Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1884-05-17
GENERAL CONFERENCE
OF TIE NJ. z. CHURCH IN SESSION
AT PHILADELPHIA.
The Proceedings OF the First Eight
Days-EOg-roIling for Candi-
dates-The Address.


DAYS to get itself III shape for work. The
mantle of the late Secretary, DR.. Woodruff,
fell by courtesy upon the shoulders of his
first assistant DR.. D. s Monroe. The
formality of welcoming the Conference, but
for the little fun injected into it by General
c. b. Fisk. of the Newark Conference, who
was called upon TO respond for the laity,
would have passed off in the most sedate
manner imaginable The General observed
that he believed all the good things that
had been said of Philadelphia; indeed he
did not see how she could help being a
great and grand city when she was just on
the borders of his own State of New Jersey.
Playfully, he then bespoke for his fellow
meals their kind hosts could offer, and in
return he promised the ladies that none OF
their visitors would chew tobacco or smoke
cigars in their rooms, adding that If any
had intended 10 do this, he hoped they
would reconsider and swear of, at least for
the present, promising if any spare boxes
of cigars were sent to his room he would
see that they were put to good use. This
many a hearty laugh was INDUCED in.
The youthful Governor of this State, who
is the son ofa Methodist preacher, took part
in these reception ceremonies. His speech
was short, but quite to the point He well
coined the delegates, he said, not simply in
behalf of the city, but for the whole State,
which was more proud of its pre-eminence
in educational and religious matters than
of either its mineral resources or its manu-
featuring interests.
The pleasure of the Conference at having
its senior episcopate, Bishop Simpson, pres
ent at the opening services was very mani
fest But il cost the venerable man great
effort to be there, and he looked but the
shadow of his former self The church be-
gins to realize now that Bishop Simpson 5
work is almost finished, and that the one
who has ranked for years Is the most elo-
quent of America 5 pulpit orators must soon
join the silent majority. After the opening
ceremonies the distinguished invalid left
the Conference and was driven back 10 his
home.
The Bishops preside in the order of SEMI
ority in office Upon Bishop Simpsons re-
tirement Bishop Bowan took the chair, and
since then il has been occupied successfully
by Bishops Harris, Foster, Wiley and Mer-
rill. J. : visionary for the delegates from
each Coz renee to sit together, Just as they
do in political conventions, and, to deter
mine their location. cards bearing the name
of each are drawn from a hat, the first to
come out having first choice and so on
until the process is complete.
The General Conference appoints twelve
standing committees, as follows: On Epis-
copacy, on Itinerancy, on Boundaries, on
Revisals, on Temporal Economy, on State
of the Church. on Book Concern, on Mis-
sions, on Education, on Church EXten-
sion. on Sunday-SchoolS and Tracts, and
on Freedmans Aid and Work in the South
These committees really do the work of the
Conference, all memorials, petitions, ap-
peals, etc. being submitted to them, besides
the routine matters relating 10 the different
departments indicated by their several titles
Hitherto they have consisted of one repre-
sentative from each delegation, but for some
time there has been movement for max
ing them smaller The contention has
been that under the old. arrangement they
were unwieldy, and that many of the men,
bers did not attend As a matter of fact
those representing small delegations could
not attend all the meetings. for frequently
two or more committees of which they were
members would necessarily be holding SEES
sions at the same time. The old fight, to
effect a reduction, which resulted in dis
comtiture at the two preceding Conferences
came up at this, and once more, in the final
issue, the project was defeated. The larger
delegations were nearly all in favor of the
proposition to allow one man to sit upon
only three committees, but the smaller
ones opposed it on the ground that it would
lessen their influence in legislation, and
these worked so hard and found so many
der-hearted sympathiZers that, although
on the evening before the plan was carried
by a majority of nine, on Friday morning,
upon Il motion TO reconsider. it was de-
fcated By a vote of 220 to 1872. The COM
mittees were accordingly organized upon
the old basis, and each will have between
90 and 100 members. The committees of
the greatest importance are those on Epis-
copacy and Itinerancy.
The fact that the Conference has ap-
pointed a special committee of twenty-five
meinbers-one minister and one layman
from each of the twelve General Conference
districts and one representative from the
church at large-to consider the subject of
Temperance and the prohibition of the
liquor traffic indicates that the body is
fully alive to the importance of this burn
ing question, and the remarks made at the
time leave no doubt that ii viii speak ont
on this subject III stronger and more adj
vanced terms than ever before.
special committee was also appointed
upon the subject of lay representation.
This consists, like the other, Of twenty-five
members. and it will consider simulta-
neously the two qucstiOns-whcthcr lay
men should not be represented in the an
nual Conference, and whether they should
not have equal representation with the
clergy in the General Conference.
The week opened with a genuine sensa-
ton, the chief cause of it being a speech
made by that fearless and outSpoken di-
vine DR. K. NJ. Hatfield, of Chicago. The
doctor has been a delegate to several Gen
eral Conferences, and more than once prior
to the present instance has distinguished
himself by stirring up matters. In one of
these august gatherings he startled the
church, and caused many of his brethren
to raise their hands in pious horror, by al
lcging q too close intimacy between the
Bishops and those whom he called " the
money bags of the Conference
on Monday he entered the lists against
those who have brought into the body the
arts of the politician, who, as he charged,
are pulling wires to get certain men elected
to Office and promiscuously button -holing
the brethren in the interests of their favor
lite candidates. 1t appears that this kind of
work specially characteriZes the canvass for
new Bishops, and hence the doctors prop
osition, in which he was seconded by Chap
lain McCabe, was to put an end to the dis
graceful proceedings as he termed them,
by bringing the canvass to an abrupt close
and electing these functionaries without
delay In delivering his sensational speech
DR. Hatfield met with many interruptions,
and at its close several eloquent and indig-
nant replies were made. In fact, to speak
in comman parlance, the doughty doctor
was completely sat down upon. Neverthe-
less, an outside observer can plainly see
that there are some grounds for his allega-
tons II by log-rolling and wire-pulling
DR.. Hatfield means that certain men are
" talking up certain other men and talk
ing down" leading opposition candidates,
then certainly he is not far off the track, for
there is any amount of this kind of work
going on in a quiet way. The brethren,
however, as they explained in the debate,
call this Z" conversation. But a spade is 4
spade for all that, and this is the name the
Chicago divine always gives to II.
On "Wednesday we had a little sensation
of another kind. 1t took the form OF a
facetious rap at the administration of the
Bishops in the case of the Peoples Church,
at Boston The pastor of this church, Rev
J. w Hamilton has, by episcopal appoint
ment, presided over his flock for eight or
nine wears in succession. This in face of
the disciplinary stipulation that no minis
ter shall serve the same church for longer
period than three years. II is provided,
however. that this rule may be relaxed III
mission stations, and, to meet the emer-