Collection › LCMS Convention Proceedings (St. Louis, Missouri) › 1911 · 28th Convention, St. Louis, Nummer 1 › Page 112

LCMS Convention Proceedings St. Louis, Missouri — 1911, Page 112

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— 112 —

Bericht des St. Louiſer Komitees.

Zwar hatten wir nicht im Sinn gehabt, einen Partikularbericht
an die Ehrw. Synode einzureichen, aber da wir erfahren haben, daß
das Milwaukee⸗Komitee dies getan hat, wird wohl eine ähnliche Hand⸗
lung von uns erwartet werden. Wir haben mehrere Verſammlungen
abgehalten, deren Protokolle zur Durchſicht bereitliegen. Eine Ver⸗
ſammlung, die in Gemeinſchaft mit dem Milwaukee⸗Komitee am
15. Februar 1909 abgehalten wurde, wobei Vertreter des Milwaukee⸗
Komitees, ihr Advokat Sheridan, das St. Louiſer Komitee und die
Advokaten Franklin Ferriss und Joſeph H. Zumbalen zugegen waren,
ſchloß mit dem gemeinſamen Beſchluß:

"Resolved, That a legal method be devised by which the interest
of the Missouri Synod will be safeguarded, so that it cannot be
effectually attacked in any court; provided, however, that no other
changes whatever be made.

"Resolved, That the attorneys of both Committees be herewith
instructed and authorized to jointly execute the work outlined in the
above and foregoing resolution."

Eine ſolche Verſammlung iſt nie zuſtande gekommen, obſchon die
St. Louiſer Advokaten eine Vorlage fertig hatten und jederzeit zu einer
Verſammlung mit den Milwaukeer Advokaten bereit waren; ja, ge⸗
nannte Vorlage der Advokaten Ferriss und Zumbalen lag ſchon in der
Februarverſammlung 1909 vor und war dem Milwaukeer Komitee
bekannt. Dieſes Komitee zitiert nämlich in ſeiner gedruckten Schrift,
„An Opinion of the Legality“, ꝛc., S. 22. 23 und ſonſt, aus dieſer
Vorlage. Wir haben allerdings keine Schritte getan, eine ſolche Ver⸗
ſammlung ſpäter beſonders zu urgieren, da wir uns trotz eingehender
Beratung der Milwaukeer Vorſchläge und der Milwaukeer Meinungen
und Gutachten, ſoweit ſie uns vorgelegt wurden (denn in alles, was
ſie geſchrieben und gedruckt hatten, bekamen wir keine Einſicht), und
unter Zurateziehung hervorragender Geſetzſpezialiſten nicht überzeugen
konnten, daß der Exiſtenz unſerer Synode in geſetzlichem Sinne oder
den geſetzlichen Qualifikationen unſerer Synode, ihr Eigentumsrecht an
allen der ihr gehörigen Liegenſchaften zu behaupten, die Gefahr drohe,
die unſere Brüder in Milwaukee befürchten.1)

1) Richter Lübke gab ſchon im Jahre 1908 (ſiehe Eingaben der Delegaten⸗
ſynode 1908, S. 109) auf eine direkte Frage hin die poſitive Meinung ab, daß
unſerer Inkorporation ſeitens der Regierung keine Gefahr drohe. Dieſer Mei⸗
nung pflichten bei Richter Franklin Ferriss und die Firma Rowell & Zumbalen.
Letztere Firma ſchreibt ausdrücklich in einem Gutachten, das auch von Milwaukee
zitiert wird, zum Schluß, wie folgt: "In conclusion we beg to say that we do
not wish to be understood as intimating that it is necessary that the
charter of the Synod be amended. The Synod is now a corporation. Its
charter can be attacked only by the state through its attorney-general,
in a direct proceeding. It is not subject to collateral attack; and we do
not think it in the least probable that the state will ever raise the question."
"ROWELL & ZUMBALEN."

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— 112 —

Report of the St. Louis Committee.

We had not, it is true, intended to submit a separate report to the
Reverend Synod, but since we have learned that the Milwaukee
committee has done so, a similar step will probably be expected of us
as well. We have held several meetings, the minutes of which lie
ready for inspection. A meeting held jointly with the Milwaukee
committee on February 15, 1909, at which representatives of the
Milwaukee committee, their attorney Sheridan, the St. Louis committee,
and the attorneys Franklin Ferriss and Joseph H. Zumbalen were
present, closed with the following joint resolution:

"Resolved, That a legal method be devised by which the interest
of the Missouri Synod will be safeguarded, so that it cannot be
effectually attacked in any court; provided, however, that no other
changes whatever be made.

"Resolved, That the attorneys of both Committees be herewith
instructed and authorized to jointly execute the work outlined in the
above and foregoing resolution."

Such a meeting never came about, although the St. Louis attorneys had
a draft ready and were prepared at any time for a meeting with the
Milwaukee attorneys; indeed, this draft by attorneys Ferriss and
Zumbalen was already on hand at the February 1909 meeting and was
known to the Milwaukee committee. In fact, that committee quotes from
this very draft in its printed pamphlet, "An Opinion of the
Legality," etc., on pp. 22, 23, and elsewhere. We have, however,
taken no steps to press specially for such a meeting later, since,
despite thorough consideration of the Milwaukee proposals and of the
Milwaukee opinions and legal opinions, so far as they were laid before
us (for we were given no insight into everything they had written and
printed), and after consulting outstanding legal specialists, we could
not be convinced that the legal existence of our Synod, or its legal
qualifications to maintain its title of ownership to all the real
estate belonging to it, is threatened by the danger that our brothers
in Milwaukee fear.1)

1) As early as 1908, Judge Lübke, in answer to a direct question, gave
the definite opinion (see the Eingaben of the 1908 Delegate Synod,
p. 109) that our incorporation faces no danger from the government.
Judge Franklin Ferriss and the firm of Rowell & Zumbalen concur in
this opinion. The latter firm writes explicitly, in an opinion that is
also quoted by Milwaukee, at its conclusion as follows: "In conclusion
we beg to say that we do not wish to be understood as intimating that
it is necessary that the charter of the Synod be amended. The Synod
is now a corporation. Its charter can be attacked only by the state
through its attorney-general, in a direct proceeding. It is not
subject to collateral attack; and we do not think it in the least
probable that the state will ever raise the question."
"ROWELL & ZUMBALEN."