The Wilmington daily Republican. (Wilmington, Del.) 1890-1902, 1892-03-17

At $50 O'Clock this morning the d.
E.Conference went into private exec
utiye session In the main auditorium
Of Grace Church. the outer doors
being all locked to the exclusion of
oil members OF other conferences (ex-
cept such rs had bern engaged aa
counssD all lay delegates, all reporters
and ever body except clerical nom
bers OF this conference.
There WAS q great congregation OF
good and influential people. many OF
cioty and in church, standing in little
groups in tho we'll filled lecture room
and around Grace Church. The gen.
eral feeling was That 1t was too bad
that there was trouble In the church.
There WIS u feeling of real soreness
and grief, q touch OF sympathetic
sadness that was irresistible.
: An Intelligent preacher of the Phila-
delphia Conference, who was one o. tho
excluded ONES, talked with the great
est freedom. He erineed or disclosed,
at no time, any personal interest or
feeling in regard to the secret trials
now going on.
But he felt that it interested the
whole church and that he, and tho
great number OF brethorn who wanted
to be present, would have made their
unpersonal conservatism, their sym
pathy and their prayers helpful to
their brethren now IN trouble and
consecvattyeiy instructive to tho
whole church by religiously benefit
ting by what they might learn.
The Wilmington Conference will
have the honor OF exercising vast ill.,
lluence on the whole NJ Il. Church and
of promoting the influences already
sown in favor of doing away the Pre-
siding Edership' altogether and of
limiting the term OF power OF the
| Bishops. of making the Bishops more
immediately Responsible to tho con.
gregntlons of church membership.
He thinks the Nj. b. Church will be-
come less autoGratic and far more
demu clilt!c In government that tha
presiding plGership will be abrogatl d
| and that tho Bishop will be limited to
Il six or eight years term OF service to
/ each charge. That is, no would have
an itlneracy Of Bishops so as to hold
them responsible to tie membership
OF the church.
He thinks there are fifteen Bishops
and thirteen hundred itinerant preach
ers in the NJ. L. Church of the United
States, and that Methodist Bishop
has more power than a Roman Cath
ollie Bishop, as he holds the appoint
ment of about one thousand pastors.
Tie Presiding Elders. however, "vir.
tually carry the appointments OF pas-
tors In their pockeJs," rs each one o
them represents say eighty pastors
more or loss, and recommends to the
Bishop who is personally less acqualnt
cd with the pastors work and hence
dependent on the Presiding Elders. OF
account OF their superior knowledge
Some OF the Presiding Elders III
thinks are quite human and at time
! not altogether devoid OF hearsay, per
sonal prejudice or personal ambition
That the great fault of the presen
system is thut the Presiding Elder i
not responsible to any person or per
sons whatever. 1t Is fatal to the poo
preacher whose conscience plncos hin
5 In the way OF Presiding Elders ain
| Dltion or VIII.
: tie can be comparatively buried an
half starved by being appolnte,
TO barren charge. AT least the Pre-
siding Elder can punish almost an,
minister undo his charge unless it b
, the pastor OF a very wealthy and intiu
ontial church. Such a charch can hay
: any pastor IL wants.
REV. ]. A. b. WILSON, d. d.
The trial Of the Presiding Eler of Tn
Dover district was taken up at tho PAT
= | annual session session OF tho NJ.
> Conference this morning. Rev. L. /
Ferry and MIR. Bateman ure among I'll
d opponents of DR.. Wilson.
One witness was completely exam
ined this forenoon.
At IL O'Clock the examination OF
second witness was In progress whe
= tho secret, executive session was NJ
journed until . p. M, for further o.
animation Of W illnesses against
Wilson.
During the progress OF the trial d
Dobbins entered the secret session
conference and sa.d he had just con
\ down stairs anu the reporters were u
, in tine attic. He did not specify whetl
er they were Wilmington reporters
r not. There ale IN unusually lars
number of reporters attending co
serence, certain large cities being re-
resented.