Waterbury evening Democrat., 1888-05-05
.5's a Knotty Question.
The Sex Line Still the Issue
 with the Methodists.
SOME VERY ANIMATED DEBATES.

Fair Delegates, but Several Learned Gentlemen Say It Would Not Be Ac-
 cording to Church Law.
 NEW YORK, May 5-It was agreed before the beginning of the discussion yesterday upon the question of the admission of women as delegates to the Methodist general confer ence, now in session at the Metropolitan Opera house, fo prohibit all expressions of approval or disapproval on the part of the audience, and the rule was enforced, although at times with considerable difficulty. The proceedings were none the less full of anima- tion, and the opera house was as crowded as it has bean during the whole of this interest ing debate. The opening prayer was offered by Rev. H. J. Liebhart Bishop c. D. Foss presided.
 Dr. A. B. Leonard, of the Cincinnati con- ference, opened the debate with a speech in ' favor of the admission of the women dele gates. He reviewed and controverted Dr. Buckley's speech. "Women,n n he said, sshave been considered as laymen from the begin ming of the church's history, and are subject i to all the penalties of male members The word male was stricken out of the article which created the lay delegate. When Dr. Queal admitted that the rule was accepted without the word male he admitted all that the omission of that word implied.n Then Dr. Queal arose and said that be was | not correctly quoted. Dr. Leonard's infer ! ence was wrong.
 Dr. Leonard referred to the printed report of Dr. Quealas address, and left the confer ence to draw their own conclusions Dr. John NJ Miley, president of the Drew Theo- | logical seminary of New York, and Rev. l. 1 R. Day, of the New York conference, followed ' in addresses against the admission of women, both of them emphasizing the constitutional z grounds for their exclusion "f the question were put to the women of the church, ,n said Dr. Miley, 'tnine-tenths of them would op- pose it." and Dr. Day said that the question was one of reason and not of heart
 Gen S. H. Horst. of Ohio, the first layman to speak upon the subject, created consider able amusement by his characterization of the opponents of the admission of women as "old fogies,n whose constant retort as tho fair sex gained each successive step upward in the scale of representation was sIt's un- constitutional.n He quoted from the "Dis- cipline" the following rule as having already settled the question.
 The general conference holds that in all mat ters connected with the election of lay delegates all members of the church who are not members of the annual conference.
 Professor Charles J. Little, of Syracuse university, denied that the above passage, which seemed so conclusive, was a part of the Discipline" but appeared only in it< appendix, and formed no portion of the con stitutIon of the church He quoted Justice Storey to the effect that women could not b< given the rights of men until such right were expressly granted them, and maintained that such was the rule in the present case Rev. Jacob Rothweiler, of the Central Ger ...-., conference, and Rev. Thomas B. Neely took strong constdsssie ground against fls admission of women, for the present g! least The latter offered the following amend ment:
 Resolved, That we submit to the annual confer. ences the proposition to amend the second re strictive rule by adding the words, Said dele gates may be either men or women, not to exceed two from each annual conference" -i Dr. Paxton seconded the amendment Among the speakers who followed, Drs Henry Graham, Frank M Bristol and Alden Speare favored the amefl6-aent, while Leslie M Shaw and Dr. Lewis R. Fiske president of Albion college, spoke for the immediate admission of the women.
 Governor Phineas c. Lounsbury, of Con. necticut, moved that the question be brough, to a vote Monday next, but Dr. Buckley ob- jected to fixing specified time for such a vote. The chair refused to entertain the motion pr. Buckley kept the floor in order to speak upon the main question The chair recognized him in spite of numerous objec- tions, when another point of order was raised, that the doctor was not speaking from bis own seat. 1t appeared that Dr. Buckley was sitting with the Missouri delegation at their invitation The chair again recognized the doctor, but he did not have time to speak for 1 the hour of adjournment had arrived