Courier Democrat. (Langdon, N.D.) 1891-1920, 1892-05-05
n1e,hodi,rs Convene.

OMAHA, May About the first thing
the Methodist general conference will
strike when it's business session opens
tomorrow morning will be snag in the
shape of declaration of independence
on the part of the lay delegation.
The meeting of the ley dele.
gates tonight proposes to be some
thing of a starter itself. Very few lay
men knew when they went to the
church what the object of the meeting
was, but they had not been there more
than twenty minutes until pretty
good sized conference had broken lose
right there. About 1000 of the lay
delegates were present and after elect
ing Field, postmaster at Philadelphia,
as chairman, and Young of North
Dakota as secretary, the meeting pro.
ceeded to the discussion of some
interesting questions. The chairman
requested Dr.. John E. Jones of the
Laymen's association of Philadelphis,
who had been discussing for some time
the possibility of securing more powers
than what they usually exercised. The
miliar with the workings of the general
ted with the bishops as the ministerial
delegates were, and for this reason the
laymen as rule failed to exercise that
influence in the conference deliberations
that their interests really demanded.
1t was the belief of the Philadelphia
laymen that the time had come for them
to ask equal representation with the
ministers IN the general conferences
The idea of there being $50 laymen to
$50 ministerial delegates in the general
conference had began to appear ridicu-
lous to the minds of good many lay
men. SO the meeting of laymen had been
called before the conference metin order
that the laymen might present the re-
quest for the privilege of being seated
in body separate from the ministers in
the conference, and also to express their
desire for equal representation in the
next general conference. Half dozen
delegates were on their feet in an in.
stant trying to get the eyeof the chairman
to speak upon the question, and Shinkle
of Kentucky SUCCEEDED in gaining the
floor. He is an experienced conference
delegate, having attended the five gen.
eral conferences prior to this, and what
he says naturally carries q good deal OF
weight. He was very much opposed to
the idea of separate seats. He
thought it would look like antagonism
and dissension. T H. Murray of Penn
sylvania spoke deliberately and logic
ally. he held there was no intention
on the part of the laymeu
to create antagonism between
two orders cf delegates, but lay
delegates certainly came to the conf r
ence for the purpose, and they should
see to it that they accomplished some
thing for the good of the church. He
favored tile seperate seating.
Ex-Governor Evans of Colorado was
very much in favor of separate seating
of lay delegates. His experience hao
been that it was very difficult for laym or
to secure recognition on the conference
floor. The conference, he said, made 6
business of talking, and ministerial del
egates usually succeeded in doing 9
very large part of it. After sew
eral speeches pro and con, resolution
which had been offered soon after the
discussion arose by Shaw of Iowa TO,
the purpose of requesting tue confer
ence to scat the delegates separately
was put and carried by vote of "a tt
rs. The meeting then adjourned tt
meet again at the call of the chairman
It seems likely the laymen will have
several very interesting meetings during
the conference They seem deeply il
earnest about the business of the confer
ence and do not propose to sit idly By
and see the business all done by thu
ministers. Today the services were con.
Quoted by the Methodist preachers il
nearly every church in Omaha Council
Bluffs and South Omaha.