The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1888-05-08
MOMENTS CLAIMS REJECTED
The N. E. General Conference Refuse to
Admit Women as Lay Delegates.
The Question Referred to the Annual Confer
ences for Settlemsnt-0ne More VoteWould
Have Left the Matter Undecided.

NEW YORK. May Bishop Ninde preSided at
to-days session Of the Methodist Episcopal Gen.
eral Conference, and Rev. j. n. johnson, of the
Norway Conference. conducted the opening re-
lieious services
Il was resolved to suspend the rules and con-
tinue the debate on the admission of women %
lay delegates. Forty-one DELEGATES At once
sprapg to their feet and claimed the floor. Rev.
II. a. Moore. of Erie Conferences. was recog-
nized. He spoke in favor of admitting women.
Rev. j. T. Edwards, Of tho Detroit Confer
ence, and editor of the Northwsstern Advocate,
opposed their admission at the present time and
favored the submission of the question to . vote
Of the church.
Judge S. n. Taylor. lay delegate from the
St Louis Conference, got the noor He walked
down the aisle with number Of law-hooks un-
der his arm. and proceeded to argue the ques-
ton on constitutional grounds. Il would do
much harm, he said, to admit women at the
present time. There were bishops to be elected
and other important matters 20 be voted on. and
il women were admitted and allowed to vote.
and it should subsequently be decided that
women were not entitled to eeats. the acts Of the
present General Conference would be illegal and
unconstitutional. He quoted law to sustain his
point, and said that rather than have wor,en
admitted now. unconstitutionaly, he would pay
oil their expenses and do all that be could 90
save the body from error. He is in favor Of the
admission of women he said, but he wanted the
question submitted to q vote OF the church, and
to have their seats given 20 them on legal
grounds
Rev. DR.. ]. H. Bayliss. of Cincinnati Confer
ence. argued that, II the General Conference
had power 90 construe the constitution Ia re-
gard to the admission OF local preachers, it had
the right TO construe the law in regard to the
eligibility Of women.
The debate was closed about o'clock, and
vote was taken on tho adoption Of Rev. David
H. Moore's substitute for the report of the COM
mittee. 1t proposed that the women elected a.
lay delegates to the present General Conference
be seated. and the question OF their eligibility to
future general conferences be determined by Q
vote of the churches AID annual confere noes.
This substitute was lost.
Then . vote was taken upon the amendment
to the report offered by Rev. DR.. Nicely, Of
Philadelphia. This amendment excludes the
women from seats in the present conference.
and submits the question Of eligibility TO future
conferences to the annual conferences. It WAS
adopted by vote of 249 yeas to 173 nays. After
the adoption of DR.. Neely's amendment the re-
port of the committee, with the amendments,
was adopted by the following votes Yeas. min
isterial, l59; lay, vs. nays, ministerial, l22;
The lady delegates and their friends are
naturally much disappointed at the vote
The vote was closer than expected by the nom
Admissionists. In fact, it come within ono of be-
ing tie-that is. il one more layman had voted
for admission the lay vote would have been
tie, and this would have left the question still
undecided. as it requires concurrence between
the ministerial and lay delegations TO carry or
defeat q measure.
What Is Thought of the Action.
The action of the General Conference Of the
Methodist Church at New York city yesterday
in refusing to admit women as delegates to its
body was the subject of much discussion, of
course. among local Methodists. Many were
glad Of the result considering it the proper dis
position of the question, but there il . senti-
ment among some pastors whose sympathy 10
evidently the woman side of the question.
According to Rev. Dr.. Ford, however, the
action of the conference is not generally under
stood, aud instead OF being against the women il
is rather in their favor. He said last night con-
corning the matter: 1.-THE action OF the conference
vrtua ally mesns that it recommends TO the
various conferences that they vote to make
women representatives in the General Confer
ence, which they are not according to the pres
emit law of the church The General Conference
cannot make law. They have to leRislate
within the law 40 1t is already prescribed. and
in that regard differ from Congress, which a.
ssmbles to make laws. II the General Confer
ence wants a law changed it must recommend
that it be changed, and this accommodation
must be submitted to an election of the people.
settled that women will be admitted AZ lay dele
gates 70 the next General Conference. for have
no doubt that q majority Of the annual confer
ences will indorse the recommendation of the
conference The reason 30 many did not sppre-
cats the true import of the action is that they did
not understand that the General Conference did
not have the power to make law. The question
Of lay representation was settled in precisely the
same way sixteen years ago. At one time there
was no lay representation in the General Con-
ference, but at the session sixteen years ago the
recommendation to admit lay delegates was sub
mitted 70 . vote OF all the churches In the Meth
odist connection. The accommodation was in
dorsed by q majority of the churches and be-
came part of the organic law. The bishop OK
plaiued this matter in his address on the subject
saying that 1t was not legal to admit the women
to the present conference. Those, therefore,
who voted to admit the women wanted to do il,
law or no law. but the majority were in favor OF
sustaining the law, and by their action did not
indicate that they were adverse to women rep
resentatives.
Rev. Dr. Keeue, pastor of Roberts Park
Church, said: ~ am disappointed that they did
not admit the women delegates l believe that
it would have been legal and that il will be done
four years hence. The action causes an unnsc-
essary delay. and precipitates an agitation in the
nual conferences will approve Of the admission,
think, by . decided ajority-cersainly two
thirds and would not be surprised If it were
unanimous. They certainly ought to bet 10
in the General Conference who really opposed
tho admission Of women did not care
to see the question 60 before the annual confer
encos and for that reason voted for admitting
| them to-day; while, on the other hand, / do not
doubt that many voted against it because they
considered IL illegal and not because they were
opposed to the admission"
Rev. Nc B. Hyde, pastor OF Hall-piace
Church, thought tho General Conference had
not taken the proper action. He considered
that the women. who composed the larger por-