Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1884-05-16
TIE CDSIl!IsEStE,
The kisbOp's Add >ess-t!cncrii N,is.
Election of isi,hops
PHtlADEI RgIA. Nav =.

IHiLADEiRHIA, May :.
To The Editor OF the Free Press and Times
There WAS regular storm in the General
Conference on Monday, and the disiubcr OF
the elements was DR.. r. NJ. Hatfield, OF
Chicago. He entered the lists against those
who have brought into tn: body the arts Of
the politician, who, as he charged, are
pnlllng wires 10 get certain men elected 10
office aud prOmi' cuOusy button boiling til,
brethren IN the interests Of their favOri'c
candidates. 1t appears that this kind OF
work especially charactcrizes the canvass f. r
new bishops, and hence the doctors propo.
sitiOai in which be was seconded by chap.
lain McCabe was 10 put an end to the dis
graceful procec lngs, as he termed hem, by
bringing the canvNss to an abrupt cl ,se aud
clecing these funcliOnaries without delay.
In delivering his sensational speech DR..
llalheld met with many Interruptions, aud
al its close several eloquent aud indignant
replies VI re made.
On Wednesday we IN II Il little s.nujiDn
Of another KIND. II toll the form Of a
faCetiOus rap mt 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 4 lck for eight or
nine years in succession. This in face OF
the disciplinary stipulation that no muislcr
shall serve the same church for longer
period than three years. 1t is provided.
however, that this rule may he relaxed il
mission stations. and, to meet the emergency,
the Peoples Church i. placed in that cate
CORY. incidentally the general subjrct of
whether the conference should not change
the church law 80 as TO provide for cases OF
this kind in a straight forward aud uniform
manner came up IN the drblle--A subject on
which large number OF memorials have
been presented, and which has even been
recommended to the consideration of the
body hy the bishops themsc Ives. To predict
What Will flncly be done in tits matter wulili
he exceedingly risky. | think it safe to say.
however, that there will lie no radical
departure from present methods, and tn Il
the three-year limit will stand for the next
quadrennium about as it is, with, possibly,
me slight modification, which, whatever
lis exact nature, will certain ly not be uni
velsa in extent nor IN any way detrimental
in lis working to the II UGH vauLted itincruut
system Of the church.
Following the excitement upon this sub
lect came sklrmlsh, which must lead by and
by TO big fight, on the color question. The
clare the churches and institutions OF
l,arning under its control equally accessible
to blacks and whites. The question wa
referred, as all similar propositions are t,
b., t. the Committee on the State of the
CHURCH, and the Conference for the present
is II ueved from the necessity Of voting upon
it.
Durng the address from the Board of
bishops, the conference was gralitieh once
more by the presence of Is Senior EpsCo-
pate, Bishop Simpson. The bishop wa,
greeted, as before, with loud applause, but
he looked very weak aud ill, and occupied
The char without uttoring word
The address was read by Bishop Harris.
IL consisted in review of the work of tho
church during the quadrennium, and made
special reference to what the bishops them
selves had done. The fact WIS stated that
three new conference had been formed
making total of ninety-nine Annual Con
ferences and fourteen mission stations The
net increase in membership for the four
years was reported at ca, 342, and there were
docls ed TO be now.lS, al churches and 1915
parsonages. OF an aggregate value of
S72 23S, OS5. The teachers and scholars in
the Sunday schools of the church were said
to number 1882 02G. Among the large
gifts to henevolences which had marked the
quadrennlum special reference was made
10 the $500 600 given by George Seney to
Wesleyan University CJnnCcIIcut, and to
the donation Of an equal sum by the same
gentleman Tor the founding Of the Methodist
Hospital Ia new York city. The gift of
several hundred thousand dollars to Green
castle Univ rsiIy, Indiana, by W. C.
DeIauw, Of that State was also alluded 10
IN complimentary terms. After reviewing
n 4 Al ali h.. A..