212 



FEDERATION OF CHURCHES. 



a success; and declaring that Congress should in- 

 crease the power of the Interstate Commerce Com- 

 mission. 



The committee appointed at the annual meeting 

 in 1899 submitted a new constitution, which after 

 some discussion was adopted unanimously. The 

 most important parts are as follows: 



" The membership of this congress shall consist 

 of one delegate for each congressional district and 

 two at large for each State and Territory, and one 

 for each State agricultural college and experi- 

 ment station, to be appointed by their respective 

 Governors, and one to be chosen by each national 

 or State society or organization created and main- 

 tained to foster any agricultural interest in the 

 United States. Provided, that delegates thus 

 chosen shall, when required, produce proof of the 

 standing of their organizations. The delegates 

 thus appointed and chosen shall hold office for 

 two years, and shall constitute the voting mem- 

 bership of this body. 



" The Governors of the several States and Terri- 

 tories may appoint such a number of associate 

 delegates as to them may seem wise, who shall 

 have all the powers and privileges of regular dele- 

 gates except that of voting. In case Governors 

 refuse or neglect to appoint delegates and associ- 

 ate delegates, then the State vice-presidents and 

 secretaries of boards of agriculture, or either of 

 them, shall have power of appointment. 



" This congress shall meet annually at such time 

 and place as the executive committee shall de- 

 termine, and may meet on special occasions, when 

 deemed necessary, to advise, discuss, and perform 

 such duties as may in its judgment advance the 

 interests of agriculture in the United States; but 

 partisan issues and questions involving party 

 politics shall not be introduced nor debated. 



" The officers of this congress shall be a presi- 

 dent, first and second vice-presidents, one vice- 

 president for each State and Territory of the 

 United States, a treasurer, a secretary and three 

 assistant secretaries, and an executive committee 

 of five, of whom the president and the secretary 

 ej? offlcio shall be two, to serve for two years. 



" The election of officers shall be in odd years, 

 when the numerals representing the same are not 

 divisible by two without a remainder. 



" No compensation shall be allowed by this con- 

 gress to its members or officers for their expense 

 of attendance upon its annual meeting, but the 

 Executive Committee and other committees ap- 

 pointed with powers may be reimbursed for any 

 expense incurred while in discharge of duties im- 

 posed by this body." 



As officers were elected in 1899 there was no 

 election of officers at the meeting at Colorado 

 Springs. On the resignation of President Hoard, 

 in May, 1900, First Vice-President R. G. F. Can- 

 dage, who was elected to that office in 1899, be- 

 came acting president. Col. John S. Cuningham, 

 of North Carolina, is second vice-president. The 

 secretary is Mr. John M. Stahl, of Chicago, who 

 is serving for the eighth year in that capacity. 

 His assistants are Mr. George A. Stock well, of 

 Rhode Island, who has held that office eight years, 

 and Mr. D. C. Kolp, of Texas, and Mr. E. A. Calla- 

 han, of New York, both elected in 1899. The 

 treasurer is Mr. Levi Morrison, of Pennsylvania, 

 elected in 1899. The executive committee is 

 the Hon. B. F. Clayton, of Iowa, chairman ; Hon. 

 W. G. Whitmore, of Nebraska; Mr. E. F. Wet- 

 stein, of Kentucky; Col. T. C. Slaughter, of Texas; 

 and Mr. K. I,. Fin ness, of Indiana. 



FEDERATION OF CHURCHES. The sub- 

 ject of federation am<m<_' American churches has 

 been informally discussed for several years, and 



federative agreements relating to local work have 

 been arranged and made operative to a greater 

 or less extent in a number of cities. In May. 



1898, the Congregational Association of New 

 York appointed a committee to endeavor to se- 

 cure the formation of a federation or alliance of 

 the evangelical churches of that State. The Bap- 

 tist State Convention of New York in October. 



1899, likewise appointed a committee on church 

 federation. A conference, attended by persons 

 from different parts of the United States, was held 

 in the city of New York, Feb. 1 and 2, and unani 

 mously approved of a declaration that the time 

 had come " for the institution of a national con- 

 ference for federation among churches and Chris- 

 tian workers in the United States." In pursuance 

 of another resolution of this conference, a national 

 executive committee of 18 members, composed 

 equally of ministers and laymen, was appointed 

 for the promotion of federation. The Baptist. 

 Congregational, Disciples of Christ, Lutheran, 

 Methodist Episcopal, Presbyterian, Protestant 

 Episcopal, and Reformed Churches are represent- 

 ed on this committee. Some of its functions \vill 

 be to foster intercommunication between local 

 church federations, with special reference to sup- 

 plying information in regard to the work in all 

 parts of the country ; to provide counsel and pro- 

 mote the organization of city and State federa- 

 tions; to report a plan for the basis of membership 

 in the conference of the next year; to arrange for 

 the conference of the next year, fixing time, place, 

 and programme; and to devise a plan for raising 

 the money necessary to defray the expenses in- 

 curred in connection with the work. Other duties 

 are advisory. 



In connection with the movement for the fed- 

 eration of churches and about the time of the 

 holding of the conference in February, a statement 

 of Christian doctrine for the demonstration of 

 the essential unity of their churches was signed 

 and issued by a number of pastors in the Borough 

 of the Bronx, New r York. This statement set fort li 

 the Apostles' Creed, with the sacraments of bap- 

 tism and the Lord's Supper as of Christ's ordering : 

 declared the Bible to be the inspired word of God : 

 and defined the Church as being " the holy society 

 of believers in Christ Jesus which he founded, 

 of which he is the only head, and in which he 

 dwells by his spirit, so that, made up of many 

 communions, organized in various modes, and 

 scattered throughout the world, it is yet one in 

 him." A plan for federative work within the 

 limits of the borough accompanied the declaration. 



A preliminary meeting to consider the subject 

 of federation in the State of New York was hold 

 at Albany in July, when it was decided to call a 

 conference, to meet at Syracuse in the fall. This 

 conference met in November, and was attended 

 by accredited delegates of the Baptist, Congrega- 

 tional, Presbyterian Reformed, and Methodist 

 Episcopal Churches and ministers of other denom- 

 inations. A constitution was adopted for an 

 organization to be called "The Federation of 

 Churches and Christian Workers of the State of 

 New York." The object of this body was defined 

 to be "the promotion of effective co-operation 

 among the churches of the State of New York. 

 in order that their essential unity may be mani- 

 fested; that the evangelization of every commu- 

 nity may be more systematically accomplished; 

 that a means may be found of expressing the 

 united Christian sentiment of the State in regard 

 to moral issues; that the various Christian 

 churches and Christian workers and benevolent 

 activities of the commonwealth may he more com 

 pletely co-ordinated, and that other appropriate 



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