The San Francisco call., 1895-10-12
Explanations Made and Sc
renity Once More Prevails
in the Board.
MEETINGS OF BOTH HOUSES
Little Progress Made In Considering
the Sections of the New
Constitution.

into the missionary meeting last
night enveloped the Episcopal House
of Deputies to-day. Little else was
talked of pror to the morning as
semblage and after the recesses at
noon and in the evening. The bitter at
tack of Bishop Neeley on the administra-
ton of church affairs in Alaska; his show
ing of the fact that for an expenditure OF
So 900 per annum for years past there was
practically nothing to show; his insinua-
ton that there was something behind the
latest movement to elect Bishop of
Alaska; his unspoken accommodation by
name OF the present Alaskan missionaries,
taken in connection with the trenchant
and heated retorts of Bishops, priests and
secular delegates, some of whom were
forced to admit the substantial accuracy of
the facts submitted by the venerable
Bishop, but deprecated their exposure to the
public eye, all combined tc create an cpl
sode unprecedented in the general conven-
ton for the last half century, and the
effects of which in various executive and
other branches of the church will be felt
for years to come.
The deputies generally, even those dis
posed to side with the Bishop, deplored
the episode, and the feeling was made
manifest Immediately after morning
prayer through resolution submitted by
George C. Thomas of Philadelphia, pro-
viding that the board of missions continue
its consideration of the Alaskan question
with closed doors. This was lost only by
the narrow margin of eight votes, the bal
lot standing 125 to 133 in the negative.
Both houses spent the day upon the re-
Vised constitution.
A resolution was subm tilted calling for a
full report ilom the committee on revision
on Monday, which brought out the state
ment from Dean Hoffman, the spokesman
of the committee on the floor, that the
body did not expect to have constitution
adopted at this convention. A resolution,
providing for final adjournment on
October Is, was referred to the proper COM
mittee.
After DR.. MeKim of Maryland had made
his sixth speech OF the week in favor of in
definitely postponing further action Oh the
constitution, and having declared in great
heat that in six days the house had done
nothing but pluralize word and mangle
definition of the church the committee
of the whole proceeded to give quietus to
DR.. Benefits pending motion that dio-
ceses be legally represented in future con-
veptions by persons not residing within
such diocesan jurisdiction. An hour was
wasted on technical and unnecessary
amendments concerning the manner of
choosing deputies, but all were defeated,
and article 1 to section inclusive was dis
posed OF.
On section which provides that one cler-
ical and one lay delegate chosen by each
missionary district shall have seats in the
house without the right to vote, ex-Gov-
ernor Prince of New Mexico protested that
this took away from the delegates in that
category all the privileges they had en-
joyed for fifteen years. There was more
debate, but finally, at the instance of Rev.
A. B. Baker of New Jersey, the house by
vote of 1913 to 60 did the fair thing by
giving the missionary delegates the rights
of all other delegates when a vote by do
ceses was taken.
AS the committee was working on the
Bishops. revision instead of the commits
sion's revision, it took no cognizance of
section Z, article 1, providing for Joint
meetings of the two houses whenever nec-
essary for conference and mutual under
standing, and which the Bishops had ta-
booed. After being argued by DIR. Hill
burgwin of Pittsburg section 1 of article
20 was adopted, providing that future con-
ventions shall assemble on the first
Wednesday of every October of every third
year at place to be fixed by the preceding
convention, each conventions however, be-
ing given the right in the exercise of its
TO- Hu 4l,o+
of the constitution. Mr.. Nash of New
York was in favor of holding the conven-
tions but once in five years; but on being
put to vote the motion was overwhelm-
ingly lost.
1t was announced by Chairman Packard
that the committee would proceed to vote,
clause by clause, upon that portion of the
constitution sent down by the House of
Bishops. and thus prepare message to be
returned in the form of concurrence or
inconvenience. The secretary called the
roll on the first section, the only amend
ment being the change of synod to
convention.
The clerical vote was unanimous. with
the exception of two dioceses, while Of the
laymen only California voted no. The
second section passed as it came from the
Bishops, and the clause providing that the
presiding officer of the House of Bishops
shall be senior in service was again put
through by large majority.
After this an additional veto was given
to the unfortunate word "Primate," and
the question of the rights to be given to
delegates from missionary jurisdictions
came up for the second time within an
hour. Many of the delegates were visibly
disgusted with this state of affairs, but
under the rules which provide for con-
sideration clause by clause of the Bishops
revision, there was no help for it. Another
effort was made to give the missionary
delegates the right to have their votes
counted in ballots by dioceses, but it was
defeated, the vote by dioceses standing /:
Ayes-clerical IL, lay 9; noes-clerical 49,,
lay 81, divided 6. Further consideration
OF the Bishops revision was deferred until
Monday morning.
The upper house sent down the report
OF the committee of conference concerning
the place of holding the next convention
ard recommending that Washington,
ID. C., be selected. The house concurred
tN n n" n" ",<s -