The weekly register. [volume] (Point Pleasant, Va. [W. Va.]) 1862-1909, 1892-05-03
The METHooIsTs.
The Opening of the ouadrenniai Assem-
bly, in Onlnhn.

oAl HI OmHnIs
OMAHA, May 2.-The hotels. boarding
houses and residences of private citizens
of Omaha are crowded as they We're
never crowded before. Monday evening
the quadrennial assembly of the Metho-
dist Episcopal church, better known as
the general conference, convened in the
new opera house, and the occasion has
brought to this city the most prominent
and influential ministers and laymen of
that denomination from eves.astate and
territory in the Union.
The organization of the general con-
ference of the Methodist Episcopal
church in the United States was made in
1884. 1t meets quadrennially. and is the
largest ecclesiastical body that assemblies
IN this country. 1t is constituted of the
seventeen bishops-who are presidents,
in turn. but have no vote and no voice
except by courtesy-305 ministerial and
1873 lay delegates, representing 1874 an
nual conferences and missions, with n
total of 30.079 preachers, travelling and
local and 400, 900 lay communicating.
Questions to Decide.
On account of the agitating questions
to come before it, 1t Will excite more in
terest than any conference in Methodist
history, save that of 1874. when the
church divided ON the slavery ques-
tion-an event regarded by many as
the entering wedge of the great civil
war.
The question of the eligibility of
women as delegates is likely to present
itself, and, possibly, in a very exciting
FORM
1t came up in 1888. when certain
women, among them Miss Frances VIII
lard, having been elected delegates. pre-
sented their credentials. and CLAIMED
seats. 1t was decided. after prolonged
debate and a close vote, that restrict
i've rule barred their admission. and that
this constitutional barrier could only be
removed by a three-fourths vote of the
annual conferences. which, when at
tanned, would have to be ratified by a
vote of two-thirds of the general confer
ence.
The matter was submitted 70 vote of
the conference, and failed, though re-
ceiving considerable majority. A con-
census of the lay membership was OBJ
tanned by a vote overwhelming in favor
of female representation, but it has no
legal significance. Some have proposed
the bringing the matter before the con-
ference in the shape of a resolution, and
the sweeping of it through on the ground
that the submission of the question to
the conferences was not necessary, and
the body itself is the sole judge of the
qualifications of its members; or it can.
be done by one of the two women elect
ed as reserves claiming a seat. the princi-
pal absenting itself. Should these OF
similar courses be pursued, there would
be trosble. and possibly SECESSION.
The question, also, of the election of n
colored bishop, will be exciting. The
negro delegates will claim Representa-
tion IN the episcopacy. but they will NOT
succeed or cecede. To evade all agita-
ton of the question the conference may
settle it by resolving to elect no new
bishop.
Equal lay representation viii be asked
for. The laymen are now in minority.
The conference will also be called
upon to decide as to the increase in the
num-er of bishops, and the time limit
controversy.
A strong memorial will be presented
to the conference, asking it to enact
such legislation as win enable pastors to
drop members who do not support the
church according to their ability, to
elect bishops for eight years without
privilege of reelection, to remove the
limit from the passionate, to provide for
the election of presiding elders with or
without the nomination of the bishop.
and to give the cabinet, with bishop.
power of making appointments, ma
jority of the presiding elders being suf-
ticient to determine an appointment.