--- title: Times and Seasons description: Issues of 1844 to 1845. authors: - Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints editors: - Ebenezer Robinson - Don Carlos Smith - Smith, Joseph, Jr. - Taylor, John collections: - periodicals tags: - newspaper - times-and-seasons - nauvoo - nineteenth-century periodical: Times and Seasons volume: 5 number: 18 published: 1844-10-01 publisher: E. Robinson and D. C. Smith; later John Taylor publisher_place: Commerce and Nauvoo, Illinois language: en type: article reference: "“Church and Slavery,” *Times and Seasons* 5, no. 18 (October 1, 1844): 667–668." printed_title: CHURCH AND SLAVERY. source: url: https://archive.org/details/per_utah-and-the-mormons_times-and-seasons_1844-10-01_5_18 transcription: Text from the Centerplace.org transcription (https://www.centerplace.org/history/ts/v5n18.htm), with its page breaks; this Internet Archive scan is the reference copy (its OCR was used only as a witness for OCR repair) identifier: per_utah-and-the-mormons_times-and-seasons_1844-10-01_5_18 start_page: 667 end_page: 668 curator_note: A Mormon newspaper published by the church in Nauvoo; included for historical study. Inclusion does not imply endorsement. rights: status: public-domain basis: US publication 1844 (Nauvoo, Illinois); published before 1931, so public domain in the United States source: https://archive.org/details/per_utah-and-the-mormons_times-and-seasons_1844-10-01_5_18 publication_year: 1844 --- # Church and Slavery At the Methodist general conference for 1844, held in New York, the subject of slavery was brought up. The first object of investigation was F. A. Hardin, of Baltimore, a member of the conference, who had become a slaveholder by marrying a woman who owned a lot of slaves. The north and south very soon made a question of it; the north voted to suspend Mr. Hardin, and the south, surprised at the severity of the case, voted against it; both parties thought they acted according to the 'Discipline.' A strong committee of six; three north and three south, were appointed, but as they could not agree, they were discharged; and in their own language; "then came the struggle in the case of Bishop Andrew. The committee on Episcopacy, under the special instruction of the conference, reported a statement of the facts, from which it appears beyond controversy that he was connected with slavery, and was in fact a slaveholder. A resolution was first introduced asking him to resign; but this was subsequently superceded [superseded] by another declaring it to be sense of the conference that he should cease to exercise the functions of his office until the impediment of his connection with slavery should no longer exist. The debate on this resolution lasted about a fortnight, the south occupying the largest share of the time. The north with but few exceptions, contended that the resolution was the very last which could preserve the church here from destruction, while the south declared, without a dissenting voice, that its passage would bring disaster and ruin upon her. The former affirmed the lawfulness of the measure, while the latter strenuously maintained that it was extra-judicial and utterly subversive of the Discipline. The excitement was intense, and all hope of a compromise was apparently at an end. In these circumstances, the bishops interposed and endeavored to persuade the parties to postpone all action on the question until the next general conference, to be held in 1848. This proposition satisfied neither party, and was therefore dropped by general consent.-Then came the final struggle-the resolution was put to vote and adopted by a large majority, nearly the whole north voting in its favor. The south united in a strong protest against the proceeding, written by Dr. Bascom, of Kentucky, which was placed on the journal and referred to a committee of three on the part of the majority. This committee of which Dr. Durbin was chairman, on the last day of the session submitted a reply to the protest which was also entered on the journal. The lines having been thus distinctly drawn between the parties, the next step taken was to rescind the resolution of 1840, declaring it inexpedient to permit colored persons to give testimony in a church trial, in all cases where such testimony is not allowed by the civil courts.-This resolution had been a source of trouble at the north, and it was repealed by a strong vote, without much discussion. Thus defeated on every issue, the southern delegates united in a formal declaration that the farther jurisdiction of the general conference over the conferences at the south would be inconsistent with the success of the ministry in this part of the country. This declaration was referred to a committee of nine, who were instructed, in case they could not succeed in making an amicable adjustment of the difficulty, to devise, if possible, a plan for a constitutional division of the church. The committee made their report on Friday, the 7th inst. They proposed to submit a proposition to the annual conferences for such an alteration of the restrictive articles of the Discipline as would permit the next general conference, in case the South should find it necessary to withdraw and form a new ecclesiastical organization, to make an amicable division of all the church property.-This proposition was adopted by a nearly unanimous vote, and if sanctioned by the annual conferences, as it probably will be, the south will be free to secede from the church if she choose to do so. Whether she will do this or not, time only can determine." -> This sudden ecclesiactical [ecclesiastical] opposition to slavery, bolstered up by national prejudice, will eventually be the overthrow of the methodist and American union, slavery and peace, unless each party gives up their rights.