Shiner gazette. [volume] (Shiner, Tex.) 1893-current, 1896-04-23
New York, April Ie.-rhe Herald

the Methodist church will be held pre-
vious to the meeting of the general con-
ference on May will begin this week
In widely separated districts. One will
be the Troy, n. Y, conference; the sec
ond is the Maine conference, the third
is the North Dakota conference. With
the completion of the work of these
bodies it will be determined whether
the general conference will have any
thing to do with the question of wo-
man suffrage as applied to the admis-
sion of women as delegates to the CEN
trail and quadrennlal assembly.
From the advices received by the
Methodist book concern from al parts
of the country it would seem that the
women have won a preliminary vic
tory in the annual conferences and that
all that is needed to secure them the
fruits of their long struggle will be
success in the general conference. The
constitution requires that vote on
subjects similar to the change in rep
resentation in the annual conferences
shall be decided by three-fourths
majority. 4H
The Methodist book concern has pre-
pared table showing the result of the
voting in the spring annual confer
ences on the three subjects which will
have to be decided next month. These
propositions are:
l. To amend the second restrictive
rule so that the amended clause shall
read: Nor of more than two lay del
egates for an annual conference and
said delegates must be male men,
bers."
.. To amend the second restrictive
rule so that the amended clause shall
read: Nor of more than two delegates
for an annual conference and said del
egates may be men or women"
3. To substitute "sixty-6ve" for
"forty-flve" in the paragraph of the
discipline describing the basis of min
isterial representation.
r judging from the showing nude in
this table the conferences in favor ofthe
admission of women needs only a few
more votes to give them the three
fourths majority. Those favoring the
admission of women believe they are
almost certain to get these and so will
bring the matter directly before the
general conference. In that assembly,
1t is believed in the Methodist book
concern, they are almost certain to
win because with few exceptions the
lay members are in favor of the prop
ositlon to admit women.
AS though to bring the matter to an
issue three conferences have already
chosen women delegates and will de-
mand recognition. One of these dee
gates is Mrs. Jane w. Bashford, wife
of President Bashford of Wesleyan
college. She was chosen by the Ohio
conference. Her husband will go to the
general conference from Ohio and will
be called upon to vote upon lis wife's
eligibility. Miss Lydia L. Trimble is
another delegate elected from China
and Mrs E. w Parker and Mrs. "
Butcher are from India, where their
husbands are missionaries. Their hus-
bands are also delegates to the confer
ence.
There is very general feeling in the
book concern that while the conserva-
tiyes will be certain to oppose these la
dies admission to the conference as
delegates on the ground that they had
been Illegally elected, the conference
will seat them and permit them to en-
ter into it's councils.
1t is said that the sentiment regard
ing church woman suffrage is so strong
that there is little doubt that these pio-
neers will not only win their victory,
but that their sisters in a fight for a
general recognition will also be vlcto-
rlous.
silver Democrats.
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