Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1892-05-19
THE FIVE-YEAR LIMIT
Of Methodist Pastorates Will Prob
ably Be Abolished To-Day.
4 MAJORITY REPORT FAVORS 1T.
Balloting for officers Still Intesperses
Proceedings.
THREE ADVOCATE EDITORS CHOSEN


OMAHA, May 1S.-Bishop Foster was in
the chair to-day at the Methodist Episcopal
General Conference. The special order of
the day was the discussion of the time
limit question.
The Conference received the fraternal del
egates from the Independent Methodist
Church, one of whom, Hon. Charles Baker,
of Baltimore, read an address A resolu-
tion was adopted expressing satisfaction on
the efforts of the fraternal delegates from
the Methodist Episcopal Church South and
the independent Methodist Church, and ex-
pressing hope that in the near future all
branches of the great Methodist Church
would become one body.
Bishop Foss presented a minute which the
Bishops desired the Conference to adopt.
The resolution expressed great satisfaction
at the fact that the American people, and
especially the Methodist brethren, had
literally replied in relieving the Russian
sufferers. The Bishops hoped the good
work would continue, and that the famine
stricken people of Russia would be rescued
from the perils of famine by the swift-sail-
ing messengers carrying provisions from
America
Some Candidates Have walkovers.
After long dispute as to the order of
business the Conference took up the election
of Secretary for the Sunday School and
Tract Society. j. L. Hurlbut, the incumbent
during the past year, was the only man
nominated. The election of an editor for
the Methodist Reuieu was taken up. j. w.
Mendenhall, the present editor, was, like
wise, the one nominee
The special order was then taken up. 1t
was the report of the Itinerary Committee
proposing to strike out that section in the
discipline providing for the fye-year limit
of the pastorate, and to allow the Bishops
the option OF sending a minister back to the
same charge year after year, if expedient. DR..
Arthur Edwards, of Chicago, editor Of the
Northwestern Christian Advocate. favored abol-
ishing the fve-year limit. 1t was held, he
said, by some that this would abolish itin-
erancv 1t would do no such thing. Every
pastorate would cease at the end of every
year, Just as they do now. This would
simply give the Bishops and Presiding
Elders power to keep men in those places
where they could be of the greatest benefit
to the Church, and it would entirely re-
move the apparent claim of the pastors
upon the right to be kept in the same place
for five years
Two Popular Editors Retained.
Now came the election of an editor for
the Christian Ad0ocate, of New York, the
itinerancy debate being temporarily inter-
rupted. Rev. DR.. Mains, of the New York
East Conference, nominated j. NJ. Buckley,
who has been editor of this, the chief paper
of the church, for u years. When the ap-
plause subsided, Bishop Foster asked, Gam
/ to understand this is to be the unanimous
nomination of the Conference"
tYes, yes" shouted score of delegates
If the rules of the Conference had permitted,
DR.. Buckley would have been elected by
rising vote, but the rules were carried out
and ballot was taken.
Rev. Fl. M Moore was nominated for the
editorship of the Western Christian Advocate,
of Cincinnati. His nomination aroused al
most as much enthusiasm as that caused by
DR.. Buckley for the New York editorship.
DR.. Moore had been the special champion of
the women in the great discussions that
have been waged in the Church for several
years upon the admission of women as dele
gates to the General Conference After the
ballot was taken the tellers retired, and the
report of the Committee on Itinerancy re-
garding the time limit was again taken up.
An Enthusiastic Speaker Guyed.
Rev. Mr. Ackerman, of Tennessee, made
some lively thrusts at the Presiding Elders
and Bishops. The Conference guyed him,
crying, 'Louder,' when he was yelling at
the top of his voice.
A minority report from the committee
was presented, opposing the abolishing of
the present limit, five years. DIR. Caswell,
of Southern California, was in favor of the
majority report. He held that the needs of
the church and the Judgment of the Bishops
and Presiding Elders should decide upon
the appointments, and not almanacs. What
would the country have thought of Presi-
dent Lincoln if he had removed Grant at
the end of the second year of the war and
placed somebody else at the head on ac-
count of some trivial rule that called for
change? Such an action as that would have
been Just about as wise as the present
method of removing Methodist ministers at
the end of every five years without regard
to the condition of the work they were
doing. He believed in keeping men in the
places where they could do the most good,
regardless of the number of years. He
liked the idea of life pastorates
DIR. Edwards Still in the sanctum.
The election of an editor for the North
sCestern Christian Advocate came next The
nominees were DR.. Arthur Edwards and
DR.. E. d. Whitlock. DR.. Edwards has been
the editor for 20 years. After the ballot
was taken the tellers retired. The results
of the ballots on the New York and West
ern editorships and on the Tract Society
secretaryship were the same as the nomina-
tions indicated. 1t is generally conceded
that DR.. Arthur Edwards has been elected
editor of the Northwestern Advocate, although
official announcement will not be made un-
til tomorrow morning.
The Conference adjourned for the day.
THE personal discomfort and the worry of
q constant cough, and the soreness of lungs