The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1894-04-09

work, said to the handful of punctual
brethren:-
.sWill some one kindly inform our busy
brethren next door that the business here is
more pressing, and we desire their atten-
dancem The next minute the brethren
trooped in and hurriedly took their seats.
BISHOP NINDE'S FINEsSE.
The conference after the monotonous read
ing of the minutes received a nice illustra-
tion of the bishops tact as the presiding
officer of the conference. By skillful
flank movement he shelved a dis
cussien which had already begun to
develop signs of a first class row:
1t was Jersey City student who started
the rumpus The young man, Peter r.
Mead, had, on Friday last, withdrawn his
name from the list of candidates. But be-
ing assured by a minister that he should not
Withdraw, ne retracted his withdrawal.
When his name came before the conference
for final consent the members OF the Ex-
amining Committee reported that he IS unflt
for ministerial functions, and they could not
recommend him.
The Rev. J. A. Gutteridge S. Parsons and
others urged that the committee should state
it's reasons, since there was no reflection on
Mead;s moral character, but the Rev. Dr.
Spellmeyer of the committee bluntly re-
fused to make any positive statement, ad-
ding that he did not "wish the details to be
ventilated through the press" glancing at
the reporters table.
Estate them. You have no right to cast
such slur on the young man by concealIng
any charges, /" said several of the brethren.
Presiding Elder of Jersey City district, the
Rev J b. Faulks, tried to so0the the ruff1ed
feathers of the brethren by saying that Mr..
Mead is an excellent young man, but does
not possess the requisite qualification for
minister.
"Why did the committee say they would
recommend him to the Wyoming or Detroit
Conference then? If he isn't good enough
for us is it proper to say he is good enough
for other conferencesW exclaimed Brother
John A. Gutteridge. The committee refused
to answer this poser and their reticence an
noyed Meads supporters and they began
clamoring for the bishops eye"
"Will YOU pardon me, mildly interposed
the bishop. sI would like to introduce the
Rev. A. j. Palmer of the New York Con
ference who is in hurry to say something
about the General Conference" and without
paving the slightest attention to the excited
calls Of the brethren politely handed Mr..
Palmer to the front of the platform.
That gentleman, in dreary sing song tone
of voice, spoke of appointments to the gen
eral Conference to be held in 1896. This
hair raising topic acted like soporific, and
before he had got half dozen sentences ut
tered the conference was as quiet as an as
sembiy of the dumb. The bishops face was
study at this result of his tactics. A smile
hovered about his lips, and there was the
faintest suspicion of an ecclesiastical wink
when he looked at his cabinet OF presiding
elders sitting in front of him.
CONSTITUTIONAL CHANGES.
When Mr. Palmer had concluded, an at
tempt was made to resuscitate the Mead af-
fair, but the bishop initiated Nelson's action
at the Battle of Copenhagen, and turned q
blind eye to the distasteful signals and heard
the Rev. DR.. Barnes motion to suspend
the orders of the day and vote
upon the propositions for Constltu-
tional changes submitted by the
General Conference to the annual confer
ence. The first charge voted upon was the
amendment of the discipline to the effect
that 'sthe General Conference shall not allow
of more than one ministerial representative
for every fourteen members of an annual
conference, nor of a less number than one
for every forty-five, provided that when
there shall be in any annual conference
fraction of two-thirds the number which
shall be fixed for the ratio of representation,
that such annual conference shall be en-
titled to an additional delegate for such
fraction; and provided also that there shall
be from each annual conference lay dele
delegates, who shall deliberate and vote with
the ministers as one body, and, provided
further that no conference shall be denied
the privilege of one ministerial and one lay
delegate"
The vote was almost unanimous against
the change involving equal ministerial and
lay representation
The second change, known as the recon-
mendation of the South Carolina Confer
ence, involves the ratio of representation
from one ministerial representative for
every forty five members of an annual con
ference, nor of less number than one for
every ninety This was negatived by vote
of 119 to s.
The third change proposed was in the
time of the meeting of the General Confer
ence. The motion was carried and in future
''the General Conference will meet on the
first Wednesday of May, 1900, and thence
forward on the first Wednesday in
May, once in four years perpetually.
No sooner were these questions settled than
the irrepressible Mead supporters bobbed up
again sWe want the case settled" but
again the bishop appeared unconscious OF
their presence, and the Rev. DR.. Boswell
took the floor to talk about female repre-
sentation in the church.
SHALL THE WOMEN voTE2
At the last meeting of the General Confer
| ence, held in Omaha, just as the conference
was on the threshold of adjournment, some
of the members managed to slip through a
motion permitting women of full age as
eligible for lay representation in the church
conferences. The General Conference mem
bers were caught mapping by the smart trick
Of the supporters of female representa-
ton In pushing the motion through at the
close of the conference, when members,
never dreaming of so important a charge be
ing brought up at that period were thinking
of skipping 'shomewards." But as such d
nsodus operandi, although in keeping with
the law Of the Methodist Church, was utterly
opposite to the equity or spirit of the same,
either the ministers must vote the women
gates. The majority of the General Confer
ence members stood aghast at the success OF