The Evansville journal. [volume] (Evansville, Ind.) 1866-1870, 1868-05-12

aQuTeSS OF the DOQy Wnlcn LHey rep
resent.
Rev. Mr.. Perette, one of the dele
gates, was then presented and ad-
dressed the Conference, giving an in
teresting sketch of the origin, pro-
gress aud prospects of Methodism in
Canada. He said: There are one
thousand ministers, and one hundred
thousand members, including the diff
fereut branches of the Methodist fam
lily, in Canada.
At11 O'Clock, the conference re-
sumed the consideration Of the ques-
ton Of the admission of the Southern
delegates.
Rev. DR.. Foster said that, being
Chairman of the Special Committee.
he desired to harmonize the views of
the committee, to cnstitute these Con-
ferences Conferences de fdctO, and
thus admit them to the right of rep
resentation. Every Annual Confer
ence has the right of repre-
sentation, Of which. they cannot be
deprived by this body, but in the
opinion of the speaker, these South
ern Conferences were not Annual
Conferences, according to the organic
law Of the church sa
The Doctor referred to the action
of last General Conferences, endeavoF-
ing to show that the enabling act uu-
der which these bodies were organ
lzed did not contemplate their forma4
ton without certain disabilities. He
contended, that although the General
Conference should not deprive the
existing Annual Conferences of the
right of representation, it could deny
that righ. to the Conferences to be
organized He said that claimants
at the door of this body we're not
delegates, but that in the act under
which the Southern Conferences were
organized, there was nothing to pre-
vent them from eleeting delegates aud
sending them here, and that the Gen
eral Conference has the power to erect
them into Annual Conferences and
admit these delegates to seats.
Rev. DR.. Harris offered the follow
ing resolutions:
Reso 'ved, That all action of the
General Conference of 1864. restrict
ing or purporting to restrict the
rights and privileges Of Annual Con-
ferences. which the Bishops were
authorized by said General Confer
ence to form within the United States
and territories, be and the same is
hereby repealed.
Res0lUed, That the following Con-
ferences, viz: Alabama. Delaware,
Georgia, Holster, Mississippi, South
Carolina Tennessee. Texas, VirTinia,
North Carolina, and Washington, are
hereby declared to be Annual Confer
enees Of the NJ. E. Church, aud are
vested with all the rights, privileges,
and immunities usual to Annual Con-
ferences of said Church.
Re olCed, That the provisional del
| egates to this body, elected by the
aforesaid Conferences severally. are
hereby admitted to membership in
this General Conference, aud be enti-
| tied to exercise the same rights as
delegates from other annual Confer
ences; provided, always, that they
shall be found otherwise qualified
according to the law Of the Church.
ReSoleed That a committee of
seven be appointed to which shall be
referred the credentials of the said
provisional delegates, together with
so much of the journals Of the said
/ Conferences as relates to their cleo
ton; aud that the committee report
at the earliest practical moment.
The afternoon session Of the Con-
/ ference assembled at half past two
o'clock. Jesse Z. Peck, ID, OBJ
tanned the floor aud spoke fifteen
minutes in favor of the admission of
claimants.
DR.. Henry Slyeer next addressed
| the Conference and vindicated his
| section from the charge that Liberia
was made a Mission Conference with
| out representation through the inhu-
ence of the South and then proceeded
to show that, according to his view of
law in the case, it would be impossi-
bic to admit the Southern Tepresen-
tatives
DIR. McClintock. of New York, re-
piled to DR.. Foster, indulging in q
strain OF humorous remarks which
created great amusement. He then
took up the legal aspects of the ques-
tiO7 and argued at length to show the
entire competency of the General Con-
ferencessto admit the olaimenfs.
At the close OF his speech, Dr. Pat
terson. Of Philadelphia, moved to lay
the report of the Special Committea
aud the substitute OF Dr. Raddy's on
the table, with a view to adopt the
resolutions of Dr. HAIRS. Adopted
DR.. Harris resolutions being now
/ before the Conference. It was agreed
that they be voted on seri item, sub.
;ect TO amendment without bate.
Amendments to the first resolution
were offered, and tabled. aud the res.
olution adopted. The second resolu
ton was adopted am d loud eheerins
! frdu the floor and galleries. The