New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1892-05-12
POSSIBLY A NEW BISHOP.
ACTION IN TIE METHODIST GENERAL CON
FERENCE.
THE "poI1r1CIANs, JUElLANT-DISHoP MERRILL
EXPLAINS THE CONSTITUTIONAL
COMMISSIONS WORK.
ny TELEGRAPH TO TEE TkIsUNE-r

M TRLEGRArH TEE TkIsUNEt
Omaha, May 1.-THE politicians In the Me''o''''
General Conference are jubiant over suooei' "'.o
which seems to show chance for elecuhe one VI
,1uo new bishops The Committee Epscopacy TINS
afternoon called before it Bishops Ninde' Nihce".
Walden and Goodsel TO show cause WHY 'e TO,
donces at Topeka, Buffalo. Cincinnati anu r'i' ~
should not be vacated. All argued strongly III i"'oi
OF retaining their present locauo"s "'''Oo 49,.
bishop is said TO covet change Tie COMMITTEE
took M definite action. Detroit has, however io"e
h.en messing its claim as against Bufaio anu "
,raps,srence from Forth Worth 10 Seattle "ouiu w
In order. Such move would leave '"e ps H.
with four holes to oil. DR.. Earl Crans'oh anu -
W. Hamilton, OF Boston, appear no" =" " -
favorte candidates. Either could draw the cooreu
vote. ., o,o,r FIR
Tn. negro delegates again urged their ciu''" io'
a colored bishop before the committee III .''e W"
fercnce this morning the negroes WHO nave ''"'
maintained decorous silence dn1ng tue ho's'eS' u"
hates had their first innings as speechm"Me's anu
..si,v brought down the house. W. II. Cohee
1000 n.,aware nreacher opposed with delicate
satire susceptible OF wide application, pfoPoS'"o"
~ r the conference to certify that the negro Church
men loyal. A.. ann
awbv should we be called on" he asked the con-
f,rence "to pledge ourselves to ourselves i
,s no more talk Of colored disloyalty to the Church
than of white disloyalty. In desiring p'snop''0'
- - ~ p.. r,np company with white brothers.
yon ssv with your mighty Anslo-oaxon Drain '''''
YOU want train u.s. You set yourSe.. oP 10
models. Certainly you have maae "o'iue'iu, poeo ,s
,pa ~ Julus Caesar were here To-Day nc "oui'
nt sneak Of Won as he did when be returned from the
Is,. n, Rritain He would not think You stupid'
rcd headed dumb idle people. so VIII you "n'e
,r.r.nt things OF lis after while. II YOU ha'c
Grained us 30 we'll as you assert. ana YOU are our
models you can Just Judge what we VIII become
The resolution was offered by colored iaymhh
named Brown from Washington and declared that IL
Of
Episcopal Church and the General Conference 'h"'
thew respectfully and wholly. earnestly ana de-
Iberatev repidiste, denOunce and condemn all sue-
gestions as to the withdrawal OF the ooo'ed heoeis
from the Church as being faacious. ungrounded ana
hurtful" and that they renew their aiegauce 10 'nc
church and call upon the General 'o"iere"'o :"
certify the same by adopting this resolution. inc
resolution referred 10 the Committee on the sta'e
Of the Church.
An important resolution the result Of laymenjs
meeting, read and referred to the committee on
Equal Representation. 1t rectes succlnctN the whole
case OF the aymen and Is signed by John Field CHAIR
man. and James +. Briggs 1t says in substance;
"The very great inequality in the present repre-
sentation confined TO the older conferences which
furnish by far the larger part OF the benevolent con
tributons Of the church. most OF which are deVoed 10
the foreign and domestic conferences that without such
help could not exist. There already slXtS-three
conferences in which the ministerial and lay rep
resentatives are equal These are the younger and
weaker conferences at home and abroad, intending
the colored and German conferences. The German
conferences with 5O,653 members. have eleven dele
gates, and the Philadelphia Conference with 37.1o6
members, has but two delegates. and these German
conferences received last year missionary aid TO the
amount OF $50 800 while the Philadelphia Conference
contributed S63.3s0 10 the missionary fnnd OF the
Church Five conferences have ten lay Delegates for
c0s413 members. or "6,54l members TO each dele
GATE while five other conferences have ten lay dele
gates for 354o6 members. There are sixty lay dele
gates for 1226.2Ie members. or 2o43S to each dele
gate then there sixty lay delegates for 315,594
or $500 members for each delegate Fifteen OF the
conferences Disseminated against contribute nearly
the missionary fund OF the Church. whereas
fifty conferences give less than &oOoo0 OF less by
$4,000 than Is given by the Philadelphia Conference
showing how little relation there is between those
end support the Church and those who govern It,
those who gave 100000 having only thirty delc-
gates while those who gave less than $4,000 have
sixty delegates in the General Conference Those con
fcrcnccs being the largest in membership and most
liberal gifts, ought TO be protected by you from this
unjust discrimination We only ask to have large
share the government Of the Church we should
have members OF the church In China, India,
Japan any other OF our many foreign missions, OF
In those parts of country where Church IS in
its infancy.
"The majority Of ministers in each succeeding Gen
oral Conference has increased and will continue TO do
so under the present system. In 1876 the majority
1892, 49, We therefore ask that You will adopt such
an amendment TO the organic law of the General
Conference will secure numerical equality be-
tween the ministerial and lay delegates
Bishop Merrill, in explanation TO the Conference
OF the Constitutional Commissions work, implied 4
condition that the aymen seated securely, though
not consitudonally and that they should be satisfied
With their rights under the proposed new constitu
ton His address offered a lucid explanation Of the
situation.
"The COMM. sions he said in effect, undertook 70
follow the instruction OF the General Conference which
created IL. That Conference evidently confused thC
Conference constitution and the organic law Of The
Church This confusion the commission endcavored
TO resolve, and decided that the two things were dis
tinct. In ascertaning what the constitution was The
commission framed the definition contained on the
report. Tie constitution OF the General Conference
Is its organic law, and the organic law o. the Con
ference Is its constitution. We designated the articles
OF religion, The general rules OF the United SOce;ic
and the constitution OF the General Conference because
these are fundamental and In the OF the
beyond the power OF the General Conference such
In 1868 a constitution supposed TO exist which ha'
undergone few Informal notifications Unit
then It's character was never debated. In the dis
cussion introducing aymen In 1865 II decdeS
that they could not be admitted without changing tn
restrictive rules BY the formal process Of submission
tho Annual Conference. The General Conference o.
1872 exercised power that OF 1865 didn't possess
refused exercise. That increase Of power or author
ity necessarily came from what look place in the inter
val between the two conferences. That related spe
cacally the removal Of the distractions TO the pro
posed action found In the constitution. and enabled
10 exert a constitutional power TO the extent only o
modifying the organic law with reference to Its owl
limitation The commission found. however, that tn
General Conference OF 1872 had exercised authort.
not only change the restriction, but the other par
dependent on H. This authority was not given 10 /
as the plan of lay delegations The commission coul
not 80 behind that action, as II bushes
10 determine its legality.
II that portion OF that SETON Of the Discipline b
not constitution, what will be the effect | thnl
You will say that that which put into the con