The daily morning journal and courier., 1896-05-01
ALAYMANS STOUT PROTEST
SENSATIONAL LENCIDENrOFA 4 METH.
 ODIST TCoNVENTION.

Judge CoWcn or Waterbury Protests Against the Influence of the Bishops Less Than n Hundred Men Rule the Denomination.
 In the annual convention at Water bury Wednesday of the laymen and district stewards of the New Haven dis trict of the Methodist New York East conference, a sensational debate occur erd on the question:
 Should lay and ministerial represen- tation in the general conference be equal?"
 Judge George H. Cowell, district stew ard of the First Methodist Episcopal church, Waterbury, said: q am as loyal a Methodist as any in the room, but sometimes I wear my Methodist under protest. I firmly believe we ought to introduce more of the out spoken frankness of the laity in the but sometimes ] wear my Methodism Episcopal church. We are losing the best part of our New England man hood to the church on account Of the ecclesiastical tendency of our church. The ecclesiastical tendency has got to be met or self-respecting men will go out of the Methodist Episcopal church. Your Christian ministers do not know the criticisms that are made ot the church. It is a fact that to-day the millions of Methodists are controlled by less than 100 men. And we sons of Puritan forefathers are expected not to criticise the action of the bishops If iet ha cio stip9l tpn- dency of the church, and say to the few bishops and secretaries, You must give the laymen more voice. the church will surely lose it's influence. Only forty-six pastors are to sit in the next general conference. There will be leo presiding elders. They can outvote the Christian ministers five to one. In this way the bishops have absolute control of the conference, and can throttle, as they will, every progressive movement; for the presiding elders are beholden to the bishops for their positions. But put in laymen, whose bread and butter does not depend on their keeping in the good graces of the bishops, and we would have better church government. I hate to say these unpleasant things. But only wish I could say them be- fore the whole body of the conference. But we can't. We are like the fly on the wagon wheel. Look at the gradu- ates of your own college at Middletown that have left you in the past few years. There is hardly Methodist lawyer in Connecticut to-day who is in touch with the church.
 F. D. Brown said: 'The ministers get together in conference and decide on things, and then we laymen have to accept them whether we like to or not. I think ought to have more voice.
 G. Rogers of the First church, Meri- den said: T am surprised at the re- marks of Judge Cowell. What he said seemed to be an attack upon the bishops and presiding elders of the church. I believe the bishops are true and honest men, not scheming and designing men seeking for position and place. Bishop Merrill told me he was in favor of equal lay and ministerial representation in conference and hoped the day of it's coming would be hastened."
 When the vote was taken all the lay ment excepting P. F. Bowman of New Haven voted in favor of equal repre- sentation. Mir. Bowman voted against it. The clergy all voted in favor of equal representation.
 Presiding Elder North said: "The general conference with equal represen- tation would be too large. It would be regular town meeting and no safe legislation could be obtained The gen. eral conference should not be over 40O.''
 In reply to Judge Cowell's remarks concerning the unequal number of pre- siding elders and pastors at the general conference MT. North said that the pre- siding elders were almost always there because the preachers wanted them there
 In discussion which took place af- ter the meeting Presiding Elder North said he would favor two branches of the general conference, one the clergy, the other the laity, each to consist of 400 members and to correspond to the senate and house of representatives in congress.
 At the meeting the salary of the pre- siding elder was fixed at $3000, the same as last year. The committee ap- pointed on apportionment is: F. C.. Hill of New Haven, L. B. Bailey of New Britain, Gilbert Rogers of Meriden, MT. Root of New Haven and MT. Abbott of Derby. The presiding elder reported 1,500 admissions to the church in this district the past year. The commit tee on a district home for indigent Methodists was changed as follows; w T. Hill of Forestvillc, w. H. Hip pie of Hartford, l.. E. Bailey of New Britain, F. c. Butcher of Middlefield and George H. Cowell of Waterbury