cheat and falseheod to publish
| the minority paper and suppress the whole truth


in the matter. DR.. Tiffany opposed the resolutions


because they did not state the facts, or in stating
them, presented but one side. He sympathiZed


with the majority report; but he believed that
an anxiety had been created in the mind of the


Church which neither OF those reports had salts
fed, and he did not see what good the action of
an unconstitutional body like the Preachers


Meeting could have upon the subject. Mr..
Taylor thought that every good would come out
of the discussion, and that the subject matter
| having now come before them, their non-action
| would have much weight outside as their


action. He did not fear for the safety of the
| Church, as some of his brethren did. He be-
| ieved il is going to stand, even if the Book
| Concern should go to the bottom. DR.. Wood
ruff thought the majority of the committee
| were as deserving of credence as the minority;
but In all the discussions that had taken place
| the report of the former was stigmatized as
| whtewashing report, and their motives and
character had been maligned and perverted.
The Rev. Mr.. Hermance, after a few remarks,


moved to lay the resolutions on the table, which


action was lost, and they were subsequently
adopted