Press enter after choosing selection

Methodist Conference

Methodist Conference image
Parent Issue
Day
26
Month
September
Year
1888
Copyright
Public Domain
OCR Text

The animal conference of thn castiiii Michigan Methodlsts adjourned in Derolt last week after doing two notable deeds out of the ordlnary routine business. As ihis is the most powerful and influential church in the state, its gatherlngs are watched with interest, nd no small amount of discussion wlll arise froui the two widely different actlons- the one a graceful thing; the other was otherwise. As the former, they passed an eloquent resol ution of condölence at the death of Bishop Marris, who, althoughof another denomination, was a grand, broad tuiniled man, dolng mucli good. Practical religión in Michigan lost one of its ablcst exponents in Bishop Harria' death, and all ? hristians should moiirn alike, regardless ofcliurch. Such noble resolutions passed by ono church for another are good onieiis of the approach of the er of "peace and good will amongst men." Such fraternal courtesies cement together true lovers of humanity, and show the (iiitMile world that sectarian and bigoted flgbts are becoming obsolete. Oo the other hand, the conference made a serious blunder in allowing overzealous niembers to drag the churoh into politics on prohibition. Wliile tlie ïniiiisters and layinen would like to see llquor banished, hitherto they have cliosen to let cacti man decide upon his own inetliod ol brliiginji aboutthat much-to be-desireci end. The tnajority of niembers in that church honestly believe that they can do more good in the republicau party than by helpinj; that avowcd friend of whisky the democratie party. So they have no respect for the thirii party wliich is run for that purpose by deinagoguep, selfseekers and impracticable?. For a great church by a few hot-hend.tlius to be committed to a course of lravIng its recognized licld of usefulness :mi plungiug into politics Is to subject it no only to the contempt and hatred of outsider?, but the disaffection and mistrus of many of its own members. Kven the democrat?, who are uslng it to pull their cheatnuts out of the lire, laugh at it. To add to the confusión of the busy bodies, we may inform them that their action will change no votes, but on the other hand it will cause a renction agains gucli offleious meddling in somethingout slde the line of conference business. Some may have been mislead by the idea that the general conference had e dorsed the third party. But Chaplain McCabe, secretary of the M. E. C. Mis siotiary Society, contradicts that in the following words, which leave no doubt a to how he and the great majority of the bishops stand : That resolutlon was lntroduced by Dr. Dor chester, of Boston, and wheu passed was un derstood tornean, as It dld mean, that we were in favor of the best means of promoting tem perance. As to vvlnii coDstltutes the bes means of promoting temperance, there Is somedlfference of opinión. General Klsk.as a member of the commlttee and conference voted for the resolutlon referred to, am doubtless put own construction opon It The large majority of us Reeiu to have taken a view of It other than hls. We believe In prohibition, bat a large majority also believe la tbe republican party, aud thlnk at tin time the urgent need Is to get this govern ment out of democratie control. As Mr. Lln cola put It, "ooe war at a time." Some o us muy favor local oplion and some oppose It, bat there are few or us who are In favor o a thlnl party as a temperance aid at tlii Juncture. Of our elghteen blthops, flve slxths probably are oppo&ed to such a move ment. The rest may favor the prohibition ticket, but tbe majority, I Ihlnk, eau b counted nquarely againstlt. A faras my individual views are concern ed, my relations to the Church Society ar such that 1 would prefer nol tobe representet as seeklng any ofteusive prominence in ex presBlng my oplnious. But I would rather ie called a partiuan than be mlsuuderstood in the matter, and whatever foroe or lnfluence I can exert will go in favor of the republlcai ticket at the coming electlon. What bette exemplar of the temperance cause can be found than General Harrlson? HaH anybody ever Inslnuated that hls whole Ufe has no luiri pure and températe? I thlnk that the great raajorlly of our people in the nortlie n si;it-s i'-.-l as I do about It, and thal thei votes wlil go that way. Andrew J. S iwyer, if elected as reprsentative f rom the first district, will no have a standing to work up, for his experience of two terms in the leg'slature wil! ut om; place li i in in the front rank H" will lu :i ma to wlioiu our faimcra and our people generally can afíbrd to tnit ttaelr cause, and he will be a mm who will be able to attend to the dtvertt interests of this district promptly ani ably. We hope the peopie will think over the advantages of sending a man to Lanslng who is known generally throngh out tlie state, and who can nnd will ccouiplish for thein much needed legisla tion. The usual fall trade having set in over the country, the Argus claims tbat it is the result of the passage by the democratie house of that infamous piece of scciional legislation known as the Mills bil!. It Is the result, my ilear friend, 01 havlng a senate whose good sense wouk not a II ow such a piece of gutithern dlplomacy to becoine h law. Mr. Sawyer has been attacked tlirougl the columns of the Argus by a democratie layman, who furnishes the papers of Ann Arbor and Detroit with a gre.it deal of tbeir Britisb commercial ideas in referemr lo unseltish and philantlnopic trade between the ntttions, especially this imtion. Well, we guess Mr. Sawyer is fullj capable of defendinjl himself. We liever knew the lime when he w, gn't. All of the northern democrat'c speakers, without exception, say that the Mills bill is not ju?t what they ike, but is t!ie bist that could be done under the circuinstances. What au admisslou ! Th.it the great democratie party did not have the power to formúlate a tariff bill that was [uit to the noi tli as well as the south ! I they are so far under the influence of the south as that, it is high time their power carne to an end. A Methodist minister in the western part of the state bas given the thiid party peoplo somi'thing to thiuk about in his reply to a qiiestlon as to why he should Tote the republican ticket. Foui years ago lic voted for St. John, and the third party people, remonstrating with him i'or going back to the republicans, asked if he did not Intend to vote as he prayed. His answer was: " Yes, I eball vote as I pray; but I don't intend to do any foolsh praying this year." - ínter Oce&n. The fairne3s (?) ol the Argus is shown In the pretended quottUion frora the 1inee, Adrian's prohibition organ, referring to Mr. Allen as "a splendld temperance man," and po he is, and if we mi9take not the editor of the Argus Is auothor splendid temperance man (at least we liever heard of his going out to pole raisings - in Augusta, for instancc - and getting drunk with the rest of 'em, nor even drinking anything). Ia fact, we believe Mr. Beakes is as good a temperunce man any day as Mr. Allen. Should the people think any the less of him for it? Does Mr. Beakes think any the less of himself or Mr. Allen either for having températe habltsf And does not our Argus friend feel the muscles of his face twitch with shame just a little when he refers to a man's good habits as a reason why people should vote agaiii6t him? ïiow we should like to beur from the Argus abont ts friend Mr. SUarn. Is he a splendid temperance man? Ig he any sort of a températe man, in anything? Is he a man you would recommend for his stiict sobrlety, plety or mornlity? We Nhould like to learn in what way Mr. Sica rug is superior or even equal to Mr. Allen. Will the Argus be kind enough to enumérate the points of Mr. Stearns' clmracter that cali for the votes of the people In preference to Mr. Allen?

Article

Subjects
Ann Arbor Courier
Old News