Morning journal and courier., 1888-05-19

METHODIST CONFERENCE.
The Dead BSaEops-The Contest Over the Election of New Ones-The Ra. v0rttes-BishSp TayIorss Report Woman-Metaodist Union. NEW YnRR Mar IF

l v0rftes-Bish0p TaylOr,s Report Woman-Metz1odfstU Union.
 NEW YORK, May IT, To the Editor of ths JOURNAL AND COURIER:
 Having yesterday, in formal but deeply | impressive memorial service, dropped it's tears over the-dead bishops, the conference will be ready shortly to drop it's ballots for the election of the new ones. The three 1 who have gone were each distinguished for some special trait Simpson was the peer less preacher. Wiley was the great mission ary, and most appropriately, therefore, had his burial place in China; while Harris was the great disciplinarian of the board By a strange coincidence each of these had a prominent part in the closing service of the conference four years ago. Bishop Simpson made the closing address, Bishop Wiley Of fered the concluding prayer and Bishop Har- ris read the final hymn. Thus the part they took, viewed in retrospect, seems to have been premonitory of the fate which awaited them. Whether these circumstances will make the remaining bishops tinid as to the part which may be assigned them in the closing of the present conference remains to
 
 this HOT anything else has had the effect of lessening the number of candidates for the Episcopal office; nor is it anticipated for a moment that any circumstance, past or to come, will lead any of the present or pro- spective bishops to resign. There are ru- mors that one will ask to be relieved of Epis- cepal dignities to allow of his taking the rraaidnuev of an aaatarp has been alleged that in case of the election of a certain candidate for the office, still an- other of the present incumbents would want to step down and out. But all such rumors must be discounted heavily; for whatever their excellencies otherwise, Methodist bish- ops have certainly not been noted for the virtue of resignation. And who can blame them when it is fact, as Dr. Buckley said on Monday, that "the power held by Meth odist bishop is the greatest held by an officer in the Protestant church.n Still there have been two instances in which this dignity has been declined, and by fortunate circum- stance these cases are divided between the two sections, one being the case of Dr. Hay good, of the church South, and the other that of Wilbur Fisk of this church.
 In ecclesiastical affairs no less than in mat ters culinary, the proof of the pudding must be in the eating. Hence to judge correctly of the quality of the new bishops we must wait until we know who they are. The con- viction has been entertained by many that this conference would put into office those only whose characters and accomplishments would reflect credit upon the denomination, and that it would be an improvement upon former conferences in keeping itself free from objectionable forms of electioneering 1E sG- l.. be credited, it is but another of the same kind with several of it's predecessors. At any rate we have been treated to similar ex- posures to those. which have distinguished former conferences.
 The storm of accusation which had been gathering fer many days broke upon the body on Monday last. Dr. Hunter, of Hi nois, wanted one bishop elected at a time. This he said would break up combinations. Every candidate in that case he said would have to do business on his own capital, and for his part if any candidate proposed to set up peanut stand he didn't want him elect ed. He was prepared he said to sit down upon all combinations, and he "didn't care peg whether the bishops came from New York, Boston, St. Louis or Peoria so that the best man got fn.. Dr. Buckley, agreeing substantially wiyl the former speaker, thought the election of bishop so impor- tant that the vote ought to be taken by or ders. Here was another proposed scotch upon the wheel of struggling ambition, for when a vote is taken by orders 1t not only re- quires majority of all to elect. but a ma- jority of both the ministerial delegates and the lay delegates. Dr. Olin of New York, who is chairman of the committee on epis- copacy, said Che had been pained and shamed with the whispers that had stolen into his ears respecting combinations for the office of bishop" Dr. Cue, of Illinois, claimed that he had not heard such whis- pers. But think, ? he said, ''of the Apostle Paul going down this aisle and moving about the corridors of this opera house, asking the members of the conference to vote for him because he had call from the Lord to-be bishop"
 Lay Delegate Brown favored Dr. Buckley's motion to vote for bishops by orders. This gentleman took business-like view of the situation, holding that if man had a genu- inc call from the Lord, the Lord could pull him through just as surely if the conference voted by orders as if it voted az 2 whole. Dr. Leonard, of Ohio, was another who was so fortunate as to not have heard these flying whispers about combinations. He would seorn, he said, to receive a proposition to cast his vote for any candidate. He had not heard whispers of that kind, he observed, but he had heard it alleged that millionaires had been electing the bishops of the church, and it was plain to see. he said, that voting by orders would give these millionsires even more power than they already had. Finally the conference concluded that it had heard enough of this kind of talk, and the matter was disposed of by 8 refusal to adopt either the motion to elect one bishop at time or the motion to elect by orders, leaving the situation just as it was before the big palar- yer began, precisely the result which fol- lowed from 8 similar tempest of words and similar series of motions in the two confer- ences immediately preceding this.
 These Methodist -worthies never fail to have it out in this fashion just before the real battle of the ballots It's way they have, just as the final decision in the ring proper is always preceded with hot contest of big talk when a lot of healthy school boys get into wrangle It is safe to assume too that these Methodist brethren do not mean all they say at such times any more than the boys do, and that, like the boys again, they are not half so bad as in these tussles they try to make one another seem. As to cleo tioneering and the canvassing of the strong and weak points of the various candidates, it is difficult to see how such work as this could be dispensed with altogether, consider ing that the delegates come from such wide- 1y scattered sections, and that no opportuni- ty is given to nominate men for these high offices in open conference. And as to the moral question involved, if the Lord accepts the help of presiding elders and church com mittees, added to the godly judgment of the bishops, in stationing the preachers, what can be the harm in few experienced hands lending him little assistance in this more delicate and important work of promoting men to the episcopacy. The favorites in the Episcopal race remain about as given before, viz: Drs. John H. Vincent, D. A. Good sell, Earl Cranston, James N. King, H. A. Buttz, O. 0. McCabe, I. W. Joyce, c. H. Payne, 0. N. Sims, J. N. Fitzgerald, S. F. Upham, J. W. Hamilton, D. Dorchester and J. R. Day, with, however, any number of dark horses waiting the call. Excepting that Dr. c. J. Little, of Syracuse university, may be pushed by his enthusiastic friends into place now filled by someone else, it seems likely that the editorships of the church will be filled about as they are now. For the other positions the candidates are too numerous to mention.
 Not only is the Episcopal office in demand, but there is great clamor from various 1 quarters for Episcopal residences. Among the cities that have applied thus early for l the distinguished honor of having a live Methodist bishop in their midst are Cleve- l land, Detroit, Portland, Ore, and Charles | ten, s. O.. Detroit baits it's request with the |