The Daily times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1886-1889, 1889-10-12
CHURCH CONVENTION.
The NINTH DAY OF THE SES
SION.
Constitutional Amendment Changing the
Method of Voting Reported on Adversely
Revision of the Hymnsi Discussed
Proceedings of the House Of Bishops.

Method of Voting Reported on Adversely
Revision of the Hymnsi Discussed
Proceedings of the House Of Bishops.
NEW YORK. October H. special. II
When the House Of Deputies convened ioi
business this morning a report was present
ed from the committee on rules Of order 10y
MIR. W0OlvOrfh. Of Nebraska. setting forth
who shall Dee entitled 10 seats on the plat
form and on the floor of the House. 30 that
special votes therefor shall not be- necessary
The report was placed on the calendar.
Rev Dr. samuel Benedict. Of southern
Ohio. chairman Of the committee on cOnsti-
tuiional amendment. presented an adverse
report ON memorials from several dioceses
for prOpOrtiOnaie representation. The CON-
miiiec was discharged from further con-
-ideration OF the subject and the report was
placed ON the calendar.
The following il the
TIKI OF THE REPORT:
The committee on amendments 10 -
constitution have had before them mcniOri-
al, from the diOceses OF Pennsylvania. Cen
trail PENNSYLVANIA. Pittsburg. Massach1i-
sets. Long Island. Connecticut. and Rhode
Island Asking for such change in article
II of the constitution as shall make the
number Of deputies in the General COnNen-
tion prOpnriiOnate 10 the number Of clergy
or parishes. or rcommunicgni~ in The diocese: (:
and some Of these memorial, favor also such
change in the manner Of voting as to take
away the right Of voting by dioceses. They
have also before them memorial from the
diocese of New Jersey Obiecting 10 any
such proposed alteration.
They have given the subject careful con-
-iderlti0n. and bcg leave respectfully Ia re-
port:
The proposed amendments are plain de-
partures from the fundamental principle,
ON which Our ecclesiastical constitution was
formed. and one which IL has for a century
continued. First the equality Of diocese-
in their representation i'm the General Con
Ncntion. and. second. the right Of "a diocese
ON any question to demand that vote De-
taken hy diocrSes. and not bi individuals.
Twice only within the century has q formal
effort been made tO unscttle these first tOun-
daiiOns: once iu l~,2 indefinitely post
puncd: and once in ISIS -ignally defeated.
The question naturally arises, why ihi, ap-
parcntly organized effort tO subNert the
fundamental principle is again 80 soon re-
ncwed.
I. II seems to be- taken for granted 10y
many. and indeed i'm one al least of the mo
MORALS presented il is - stated. that our
ecclesiastical constitution had in the minds
of IFS founders the national constitution for
it, model. and hence. il this De- 80, u ], bui
r.ht 10 make conformity more perfect.
Your committee. on the other hand. find no
ground for such opinion. The national con-
-titutiOn was an untrcd thing. The same
men were tO some extent in the conventions
Of both the church and nation. and the
fact that not one Of them. ~ far ~ the
records of the convention. the comments of
Bishop White. or the writers Of American
Il
amy other fundamental principle IN The or
-anilaii0n Of the House of Deputies than
that Of equal representation and vote hl
state nr diOcc-es. which Were then c0icrmi-
nous. This fact, your committee takes II.
rather proves that they did not consider one
the model for the other.
.. II j. thought and sald in some of these
memorials that the growth Ol the country.
the rapid increase ia population. and the
Of di0ccSe- arr bringing
about such disproportim between diocese,
that equal representation becomes more and
more inequitable and unjust. The question
to your committees mind Is. did these in
cqualitics exist q century ago The an
-W,r i-. they did cNi-f When the cOnstitu-
tiOm was established. and were greater then
than NOW. The ratio NOW i'm thr number
of CLERGY between the largest diocese
and ,he smallest is eighteen to one.
\ hundred wears ago ihp ratio was
thirty tD one between Virginia and Della
ware. fifteen tO one between Virginia
and Massachusetts. This dispOpoIiiun
decreases 20, the population increases. New
dipcr,c~ of today are strong di0cc~cS oi the
near future Larger diOrcse- divide. The
tendency is towards grcWel equality. Mean
while larger diOce-es increase in num-
hcr. and the possibility of their votes being
outVciehcd by votes of small dioce~cs bc-
comes yearly more remote. Your committee
.cc n1 reasonable ground of apprehension Of
possible evils in the future thai would JUS
iii1 the attempt to take away the right to
call for vote hl dioce~cS and orders.
This pro, i~ion of the Constitution L.
meant fo guard against ANY hasty lc-iSla-
fiOn. II il perhaps a- ciicciuai "a safeguard
a- can hc desired. \ our committee have
entered more fully than is their wont into
thc grounds of their disagreement with 40
many memorials. Oui of regard 90 Oh" great
importance thc subject li- rn,rni Nldeag.
taiiOm in the church. and 0ui ol respect to the
hiehlN honorod and influential diocc-c~ from
q, nicn these memorials come. other rca-
SOILS which might he urecd a-din>l the pro-
posed amendments Nc dn NOT now adducc.
Feeling that it would be unwiSe to attempt
io sun,cr fhe fundamental principles on
which the Gcuerai 'ouN Ncuuon of illi- s,eat
expanding national church has for cen-
tur, stood ~irou. and safe. your committee
oner ihe following
RESOLUTIONS.
Reufrcd That 10 IL not eNpcdicnt tol
make ANY cbangf in the basis of representa-
iion in the House of ncpulie, of in the man
ucr of voting.
Re,0fred. That the committee Dee dis
charged from further consideration Of the
subject.
At ll.lj the House took up the order of
the day. the discussion Of the
COMMITTEE o. nAMNAis
which has been in possession of ii- members
for some months. Since the report was H.
sued the committee has submitted an aI-
fundiN in which many hymns excluded