The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1892-05-12

OMAHA, May 11.-Bishop Joyce presided
over the Methodist Episcopal general con
! ference today.
1t was voted to hold a special service or
| May II in celebration Of the centennial Of
! the general conference of the Methodist
church.
On motion Of Dr. Kynett a committee
was appointed TO meet the delegations tC
! the Presbyterian general assem- bly,, who
pass through Omaha tomorrow on the
way to Portland, Or, and invite them to
| visit the general conference.
The consideration of the report of the
constitution commission was taken up.
Bishop Merrill said that he would be
glad if he could represent the commission
as il unit The report was the opinion
and conclusion of the majority. 81 shall
not argue further as to whether our con-
clusions are right or wrong" said Bishop
Merrill, Il will simply explain our con-
clusions and leave you to decide"
Bishop Merrill then reviewed the adop-
tion of the law by which lay delegates
were admitted to the general conference
That portion of the constitution put in
uniawfully was not put in at all in
reality" said Bishop Merrill. The con-
stitution really remains as it was in 1868,
with the exception of those changes which
were lawfully made. That which went in
unlawfully took the place of parts that
were uniawfully put out. and those parts
are not out at all, even though they may
seem to be-" Bishop Merrill said he would
like 10 vlndicate the action of the confer
ence of 1872, but the trouble lay i'll
the fact that the conference of
1868 failed to confer the power upon
the conference of 1872 which the latter
conference assumed. The conference of
1865 provided for the clothing OF the con-
ference of 1872 with power to change re-
Strictions then in existence, but the con
ference of 1872 went further and made
additions to the restrictive rules. There
was the milk in the cocoanut
This assumed authority ought to have
been corrected long ago, but never had
been. The bishop said that there were
Methodists still living who imagined that
the restrictive rules formed the whole of
the constitution of the general conference.
He had thought that they were all trans
lated, but a few still remained. The COM
mission held that all the fundamental
rules that govern the general conference
were part of the general constitution. In
closing his explanation, Bishop Merrill
said:
at is for this conference to decide
whether the act of 1868 was or was not
legal. The commission had no right to
pass upon that. We have simply reported
the facts as we believe they exist"
DR.. Hammond then offered an amend
ment to the report to make all those acts
constitutional which had been supported
by a two-thirds vote of the church in ac-
cordance with the restrictive rules, but that
all other parts should not be considered
parts of the constitution.
DR.. Queal spoke vigorously in favor of
putting the seal of approval upon those
things that had been done in accordance
with the restrictive rules, but not to ap-
prove of anything that had not been done
in due accord Herewith.
Dr. Milton thought that the conference
should also decide what was meant by lay
men. Did it mean only men, as DIR.
Buckley held. or did the word "laymen"
mean both men and women? This should
be made definite by this conference il pos
sible, before the women themselves get
into the conference to debate the question.
An adjournment was taken at this
point.
The committee on episcopacy has
decided to recommend that four new
bishops be created in defiance of the Off
cial action of the episcopal board, which
was against increasing its mem bership.
This, it is said, was brought about by the
candidates themselves.
The committee on episcopacy had red
hot meeting this afternoon. The question
of changing the episcopal residences To-
Gated at Buffalo, Topeka, Fort Worth and
CINCINNATI TO some OCnef ClIleS demanding
the residence of a bishop came before the
committee and provoked a lively fight.
Bishop Vincent, who resides at Buffalo,
objected TO the removal of the episcopal
residence from Buffalo.
Bishop Ninde spoke eloQuently in favor
OF retaining the episcopal residence at To-
peka, and his remarks had d marked effect.
One OF his arguments WAS that Kansas Is
a prohibition state and has been made so
largely by the Methodist church For this
reason he believed that the church should
stand by the state heroicslly, and the
presence of bishop in Topeka, he believed.
was an inspiration 10 the whole member
over 50, 600 Educational work in Kansas
also demanded the location of the episcopal
residence there, the bishop held.
Bishop Goodseil, who resides at Fort
Worth. and Bishop Walden OF Cincinnati.
also objected TO the removal of the episco-
pal residence from their cities.
The subcommittee brought in a report
fayoring the establishment of episcopal
residences at Detroit and Seattle or some
other point in Washington; also in Europe
and Japan.
The subcommittee on efficiency of the
bishops reported that all the present
bishops were capable of doing their work,
and tnat, in the opinion OF the sub-com-
mittee there should be no more bishops
elected at present
After a long discussion. without reach
ing "A conclusion, the committee adjourned
10 meet next Friday, when the question OF
electing culored bishop and the proposed
change in episcopal residences Will again
come before the committee.