v<,- PERKINS LIBRARY Uaice University Kare Dooks 1903 Gift of Dr. and Mrs. Drcd Peacock 'lf'Tr-'Ah<^ -^^A ^«jl-ak-^ iTV^-k^ ^oAe^^ ■^® i^sis :gw:B:^i'©. A large number of the Members of the Methodist Episcopal Church in this City, having seceded from her communion, a proper regard for our own characters, and the opinions of the world, demand that the causes ichich led to this act should be made knoicn. In doing this, xce shall endeavor to divest ourselves of all ivijyroper feeling and prejudice, and give a plain unvarnished statement of facts. For a length of time past, much dissatisfaction has existed among the members, in consequence of colored persons sitting among the whites in the Methodist Churches. Frequent efforts were made to prevent it, but without success. Repeated appli- cations were made to the preachers, to speak to the leading men of that class of persons, and to insist upon a discontinuance of this offensive practice, as one that could not, and would not be tolerated. This was declined, on the ground that it was no part of the ministerial duty, and might be productive of harm, by- exciting a feeling of discontent and opposition to the ministry among that class of persons. It was remarked by the preacher in charge, that it was the pronnce of the members to preserve order in the churches, and to prevent the insolent intrusion of coloured persons ; that if any proved refractory, the guard, usually stationed at the Church door, should be called in to remove them. The monibers determined to pursue the course thus advised, and accordingly, on the next sabbath, after request- ing some colored men to remove, the Church being crowded, and a number of gentlemen standing in the aisles, and they refusing to do so, force was used, and they were put out of the Church. This gave great offence to some of the whites, who were more careful for the accommodation of the colored persons than for 1 ts r ^t-. V respectable gentlemen \'ho occasionally visited the Church; they alledging that these persons had occupied the seats in dis[)ate for a long time, and were entitled to them. In order to settle the controversy, the Quarterly Conference, which is com- posed ol' all the oiBcial members of the Church, passed certain resolutions defining the lx)undaries of the colored persons, and directing the Trustees so to alter the seats, and the entrance into the Churches, as to prevent them from intermixing with the whites ; and appointing a committee to convey these resolutions to the Trustees. The committee accordingly waited upon the preacher in charge, who is ex-officio Chairman of the Board of Trustees, and requested him to call a meeting of that body. He did so ; and the committee attended at the appointed time and place to lay before them the proceedings of the Conference. A letter was then read from the Treasurer of the Board, Mr. S. J. Wagner, stating that it was not convenient to attend, and giving it as his opinion that the resolutions of the Conference were highly injudicious ; that if carried into effect it was probable that many of the coloured persons would leave the Church ; and thereby one of the great sources oj revenue he cut off; therefore recom- mending to the Board not to do what the Conference had requir- ed them to perform. The reading of this letter was followed by some remarks from Dr. Capers, the preacher in charge, in which he stated, that a colored leader had called on him the evening previous, and made a similar statement ; and he concluded by observing that he would consult with HoUoway, and Clark, and others of them, (coloured men,) and ascertain if they would be satisfied with the proposed arrangement — if they were, well. — If not, in his opinion nothing ought to be done. Thus the peace and dignity of the Church was to be sacrificed, and the feelings of the white members outraged, to gratify the ambition, and support the pride of a few men who were of too much conse- quence to sit with persons of their own color ; and because there existed an appreb»ension that the loss of a i'cw pence might be the consequence. And it may not be improper to remark, that one of the persons named above to be consulted, was the one who had first been compelled to relinquish his seat, after great obstinacy on his part ; and that another was the father of him who had been forcibly put out. As however it was remarked that there was not a quorum present, nothing definite was done. On the next evening a monthly meeting of the Society took place, when Dr. C. took occasion to make some remarks which were highly offensive to the Members. He stated, in substance, that many of the coloured members were of high respectability, and had more wealth at their command than most of the whites ; infering very clearly that they were entitled to great consideration on account of their money. The next day the committee of the Conference addressed a letter to the preacher requesting that another meeting of the Board of Trustees might be called, as nothing had been done at the previous meeting, for want of a quoriinu On the evening of the same day they met accidentally with the preacher, who appeared much excited in consequence of the committee's persisting in pursuing the object of theirappoint- ment. He manifested much warmth, and gave them to under- stand that he and the Trustees were decidedly opposed to the measure proposed by the Conference; at the same time remarking that the Conference was not the Church, and he saw no reason why he or they, (the Trustees) should be governed by any reso- lutions it might choose to pass. In order to convince him that the Chiuxh was favorable to the proposed alteration, and anxious that the resolutions of the Con- ference should be carried into eifect, the Committee took the pains to procure the signatures of 260 members to a paper in which then* wish to have the work done, was expressed. This procedure gave great umbrage to the preacher. He whose will had heretofore been considered as law, to have that will contra- dicted was a high offence^ What was it to him whether the 'inembers of the Church wished it or not, he did not choose that it should be done, and that was enough. He immediately on receipt of this document, addressed a letter to the committee, written in the most authorative and dictatorial style. In that letter he stated that he " did not know what character to attribute to the document sent him, whether authoritative as the voice of the Church which he was obliged to obey, or persuasive, as evidence of the wish of the Church." In neither character however would he receive it ; nay, he " felt himself bound to disregard, and even rebuke it." It was "a precedent of unex- ampled evil tendeiiCy." What ! the members of the Church to Use "persuasive" measures even to him, the preacher, to alter his views, or act contrary to his wishes 1 In the letter of the com- mittee, it was remarked, that if the remonstrance of the members was treated with neglect, they feared the consequences might be seriousv In reply to this remark, he observed, " I know not what consequences you may anticipate, but be they ichat they may — I must beg to be excused the consideration of them." As much as if he had said my will is law, and whatever the conse- tjuences may be, that will shall be done. In this letter he also asserted that a hrge proportion of the signers were " boys and V T "^ .. girls, minors." Admittint^ this to be the case ihey were member' of the Church, and had a ris^htto express tlieir opinions in a mat- ter in which all were interested. Hut tin; fact was not so, the paper was siti^iied by some of the oldest members in the Church ; aud the committee in their reply challen^red him to point out 20 minors out of the 260 si;rMcri:, and surely this was a very small proportion ; but he could not hud even that mnnber. It was soon apparent that th'' Trustees, backed by the preach- er, were determined that nothinj^ should be done to prevent thft great evil complained of — the intermixture of the colored persons among tlie whites — despite of the wishes of the members on the subject, so plainly expressed. The connnittee however were de- termined to dj all that lay in their power to lun.c the resolutions of the Conference carried into effect ; they theretbrc addressed a letter to the Trustees, enclosing a copy of the resolutions. In reply to this letter they received a communication from the Board containing the followins resolutions passed by them: — " Resolved^ That we feel willing to cairy the resolutions of the Quarterly Meeting Conference into ellect as directed, but state that from the present embarrassment with regai d to their funds, they are unable to have the alterations made. The Trustees are nearly ,$3,000 in debt for the new Parsonage — they having put all the means they possessed already in requisition to raise funds, and that they have with great diflTculty been able to pay up the instalments in the Bank as they become due. They therefore most earnestly request the Quarterly Conference to suspend the" proposed alterations until the Trustees shall be in funds to meet the expense." From the above resolution it will be seen that the Trustees professed to be willing to make the proposed alteration, the only difficulty in the way being the icant of fxinds. Supposing they meant what they said in the resolution, the com- mittee immediately addressed the following letter to the individual who had signed the communication as Chairman of the Boartl. Dear Brother — Your communication is received, containing the proceedings of the Board of Trustees at a meeting held on the 19th iiist. relative to the resolutions of the Quarterly Confer- ence, which we had the honor to transmit to you. We rejoice at the expression of your willingness to carry the resolutions into effect, and notice your want of funds necessary to do so. As it is quite desirable that there should be no unnecessary delny in the further prosecution of this business, avc will place in your hands One hundred dollars, to be expended in making the requisite alterations, which amount you can return to us free of interest. whenever the state of your funds will admit of your doing so. As wc have the utmost confidence in the Trustees, we require no further security for the money than a simple acknowledgement from your Tieasurer of its receipt. Should this arrangement meet your views, please direct your Treasurer to call on the Chairman of this Committee for the money. We are Very Respectfully. Thfe Committee were of opinion that this wotild o!)viate every dilFiculty, and the wishes of the members of the Church would be gratiiied ; but were much surprised, on receiving a very tart reply from the individual addressed, couched in very uncourteous language, in which he remarked that the Conference had not direcied the Committee to borrow money for the Trustees but to procure it by subscription. They immediately commenced a subscription, and soon obtained the necessary amount; but while waiting lor a meeting of the board — the presiding elder, Rev. Henry Bass, having promised to call one, and inform them when it would be held — they unexpectedly received a communication containing the proceedings of a meeting of the Board at which the following resolutions were passed: " Resolved, That the Board believe that the proposed altera- tions will tend rather to injure than promote the welfare of the Church. They in particular believe that the fences across the yard will invite those who may be disposed to disturb the colored people, to do so, as the fences will screen them from observation. Also, as the boxes were partly if not wholly intended for the ac- commodation of the infirm and lame old colored people who were not able to ^e.i up stairs, by taking the boxes from them, they will be driven from the Church or compelled to stay out of doors. Therefore it would be very desirable to the Trustees to have the Subject reviewed by the Quarterly Meeting Conference, in order to arrange some plan, that might, as far as possible, meet the views and approbation of all concerned. Resolved, That as the Board of Trustees have no certain in- formation of the amount collecttsd by the Coihmittee, whether it is sufficient to meet the expense of the alterations, they think it most prudent not to commit the Church or themselves, by enga- ging to have the work done, and make the Church liable for the deficiency, should there be any. They think it best therefore not to interfere with the Committees arrangements." And this was the firet intimation given by the Trustees of the ex- istence of any such objection to performing the work, as mentioned in the first resolution; and it was the first time that one word was said about the "infirm and lame old colored people," although 37 days had elapsed since the resolutions of the Cont'erende were fiist communicated to them : and yet Dr. C. endeavored to make it appear in his pamphlet, that this was the objection from the be* ginning, and intimates very broadly that the Committee knew it. As the Committee considered thd objedtidns perfectly futile, and merely intended as an evasion ; and that the Trustees mie^ht have " certain information of the amount collected by the Com- mittee ;" and to save them from "committiiiuj the Church or them- selves," for the very large sum which would be necessary to do the work proposed, they immediately addressed the following note to the Board. The Board of Trustees of the Methodist J^piscopal Church : Gentlemen — In accordance with the instructions of the Quar- terly Conference, we have raised a subscription to procure the money required to carry the resolutions into effect relative to the alterations of the seats, &c. VVe have also procured the enclosed estimate for performing the work, and we are prepared to pay over to you sixty dollars, being two dollars more than the sum required. We are, Very Respectfully. To this letter, no reply was ever received ; it was therefore manifest that the Trustees were determined to persist in opposing the wishes of the members, which induced them to ascertain if the Trustees were really an irresponsible body, subject to no con- trol. A meeting of the male members of the Church was called to consider upon what course it was most proper to pursue. — After consultation on the subject it was determined that a Com- mittee should be appointed to procure a meetinff of the corpora- tion of the Church. Dr. C. was present, and spoke at some length against the proposition. He admitted that for many years past the Trustees had been very refractory ; that somewhere about the year 1826 Bishop McKendree had had a conference with them in order to induce them to acknowledge their responsibility to the Quarterly Conference; that they had refused to do so, alledging that they were subject to the Corporation of the Church, and to that body alone; that in consequence of this obstinacy on their part he (Dr. C.) had introduced a resolution into the General Confer- ence, making the Trustees responsible to the Quarterly Confer- ence, and he hoped that responsibility would not be changed ; indeed he doubted whether the Corporation was alive — in conse- quence of its never having acted as a Corporation — forgetingthat several years since he himself had called a meeting of the Corpo- ration, and presided over it, at which high and important acts were performed, in reply it was stated that the Trustees had re- fused to be responsible to tbe Quarterly Conference, and he was reminded of a circumstance which occurred while he was presi- ding; elder of the district, and by virtue of that office. President of the Quarterly Conference. The Trustees had been called on for a report of their acts, during the preceding year, in accordance with the provision of the discipline to %vhich he had just adverted , that a leading; member of the Board denied their responsibility to that body, or their right to call for a report, and when the dis- cipline was read in which it was made their duty to report, the Treasurer of the Board arose with a piece of paper in his hand, about two inches square, on which was written in pencil, " balance of cash on hand $— ,"(the amount not recollected) observing" this is the report of the Board." Such conduct was considered insult- ing to the Conference, and a member moved that the Trustees be compelled to report their acts. This motion was overruled by the President himself observing, (notwithstanding the clause of the dis- cipline which he had procured to be inserted) that the Confer- ence did not possess the power to compel them. It was also stated that the Board had continued to manifest the same deter- mination not to be subject to the Quarterly Conference, in as much as they had refused, or neglected, to report their acts. It was true that on one or two occasions, the Treasurer of the Board had presented a paj^er to the Conference, purporting to be a statement of his cash transactions during the year, but that it was an unofficial paper and could not possibly be regarded as a report of the acts of the Board. Dr. C readily admitted that the Board never had made a proper report, but attributed the neglect to their ignorance of jthe mode of making one, and not to their unwilling- ness to do so. The members would not dispute the reason, but maintained the existence of the fact ; and consequently the entire ignorance of the members of the Church of the acts of the Trus- tees, or of the situation of the Church property. It was finally determined that a meeting of the Corporation should be called, and a Committee was appointed to procure ©ne. They accordingly waited upon the preacher, and presented him with a copy of the resolution, and requested him to call a meeting of the Corporation. He received and read the paper, and had a long conference with the Committee on the subject, and concluded by requesting that time might be allowed for him to communicate with the presiding elder on the subject. This was readily and cheerfully granted, and nothing more was heard from him until an evening or two after, at the monthly society meeting Dr. C announced that in compliance with the request of a large number of the members, a meeting of the male members of the Clmrch over 21 years of ai^e, woulflb.^]icii)ort the discipline to go with them. A large majoi-ity however remained behind, organized the meeting, passed by-laws, (the si me published by Dr. C. in his pamphlet, page 18) and elected Tiustees. Previously to this meeting a report had been industriously cir- culated by the Trustees that the object of the leading persons in having the meeting called, was to eject the old Trustees, and get into office themselves, so as to have the control of the Church property. To prove to every unprejudiced mind that suoh was not the fact, but that their sole object was to have the Trustees under proper control, and to require them to do what the mem- bers of the Chuich wished should be done, they unanimously re- elected the old board : for although great offence had been given by their conduct, the members were willing that they should con- tinue to act, provided they were subjected to a proper responsibili- ty ; and to place the matter beyond all dispute, one of the by-laws put it out of the power of the Trustees, either to buy or sell pro- perty, without the consent of twenty five members (which would be a fair representation of the Church) who should be annually elected ; and this was the reason why an executive Committee was organized, which has given such umbrage to thos« who are so 2 10 anxious that all power should be lodged in the hands of a few individuals. It had also been asserted, that another object the leading mcm- bei-s had in view, was to avail themselves of the power granted by the Charter, to elect ministers. To show most uneciuivocally that no such object was intended, the fifth article was introduced, which recognizes the " Hook of Discipline," as the rule and gov- erning principl(% in all cases not particulaily defnied in the Hv- laws ; and to make "assurance doubly sure," the si.xth article was adopted, which prevents an alteration of the rules, except by the concurrence of a majority of the mend)ers present at an Annual meeting ; and nol tlien, unless three montfi's public notice of such alteration had been previously given. And now, appeal- ing to the searcher of hearts for the rectitude of our intentions, we ask an enlightened, and unprejudiced public, what more men could possibly have done to evidence that they were not actuated by any sinister motives ! The Trustees were notified of their election, and requested to meet and organize under the By-laws of the Corporation. But instead of doing so, they sent an insulting letter to the Secretary, denying the right of the Corporation to elect, and refusing to be subject to their controul. The Corporation therefore met again, and elected a new Board. But the preacher was not disposed to remain quiet, and submit to the action of the Church ; and why*? Because the discipline provides that where the Church is not incorporated, the preacher shall appoint Trustees, and in case of a vacancy occurring, he shall have the power to nominate, ;ind the remaining Trustees shall elect ; and the old I^oiml had adopted a By-law making him Chairman of the Board ex-ojjicio. This little power he was unwilling to have taken from him, and determined rather than do so, he would expel every member of the Church, who should be guilty of the heinous olli'uce of doing what was calcu- lated to lessen his power. He contended that the discipline vests all power in the hands of the ])reachers, and that any action on the part of the members would subject them to expulsion for " diso- bedience to the order and discipline of the Church." It was maintained by the members that the discipline gave to them the right of acting where the Church is incorporated, and appealed to the book itself in support of their claim. The clause runs thus : — "The Board of Trustees of every circuit or station shall be responsible to the Quarterly Meeting Conference of said cir- cuit or station, and shall be required to present a report of its acts during the preceding year : Provided that in all cases, when a 11 new Bonrd of Trustees is to be created, it shall be done (except in those slates and territories where the statutes provide differently) by the appointment of the preacher in chai-ge, or the presiding elder of the district." The members contended tliat the "statutes" had "provided ditferently " in the case of the Charleston Church, as in the act of incorporation the power is expressly given to elect officers. The preacher however chose to construe it in a different light, and demanded of several of the leading members, either to sign a paper abjuring all their acts, and jn-omisingto take no further steps in the premises, or be cited to tiial. The proposition to sign such a paper was indignantly rejected, when nine members received citations to answer to the charge of "disobedience to the order and discipline of the Church." The accused demanded a trial before the Society, the disci- pline giving them the undoubted right to do so, (See Discipline, page 87 Ed. 1828,) where the question is asked, " How shall an accused member be brought to trial? Answer. "Before the Society of which he is a member, or a select number of them;" And in the section in which the powers of the General Confer- ence are restricted, it is said, they (the General Conference) shall not have the power to "do way the privileges of the members of trial before the Society, or by a Committee," (See Disp. p. 21.) They prefei-red being tried before the Society, as they were unwil- ling to trust themselves to the tender mercies of such men as the preacher might choose to select ; but the preacher knew full well that if this was allowed, he must be defeated, and therefore refused them this right, saying that it would be " a precedent of evil ten- dency," and that he did not " tind either in the discipline, or the usages of the Church, that the persons cited to trial, have ever been considered entitled to determine for themselves whether the Society or a select number should be their triers ;" they were therefore summoned to appear before a Committee chosen by himself. On the evening previous to the day appointed for trial, he re- quested a meeting of the nine persons who had been cited ; they met, and he fully evidenced both by his conduct and words, that he thought he had gone too far, and wished to stay proceedings. He wept, and prayed, and talked for an hour, to induce them to sign a paper by which they should agree to submit the question of the existence of the Corporation to the decision of the Appeal Judges ; and the question of discipline to the Bishops of the Church. The bretlnen, fearful that a compliance with his re- quest, though reasonable enough in itself, might be construed 1% mto a fear on th»;ir part of standing a trial, steadily refused to sign the paper ; but the preacher, pledixiiig his faith as a Chris- tian, and his honor as a man, tliat he would publicly state in the Society meeting that their con)pliance was s-okly occasioned from regard to his feelings, and at his earnest request, consented to sign the paper, and the citations %veie withdrawn. In January following a coinniittfc of each party was appointed to consult two gentlemen of dn' b;u, on the subject of carrying up the question of the existence of the charter for adjudication, before the Judges of the Apj^eal Court; but they ascertained that this could not be done without the case first being tried before a lower Court. This course the preacher was not willing should be pursued, as he was opposed to a litigated suit ; and as he had neglected to comply with his promise, so sacredly given, to state the reasons why the brethren had consented to the anfingemcnt proposed by him; and reports having been industiiously circulated, that they had been frightened into a e()nii)liaiice, they considered themselves entirely exonerated from the agreement, of which they gave notice to the preacher, and requested that the papei' con- taining their signatures might be retnined. He replied that if lie had done wrong in not complying with his promise he was sorry for it, but declined returning the paper. Things remained in this state until the Quarterly Conference met ; at this meeting the Tieasurer of the old Board of Trustees arose, and in what he intended should be a very imposing man- ner, stated that he had a report of the Board to present to the Conference, and would read it. This was done to weaken the charge repeatedly made against them of refusing to rej.ort. He pulled a paper out ol his pocket and commenced r-eading, " Dr. The Board of Trustees in account with ?. J. Wac- NER, Treasurer," — and went on to say that he had received and paid away certain sums of money during the year. This paper was without a signature ; and if it had one, could any man in his senses call it a report of the Trustees ? It might do very well for a report of the Ti'easurer to the Board, but certainly it was no report of the Board to the Conference. It was well known that the Board had performed some very impoi-tant acts during the year, such as selling land, pledging Bank stock, building houses, &c. but not one word was said about it , and why 1 Because they knew full well that their acts were illegal, and they did not choose to report them. It was insisted however that the paper above mentioned was the report of the Board, and it was accept- ed as such by the Conference by a majority of one vote — all the preachers and old Trustees present voting in the affirmative. 13 When it was objected against the old Trustees being allowed to vote on the adoption of their own report, if indeed it was one, it was replied that they voted as class leaders, and not as Trustees. At this Conference a resolution was oftbred by the leading man of the old Hoard of Trustees, and a plan submitted for so altering the seats as to prevent the Colored persons from sitting among the whites. The Corporation members made no objection to the plan, so long as the object which they all along had in view was effected, and it was unanimously adopted ; this was in the early part of January, but the very first step toward carrying it into execution has not yet been taken, which clearly proves that the plan was submitted with the hope that it would be rejected, and thus leave them some jrround to stand upon ; but all their fond expectations were put to flight by the unanimous acquiescence of the Conference, and nothing more has since been heard of it. This was at what is called the 4th Quarterly Conference. At the first Quarterly Conference of the present year a motion was made that a Committee be appointed to examine the books of the old Trustees, and report to the Conference. This was im- mediately objected to by the principal member of the Board, and the objpcfion sustained by the President, Mr. Bass, who declared the motion to be out of order, and refused to put it to the vote of the meeting. Was such a thing ever heard of before *? A mo- tion for examination into the fiscal affairs of the Church out of order ! We wonder where the President obtained his ideas of order ! But is it not passing strange that men conscious of the recfitude of their conduct (as the old Trustees pretend to be) and the legality of their acts, should oppose an investigation which must result in the establishment of their innocence, if in- deed they had done nothing wrong 1 We leave the reader to draw his own inferences ; the fact we avouch to be true. Early in the month of February, the session of the Annual Conference commenced in this city. Immediately on the arrival of Bishops Andrew and Emory, an interview with them was re- quested by the new Board of Trustees, at which a brief state- ment of the affairs of the Church was made, and the opinions of several learned gentlemen of the bar on the subject of the exis- tence of the Corporation (which was disputed by the old Trus- tees,) submitted for their inspection. Frequent interviews took place from that time until nearly a week subsequent to the ad- journment of the Conference, between Bishop Emory and both parties, in which he laboured to reconcile the existing difficulties and induce an amicable arrangement. In one of these interviews be declared in the presence of counsel, that the fact of the Church 14 beiner incorporated was not contrary to discipline ; and that in many places where Churches are incorporated, the ni< inhers elect the Trustees ; though he carelully ahstained, and very properly too, from giving any oj)inion on the questions in dis|)Ute nere. On the afternoon of the 14th of February he sent for the Chairman and Secretary of the new Board of Trustees, who had on several occasions represented the Corporation party, and an interview took place in the presence of the Kev. Mr. Bass, the Presiding Elder, and the Kev. Mr. Kennedy, the preacher in charge. Tiie Bishop regreted that Ik; had not yet been able to effect a reconciliation of the existing difliculties, but stated that he had thought of a plan which would probablj^ meet the views of both parties ; which was that it should be submitted to the decision of the Bishops generally, whether the discipline admitted of the incorporation of Churches, and the election of Trustees by the members ; and that a suspension of all action by both parties should take place until that decision v' violation of discipline." V Previously however to the receipt of the Bishop's letter, and " i after it had been ascertained that the Trustees were pledging and i^ selling Bank Stock, it was determined by a meeting of the mem- . J bers that a committee should be appointed to prefer charges I 1 ^ against the individuals composing the old Board of Tiustees for I A • breach of faith and immoral conduct. The circumstances which C I gave rise to the adoption of this course were as follows : — ^ B ,x* Some years since a lady of this city remarkable for her benev- ■*# I olence, had made application t ) the Rev. W. M. Kennedy, who 3 f was at that time preacher in charge on this station, for divine service to be performed in the Poor House of this city ; as a compensation for which, she promised to give for the support ol the ministry, One hundred dollars annually. The offer was ac- cepted, and for several years during her life, the money was punctually paid. When she was about to die, desirous of per- >J \ petuating this payment, she bequeathed twenty shares in the State 1 i Bank of this city to the Church, in the following words : — " I '^ * give aO Shares which I have in the State Bank to the Elders and Trustees of the Methodist Episcopal Church in this City for the use and benefit of the ministers of said Church." The dividends arising from this stock had been constantly applied towards the payment of the salaries of the preachers on this station, until i IT some time in the early part of the present year, the Trustees undertook to sell it, to defray a debt incurred by them on account of the Church. This was considered a violation of the conti'act entered into with the Bishop, and an immoral act, inasmuch as it was disposing of shares, kiiowii to be bequeathed for the pay- ment of a preacher, who should perform divine service in the Poor House. Accordingly charges were regularly drawn out, and presented to Ml'. Kennedy, the preacher in charge, but he refused to re- ceive them on the ground that the acts complained of were done by the Trustees in their official character, and they could not be tried as individuals ; that as Trustees they were amenable to the Quarterly Conference, and suggesting the propriety of prosecut- ing the charges before that body. In compliance with his sugges- tion it was determined to pursue this course. Charges and spe- cifications made out in the most formal manner were presented to the preacher by the Committee, signed by the Chairman and countersigned by the Secretary of the meeting, with a request that they might be presented at the meeting of the Quarterly Conference. The charges were as follows : — Charges and Specifications preferred against Samuel J. Wagner, Abel McKee, Henry Muclcenfuss, Samuel Seyle, George Just, George Chreitzburg and William Bird, acting as Trustees of the Methodist Episcopal Church of Charleston, S. C. Charge 1st. — Breach of Trust, and Contempt of the Quar- terly Meeting Conference. Specijication \st. — That they the said * * * * * * acting as Trustees of the Methodist Episcopal Church in Charleston did sometime in the past year sell to Wm. B. Clark (a colored man) fifteen feet front and One hundred feet deep of land, being part of the original lot of ground on which the Methodist Parsonage now stands, contrary to the letter and spiiit of the Discipline, and of the deed creating the trust in this case. Spedjkation 2(1. — Disposing of three hundred dollars, bequeath- ed by Mrs. Elizabeth King to the Methodist Episcopal Church aforesaid, without having first applied to the Quarterly Meeting Conference for instruction, in accordance with their own By- laws ; thereby violating their own regulations, treating the Quar- terly Meeting Conference with contempt, and virtually denying the right of controul by the Conference, or any known authority m the Church. Charge 2d.-— Breach of Faith. 3 18 Specificat'ion. — That the said ****** acting as Trus- tees aforesaid, did sometime in the present year, perl'orm sundry acts of high importance to the interests of the Church, su' ii as pledging and selling certain Shares of the State Bank Stock, con- trary to the intention of the donor iMrs. Gregoric, and in violation of the plighted faith of the Church to Bishop Emory, that no oflic- ial act of a temporal nature (ordinary duties excepted) should be performed until the decision of the Bishops on the questions re- fered to them was known here, (the decision not liaving been known here at the time.) Charge 3d. — Immoral and Unchristian conduct. Specjjication \st. — That they the said * ***** acting as Trustees aforesaid did sometime in the month of April or May last sell ten Shares of the State Bank Stock ostensibly for the pay- ment of debts due by the Church, thereby violating a trust, the said Shares having been demised by the late Mrs. Gregorie to Trustees in trust for a specified object, viz. the benefit or sup- port of the ministei-s of the Methodist Episcopal Church in Charleston. Specification 2d. — That they the said * * * * * * acting as Trustees aforesaid, did sometime in the present year, pledge ten Shares of State Bank Stock on a loan of money and did sell ten other Shares of the same Stock, being twenty Shares demised by the said Mrs. Gregorie to Trustees in trust for the benefit of the Ministers of the Methodist Episcopal Church of this city, and known to be designed as a permanent fund to aid in the sup- port of the said Ministers, and to secure the continued weekly performance of religious services in the Poor House of this city, thereby perverting specified uses and benefits, contemning the obligation of trusts, abstracting from the resources of the Stew- ards fund, and inflicting a deep injury on the character and in- terests of the Society by destroying public confidence in them." When the Conference met, the preacher in charge, Mr. Ken- nedy, presented the paper to the President, Mr. Bass, saying that it contained complaints against some of the members of the Con- ference, but he did not know who prefered them. The Presi- dent was requested to read the paper that the Conference might know what it contained. This he refused .0 do, saying it con- tained charges, but as he did not know who prefered them he would not read them. He was asked if they were not signed — his reply was that there were two names appended as Chairman and Secretary, but he knew nothing about the meeting at which they acted as such ; the names of the persons composing it were 19 not there. Mr. Kennedy was then asked if the paper had not been presented to him by a Committee with a request that he would present it to the Conference in their name. He at first denied, but afterward admitted that such was the fact. A mem- ber then observed that the Committee were waiting in the next room, and moved that they should be called in. This was refus- ed by the President, who declared that no man should enter that room who was not entitled to a seat m the Conference ; and that the case should not be tried unless the charges were signed by all the members composing the meeting which appointed the Committee to prefer them. A preacher arose and remarked, that he had reas- on to believe that some of the members of the Conference were present at the meeting, and proposed that they should come for- ward and sign the charges. The evident design of this move- ment was to induce a number of the members of the Confer- ence to become the accusers, so as to prevent them from voting on the question, and thus put the power of disposing of the ques- tions into the hands of those who were known to be the strong advocates of the Trustees. To submit the question to the decis- ion of a majority of the Conference they dared not, as they were perfectly aware that the charges could too easily be proved for them to hope for an acquittal, unless they had a known majority of such as were decidedly favourable to them, right or wrong; at the very time however when it was an objection in the mind of the preacher to try the case because he supposed it possible that some of the members of the Conference were present at the meeting which directed the charges to be prefercd, the accused themselves were suffered to retain their seats, and speak, and vote, and make motions ; and when this was objected to by a member he was hooted at. A motion was made by one preacher, and seconded by another that the President should decide, without debate, whether the charges should be received or not, and without putting the ques- tion to the Conference for their approval, or disapproval, he de- termined that they should not be received. A member then arose and oflered to present the charges in his own name, as his indi- vidual act, and conduct the prosecution, which was refused in the most peremptory manner. As reports have been circulated that the individual who offered to present the charges in his own name tore them up in a passion, it is proper to remark, that the charges were written on one half of a sheet of foolscnp paper, and on the other half was written the certificate of the Chairman and Secretary of the meeting which directed the charges to be pre- fered ; and as the President of the Conference had determined 20 that they should not be received in the form in which they were presented, he lore off tliat half of the sheet eontaming the Certifi- cate, and otfered to prefer the charges in his own name ; and this was done in a perfectly cool and deliberate manner, his ob- ject being to ascertain if it had not been predetermined that the chpri;es should not be received in .oj?/ shape. At this stage of the nieeving one of the accused requested a preacher to move an adjournmenr,*which was immediately done. Finding that there was no hope of obtaining justice, and that the preachers were determined to skreen the Trustees from trial, thirteen members of the Coulerence indignantly left the room, and immediately after resigned their classes. Thus ended this eventful Quarterly Con- ference, at which it was demonstrated, beyond the shadow of a doubt, that all power is placed in the hands of the ministry of the Methodist Episcopal Church, and that the membership have no rights at all when put in competition with the will of the preachers. The conference was held on the 11th of July, and on the. Wednesday following the Preacher in charge called a general meeting of the Church, male and female. At this meeting he comnienced reading a written defence of the Trustees, without stating what the charges were ; he having both before, and at the commencement of the meeting declared that he would not defend them. Several members objected to the unfairness of this procedure, but the preacher persisted in reading it to an end. Saying to those who objected to his doing so, another time, breth- ren, another time ; giving them to understand that when he had finished, they should be heard. After he had tlnishcd, a member arose, and commenced commenting on the j)roceedii)gs but had proceeded but a little way, when one of the Preachers present was urged in the most vehement manner to sing ; accordingly while the brother wjis speaking, the Preacher read two lines of a hymn, and the others commenced singing with all their might, the preacher in charge commencing the tune, so as ellectually to drov/n the speaker's* voice. This ungentlenianly, not to say im- christian conduct, was resorted to as the only means of prevent- ing the members from hearing a fair statement of the questions at issue ; and so indignant were a large number of the members that they immediately left the Church. Shortly after a meeting of the new Board of Trustees was held, and a Committee a])j)ointed, to wait upon the preacher, with a request that he would caU another Church meeting, at which it was proposed that the charges against the old Trustees should be read, and the proofs in support of them adduced, and that they 21 should be permitted to reply, so as to bring the whole matter tail iy before the members ; and in order to prevent confusion, it was farther jiroposed that certain persons to be named by i^.ach party should take part in the proceedings, and none others. But this also was positively refused by the preacher. The new Trustees finding that every effort at accommodation was resisted, and that there was no lurther hope of an amicable adjustment, determined to bring the question before a court of law, antl htvve it settled in that way. They therefore made a levy for rent upon a gentleman -vho had leased some land belonging to the Church, and who had been forbidden by either party to pay the other This would bring up the question of right before the court, and it would be legally determined whether the Church was an incorpoiation or not. Great eflbits were made to prevent this, and in order to do so, it was determined that the new Trus- tees should be brought to trial and expelled from the Church, before the court met, which it was supposed would be a summary- way of getting rid of the difficultv'. The trial before the court was to take place on Tuesday the"'29th July, at 10 o'clock, A. M. and at midday on Monday, (the day previous) citations were issued against the new boord of Trustees, to appear and answer to charges, on the next morning at 9 o'clock, which would anticipate the meeting of the court one hour. The following is a copy of the charge and specifications: — *' DISOBEDIENCE TO THE ORDER AND DISCIPLINE OF THE CHURCH, Specijicatiai 1 st. — Taking a part in a Meeting calling itself the Church in its Corporate capacity, and which assumes the right to do away at pleasure the order and modes of Management prescribed by the Discipline — to remove from office its Trustees, fill their places, change their responsibility, &c. Specification 2d. — Receiving appointment as Trustees under the assumed authority of said meeting, thus organizing a Board for the transaction of the business of the Church in opposition to the Board appointed under and acknowledged by the Disci- pline. Specification Sd. — After a written avowal of your determma- tion not to perform any acts that would be a palpable violation of Discipline — and after having received from the Preacher in Charge a Decision declaring the course you have adopted to be a palpable violation of Discipline you have gone to law with the Trustees by levying on the property of one of their Tenants, 22 thus giving evidence of a determination to |>ursue your own couree in defiance of the Constituted authority ol the Clnnrli. VVm. M. KENNEDY, Preacher in Charge. WILLIAM MARTIN, G. F. PIERCE. Methodist Parsonage, July 28th 1834." Thus the preacher decides on his own ipse dixit that the action of the Church as a Corporation is a palpable violation of disci- pline, notwithstanding a large number of the members, support- ed by high authority, contend that it is not. We thought a pal- pable violation must be evident to every body. To defeat this insidious attempt to injure the characters of the accused, the three preachers on the station were subpoenaed to attend the court, and in the mean time the following letter was addressed by the accused to the preacher in charge : — "Rev. VVm. M. Kennedy : Sir — The undersigned have your notification to attend at the parsonage to-morrow morning, at 9 o'clock, to respond to a charge. You are perfectly aware that we are business men, and that you could not have chosen a more inconvenient time ; an hour too, that is unprecedented In the annals of the history of the Me- thodist Episcopal Church in Charleston, and one at which we cannot possibly attend ; in addition to which Uie notice is quite too short. From these several considerations we shall expect that the time will be changed to an hour post meridian, at some future day. You will also understand that we claim the right guaranteed to us by the discipline, of trial before the society. (See discipline p. p. 21 and 87, ed. 1828.) An immediate reply is requested. Very Respectfully." To this letter they received a verbal answer that as the preach- ers were notified to attend court, the trial was postponed, — The right of trial before the society was peremptorily denied. That evening a very large meeting of the members took place, when the following Resolutions were passed : — " Whereas, several brethren have been charged with a viola- tion of discipline, and have been cited to trial, and positively re- fused a trial before the society, and denied the right to demand the same : Be it Resolved, That we believe the members of our Church have the right under the discipline to demand a trial before the society on all charges brought against them. 33 Resolved, That the brethren charged by the preacher with a violation of discipline h ive that right, and they are requested by this meeting to refuse trial in any other way. Resolved, That a letter be now written, and signed by all who acquiesce in the preceding resolutions, addressed to the preacher in charge, avowing their determination to share the fate of the members cited to trial, whatever that fate may be." In accordance with the last resolution, a letter was prepared and signed by the whole meeting. On Tuesday morning, the 29th, at the opening of the court, the counsel for the old Trustees (they having made themselves defendants in the case) gave notice to the magistrate that the action was not within his jurisdiction, exhibiting a writ of replevin, showing that he had removed the suit into a superior court ; evi- dencing an unwillingness for investigation, and showing a device whereby a postponement might be gained until they had effected the expulsion of the prosecutors (a matter determmed on by the preachers and trustees. ) This produced some discusssion, when the magistrate postponed a decision until the next morning; imme- diately after wliich the following citations were handed to the new trustees, in the court room, by one of the preachers who was present " Dear Brother : You will please attend at the parsonage, at 4 o'clock, P. M. to respond to the charge handed you yesterday. Wm. M. KENNEDY. Tuesday, 29//i July, 1834." At 4 o'clock, the accused attended at the parsonage, the place appointed for trial, and found a Committee of seven men, chosen by the preacher, prepared to try them. They de- manded the right of trial before the society, and to show that they had no disposition to shun investigation, stated that they were willing that it shjuld take place in the Church with open doors, that all who chose might be present at it ; the only reply which they could obtain to this was that it was the province of the preacher to choose a Committee, and he was determined to exer- cise that right. It w;is then objected that he as the accuser, and not only so, but ha\ ing expressed in writing his conviction of the guilt of the accused, was an unfit person to preside. His reply was, the discipline put him in the chair, and there he would re- main. Objections were then made to the Committee. It was stated that four of the seven were known to be violently opposed to the accused, and had publicly expressed their opposition, and had said that they ought to be expelled from the Church. A filth 24 was a good, pious old gentleman, who could neither read or write, and who had frankly declared that he could n )t uiide •sfand the matter. To the other two, no ohjectio:i w.w made, thoa"-h it was ell known that they were of the old Trasrecs party. The reso- itions of the meeting held the evening hefore were then read, and le signatures of the members exhibited, but all would not do. . was predetermined that they should be expelled, and expelled -hey must be, guilty or innocent. The IJcv. Mr. Pierce observed, that they were not to be frightened by the " portentous roll ;" they were determined to pursue their course, if there were not 12 members left in the Church. The accused finding that there was not the most remote hope of obtaining a fair trial, or having justice done them, declared their determination not to be tried by a packed jury, and left the room. The Committee remained and pretended to try the case. We understand that five of them signed a verdict of guilty, two refused to do .so, until after being repeatedly urged to it by the preacher one of them consented, the seventh persisted in his conviction of the injustice done the .iccu- sed, and remained firm in his refusal to sign. Thus ended this mockery of justice, by which eight men, all of whom had been class leaders of good standing, were cut off from the membership of the Church; the ninth being a local preacher was reserved for a future trial. And we beg that it mny be borne in mind, that this expulsion was not for the commission of any immoral act, but merely for differing in opinion from the minister as to the proper construction of a rule in the discipline; although we are supported In that construction by the Rev. Dr. Bangs, (at whose suggestion the clause in dispute was inserted by the General Conference,) the Christian Advocate and Journal, and the Quarterly Review : but when we have refered to these again and again, we have been told that neither of them were authority ; one preacher observing, " Dr. Bangs' remarks are altogether gratuitous, and he would have to answer for them to the General Conference," and ano- ther, " Dr. B. is a testy old fellow, fond of speculating on contro- verted points, whose opinion is not worth six pence ;" and even in presence of the Committee chosen to try the accused, when the question was emphatically asked, holding up the Advocate and Journal, which contained a justification of their conduct, whether that paper was authority or not, the preacher in charge, the Rev. Wm. M. Kennedy, distinctly said that it was no authority .at all. If the periodicals published under the direction of the General Conference, and superintended by men selected for their ability, and knowledge of Methodism, is not authoi ity ; we ask in the name of consistency, who, or what is authority ! 25 III consequence of this arbitrary and despotic proceeding wortliy of a Russian autocrat, or the Cham of Tartary, nearly one hundred and tifty members have withdrawn from the Church, and now appeal to an enli;^htened public for a justification of their conduct. Many of them have been for a series of yeai-s members of the Methodist Church, and although they have often heard, and read, of the aristocratic power of the ministry of that Church, they were slow to believe it, until they have been made to frel that power to its full extent. They still hope and believe th:it there are yet men both in the ministry and membership of that Church who are strictly pious, and whose sole object is the promoJion of the gospel of Christ ; and we expect still, to enjoy tlie friendship of such men. To the Church however, we bid a final farewell, fully conscious that with our present knowledge of the despotic power given to the ministry by the Discipline, we never can again consent to be members without sacrificing the inalienable lights which God has given us, and in defence of which we hnve the support of the laws of our country. A prop- er regard lor our own standing in the community in which we live, and a correction of the false reports that are in circulation, demanded that we should make this public exposition ; having done so, the controversy on our part ceases unless we are com- pelled to renew it in self-defence, and the only favor we ask of those with whom we were formerly associated is to be let alone. We make this request in consequence of the Preachers, and other official members of the Church going from house to house to induce those who have seceded to return ; endeavouring to operate upon the fears and prejudices of the females, by telling them that by leaving the Church, they lose the right of burial in the Methodist grave yaids, where some of them have relatives infercd ; and very j)lainly intimating to others, that in the event of the death of themselves or their children, they woidd have to be buried in the public burial ground of the city. Such conduct, to say the least of it, merits the severest reprehension, and is to- tally unbecoming gentlemen, much less professors of Christiani- ty ; and we are authorised to say that such visits are highly offen- sive to the members, and will be gladly dispensed with. And why should such pains be taken to induce members to return 1 Have not the preachers declared that the Almighty had come into the Church, and winnowed the chaff from the Avhratl Surely tiiey do not wish them to be mixed again. We certainlyy do not desire it ; and repeat that the only favor we ask is to be let alone. 26 Signed on behalf of ihc M« nibors : — JOHN KINGMAN, WILLIAM KIIMvWOOD, WILLIAM (;. MOOD. OLIVEU H. IIILLARJ), WILLIAM LAVAL, F. A. BIXKMANN, W. W. CODFRKY, JOHN II. IIONOIR. Cnmmiltec. Charleston, Augmt, 1H34. iv3^:^^:s^®iiss «^^^ If it should l>e a PuliJRCf of inquiry why Dr. Capers was not charged before tho last Aimu il ronferenoe, the answer is as ready, as we tnnt it will be satis- factory. It was the intention of the Corporation party to impeach him, and he nnist have been aware of the fact, for the determination to do so was repeatedly expressed in the presence of his warm adherents, who it was well known repeated to him all that ihey heard. That lhi< intention was not executed, was in conse- iniv;nce of his attending the Session of the Georgia (inference — which was held some weeks previous to the sitting of the S'outh-Carolina Conference — and it haviii" been stated in th ■ newspapers, that he was to be transfered to the former (oiifi-Tence, and stationed in Savarnah ; and although Bishop Emory very justly r marked, when informed of the design of the members to impeach, that the Dr. was amenable to the !*outh-Carolina (Conference until discharged from it ; yet as he was to (ill an important station in Georgia, it was apprehended that his useful- ness might be materially alfected by an exposition of his aristocratic government of the ( hurcb here, which we did not wish should be the case. " But," it may be asked, " why array his conduct before the public now ?" It might be suffi- eien! to answer, our own justificaiion required it. But ibis is not all — when he r.nioved to another Conference, it was expected he would devote himself exclu- sively to the duties of his particular charge ; noic it is known that though absent in body, he wa> present in the minds of those who remained, and who succeeded him on tlit slatioii, and we have good reason to believe that a constant commu- nication has been kept up, and no step of consequence was ventured on without consulting him. The preachers themselves have declared that he approved and sfnirtioiud, if he did not 7cconimtn(l the course pursued by them. Thus, he who c;iu-ecl ibe agitation, and had retired from the conflict, looking through the vista of 120 miles, to a station which be contemplates filling at the end of the present yeir, has had the address so to use the preachers here as to obtain the rtMuoval of those who he knew would oppose hi-i return, because they were aware of his ability to disturb the peace of the Church. It IS mentioned in the preceding pages, that one of the new Board of Trustees, being a Local Preacher, had his trial defered to a future occasion. The circum- stances connected with his case having come to our notice since the foregoing was sent to the press, a, d they being of such a nature a.«i to require some comment, we shall here give a brief sketch of them. e was iiotilied to attend at Sumnurvillc, twenty-one miles from the City, on Thursday, .\ugust 7th, to answer to the charge of " Disobedience to the order 28 and discipline of the Cliurch." He pieparriljii^nsolf to do so, after havin-T willi sonic diHiculty prevailed upon his \vitii(>«e^ to go \<4th him. Thi:< the Preacher WHS not prepared for, as he prohahl y thought bv carrying him so far from the cijy, he would be unable to make a defence. After limliiig however that he was ready for trial, a note \v:ls sent to him on Wedne-^day Viighl, betwtm » aiul 10 o'clock, informing him that the trial was postponed until some day in thecnsuin" week. On Tuesday, the 1 2th, he was notified that the place of trial wits chang" ed to the Cypress Swamp, fifteen or twenty miles higher up the couutrtj, the time Thui-sday, the 1 4th. To have gone there would have been to risk liii life, as every person acquainted with our low country knows full well, that to re- main for any length of time inhaling the pestilential air of the Swamps is almost certain death ; his witnesses therefore positively refused to go. I'nder these cir- cumstances, the accused addressed a letter to tlu; I'reacher, and another to the Committee staling the unpleasant situatim in which he was placed, and his deter- mination not to attend ; at the same time informing them that if the trial should be held where he could have a fair opportunity of making his defence, he was ready, and anxious for an investigation. Among other reasons which he adduc- ed in justilication of his refusal to appear were the following : — lie was satisfied that it would take so long to reach the place of trial, and occupy so much time in investigating the case, as to render it extremely doubtful whet'h: r it would be practicable to return to the city the .same day, and to remain in the country over night would be extremely hazardous. His witnesses positively refused to go so far into the country, and risk their lives unncccessarily ; and he claimed the priv- ilege of being tried where the ollence was said to have been committed, and where he could without difficulty produce evidence to testify in his behalf, who were intimately acquainted with the circumstances of the case. What iinpartial man would not say tiiat these rea.sons were amply sutlicient to obtain either a postponement of the trial until the dinger of gohig into the country should be over; or a change of place to one where mens live- would not be j<'opard- ed by attending .' Common justice required that one of these two things should be done ; but the Preacher chose to determine otherwise. And is it not highly probable that both the time and place were selected with the hope that either tiie accused would refuse to attend and thus be cut off for contumacy ; or th it his witnesses would not go, and he would be unable to defend himself.' If this was not so, why remove the trial from Summerville where there wjis no objection made to attending .' It is plain to perceive that it behoved the Preacher to obtain a verdict of guilty against the accused. He hud already ellected the ex- pulsion of eight men on a similar charge by refusing them a trial except before a Conmiittee of his own choosing ; if the nitith was acquitted after a fair hearing before impartial men who had no interest in finding him guilty, it would have been a severe reflection upon him for his previous conduct. It was therefore abso- lutely necessary for the saving of the I'reacher's characterthat the accused should be found guilty, and nothing was left undone to accomplish it. We understand that the Preacher met the Committee, and as in the former ease, acted asChaiiman, although he was the accuser, and on his cx-partc statement a verdict of guilty was rendered, and the preacher has declared him suspended from exercising the functions of his ministerial oltice, until the meeting of the District Conference. Such is the manner in which the Preachers on this station exercise the power entrusted to ihem. Wh.it shall we say more, after a statement of facts like these! need we add another circumstance that we would willingly conceal.' Shall we say that a private letter which was addressed to an individual who, it was supposed would be one of the Committee, and entrusted to the care of the Preacher, was broken open, the sanctity of the seal violated, and its conteiits read, the person to whom it was addressed being abseat ! ! ! Incredible as this may appear, the fact is no less true. Date Due SEP 4 '5 L. B. Cat, No. 1137 ^87.6 C477 23847 Duke University Library KEEP THIS SLIP IN THIS POCKET Form 336 15M 4-53 This book does not circulate and is charged for use in library building only RETURN TO CIRCULATION DESK 7.87.6 t^477 p 23847 I