1868. This national convention of the Methodist Church was strategic for Merrill as he was chosen to succeeded John M. Reid as editor of the Methodist newspaper, Western Christian Advocate, a post he held until 1872. Merrill brought more politics to the editorials of the Advocate than some of his predecessors. He openly disapproved of the candidacy of U.S. Grant for President and printed a front-page editorial denouncing the Supreme Court's decision in the case of Lambdin P. Milligan, an Indiana man arrested and tried by military officials for treason. The Milligan case revolved around the issue of civil liberties, where the Supreme Court in its ruling stated that civil liberties were guaranteed in times of war and peace and that civil courts could call to account the decisions of other tribunals. Other issues that Merrill advocated were the disenfranchisement of the former Confederates and the pursuit of holiness. Merrill, like Reid, thought that black Methodists wanted churches of their own, probably because of cruelty received from whites. Merrill, surprisingly, eventually played a role in extending fraternal relations with the Methodist Episcopal Church, South and in furthering the "Plan of Union" with his work on denominational unity, Organic Union, published in 1892. Merrill eventually left his post to assume the position of bishop. The Advocate seems to have been a proving ground for the bishopric within American Methodism. After his election as bishop, Merrill moved to St. Paul, Minnesota where he spent the next 8 years. It was during this time that Merrill began to expand his writing career. The books that he authored during this time were of a theological nature. In 1876 his Christian Baptism was published. 1878 saw his work The New Testament Idea of Hell published which was followed by The Second Coming of Christ in 1879 and Aspects of Christian Experience in 1882. These theological works had been preceded by two other works, Recollections of a Superannuate (1857), a book edited by Merrill and An Oral Discussion of Justification (1858). The writings that followed this period were focused on issues of ecclesiology and polity. This change corresponds to his movement from Minnesota to the thriving metropolis of Chicago in 1880. His most significant works were A Digest of Methodist Law (1885) and The Doctrines and Disciplines of the Methodist Episcopal Church (1888). His time in Chicago brought more involvement in the administration and government of