"2. That ministers, local and travelling, of every grade and oflice in tbe Jleihodist Episcopal Church, may, as they prefer, remain in that Church, or, without blame, at- tach themselves to the Chr.nli South.
".3. Renolved, hy il . ,^ ', ^ :, -^ . f nl! the Annu.il Confer- ences in General" t"! ii i - i > i ■.lubled, 'I'liat we recom- mend to all theAiiiii:i; i - . iM( sat tl'cir first approach- ing sessions to autlmii;-,' a , |;:h!l'c of tile sixth Resiriclive ' Article, so that the first clause shall read thus : ' They shall not appropriate the produce of the Book Concern, nor of the Chartered Fund, to any oilier imrpote other than for the henetit cf the travelling, snpermimerary, superan- nuated, and worn-out jneachers, their wives, widows, and children, and to such other purposes as may be determined upon by the votes of two thirds of the members of the General Conference.'
"4. Tlmt whenever the Annual Conferences, by a vote of three fourths of all their members voting on the third resohiiion. shall have concurred in the recommendation to aller the sixth Restrictive Article, the aL'ents at New York and Ciiuliiiiati shall, and they aie hereliy aulhor- izcd and diiecied to deli\er over to any authorized agent or apiiointee of the Churcli South, (sh("iul(l one lie organ- i'/.ed), all notes and book accounts against the niinisiers, Church members, or citizens within ils boundaries, with atithority to collect the same for the sole use of the S( uih- ern Church ; and that said agents also c<nivey to the afore- said agent or ai)poiutce of the South all the real estate, and assign to him all the properly, including i)ies>cs, stock, and nil riirht and interest connected wiih the piiiit- im: establishments at Charleston, Richmond, and Nash- viilc, which now behnigto the Methodist Kpisrojial Church. '•.\ That when the Annual Coiifeieuces shall have a))- proved lheat"ore.-a:d change in the sixlh Restrictive Arti- cle, Iheic shall te Iransfeiied to Ihe above agenis of the Sonlheru Church so nnuh of the caiiital ami i)roduce of the Methodist I'ook Ccjiu eni as will, with the noles, hook accounts, jiresM's, etc., nuiilioned in Ihe last resolution, bear the same i)roportion to Ihe whole jiropcriy of said Concern that Ihe travelliiii: jireac hers in the Sonlheru Church shall bear to all Ihe travelling miiiislers of ihe Metbodist Kpi-cojial Church, Ihe division to be made on Hie la-i- ni iiic number of Iravelliug preachers in the forllicM,,,!,,;: Minutes.
'Mi. 'I'liai Ihe above transfer shall he in the form of an- nual pavmeiiis of .t?."),!!!!!) per annum, and siiecificallv in stock of the Book Ccuuern, and in Southern nolcs and ac- counts due Ih.e establi.-bnieiit, and acciuili'.' after the liist tiansler menlioned above; and until the iiayinenis are made the Sonlheru Church shall share in all the net prof- its of Ihe l!o<d< Concern in Ihe proportiiu) that the amount due ihem, or in arrears, bears to all the property of the Concern.
"7. That Nathan Bangs, (ieorge Teck, and James B. Finlev be, ami ihev aie hereby aiipoiiiled commissioners to act" in coiueit with the same number of commissior.erM apiioinied bv llie Sonlheru organization (sin nlil one l.e formedl.to estimate ihe ann unl which will fall due to the South bv Ihe pieceding rule, and to have full powers to carrv into edVct the whole anangenieiils proixised with re<ra"rd to the division of iimiicrly, should the separation take place. And if by anv means a vacancy occur in this
M. E. CHURCH, SOUTH
185
M. E. CHURCH, SOUTH
Bo:ira of Commissioners, the Book Committee at New York f^hall till said vacancy. , , „ . ^u u
"S That whenever any agents of the Southern Church are clothed with legal authority or corporate power to act in the premises, the agents at New York are hereby au- thorized and directed to act in concert with said Southern a"0Mts, s.) as to u'ive the provisions of these resolutions a it^'illv'liiiKliiiu' tWrce.
'"•;i."That all the property of the Methodist Episcopal Chiir.li in meeting-houses, parsonages, colleges, schools, Conference I'tmds, cemeteries, and of every kiud within tlie limits of the Southern organization, shall be torever free from any claim set np on the part of the Methodist Episcopal Church, so far as this resolution can be of force in the premises. , , „ ■
"10 That the Church so formed m the South shall have a common right to use all the copyrights iu possession of the Book Concerns at New York and Ciucmuati at the time of the settlement by the commissioners.
"11. That the book agents at New York be directed to make sucli compensation to the Coul'erences South for their dividend from the Chartered Fund as the commis- sioners above provided for shall agree upon.
" 12. That the bishops be respectfully requested to lay that part of this report requiring the action of the An- nual Conferences before them as soon as possible, begin- ning with the New York Conference."
The Southern delegates sent out an address to their constituents, showing what they had done, and conn- selling moderation and forbearance. Thej' called for a convention of the Annual Conferences — in the ratio of one to eleven of their members — to meet in Louisville, Ky., jMay 1, 1845. Meanwhile the Church in the South, in Quarterly and Annual Conferences, took action in the premises, and declared in favor of the plan of separation with a very near approach to unanimity. The conven- tion met in Louisville at the appointed time, bishops tjoide, Andrew, and Morris being present. The bish- ops were invited to preside, and the two former did so. Tlie convention, acting under the plan of separation, de- clared tlie Southern Conferences there represented a dis- tinct connection, under the style of " The Methodist Kpiscopul Church, South" and made provision for the holding of its first General Conference in Petersburg, Ya., May, 184G. Bishops Soule and Andrew were re- quested to become regidar and constitutional bishops of the Methodist Episcopal Church, South ; the latter complied with the request, but the former, in view of outstanding eiigagements, postponed doing so till the session of the General Conference. The action of the convention Avas nearly unanimous, and it gave great satisfaction throughout the South. Bishop Soule gave in his formal adherence at the General Conference in Petersburg ; two other bishops were consecrated, viz. AV'illiam Capers, D.D., aiid Robert Paine, D.D. ; the Dis- cipline was revised; missions, etc., were projected; Henry B. Bascom, Alexander L. P. Green, and Charles B. Parsons were appointed commissioners, and John Early agent and appointee, according to the provisions of the plan of separation; editors, etc., were chosen, and all the operations of the Church went on as though no separation had taken place. Lovick Pierce, D.D., was commissioned to attend the session of the Northern Gen- eral Conference in 1848, to tender to that body the Christian regards <ind fraternal salutations of the Gen- eral Conference of the Methodist Episciipal Church, South; but he was not received in his official capacity. A Change had come over the Northern Church, and the General Conference repudiated the plan of separation. The Church-property question had to be settled by the Supreme Court of the United States, which decided in favor of the South. The property was divided accord- ing to the provisions of the plan. A publishing-house was established in Nashville ; a quarterly review, •vveekh' papers, Sunday-school papers, books, tracts, etc., were published ; and all things progressed prosperous- ly till the war interfered with the operations of the Church, and sadly crippled its institutions. Much of its property was appropriated by others during the mili- tary occupancy of the South; but most of it has been restored, and it is hoped all the rest will soon be. Tenta- tive movements have been made by some in the North- ern Church for reunion ; but as that is deemed inexpe-