The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1896-05-18
UntenabIe Position of Those Now
Fighting Against the System of
/ Preacher Transfers.
FUN WITH PROHIBITIONISTS
HOW THE STUMP SPEECH WAS CUT
OUT OF THE DISCIPLINE.
Candidates for Bishop Put I'm Some
Hard Licks Sunday Pulling
Wires for Election.
Special to the Indiananolis Iournal.

bing-up liquor question came to the front
yesterday through a resolution offered by
delegate from Kansas asking Congress to
cease to grant permits to persons to sell in
toxicating liquors in States where such sales
are prohibited by constitution or law. 1t is
strange that SO intelligent body as this
General Conference could be induced
to pass such a resolution in the
face of the fact that the ma
tional government never grants permit TO
sell intoxicants in any State whatever. 1t
taxes liquor selling in all States alike. No
man can sell liquor by virtue Of the govern
ment tax, though man can sell without it,
but in all cases the law of the State must be
observed. The enforcement of the local laws
depends on the local authorities and So
called license from the government fur
nishes not shadow of permit where it is un-
lawful under State law. The permit Is found
only in the local laws, and, by the way,
every State permits the sale of intoxicants
under more or less restrictions and the gov
ernment taxes all sellers, whether saloon
keepers or druggists. not in order to give au-
thority, but to collect revenue: and yet in the
face of these facts the conference petitions
Congress to cease doing what it never did
and never proposes to do. 1t is such wild
movements as this that impede the sup
preston of the saloon.
The question concerning baptism came up
Saturday again on a motion to strike out the
footnote in the Discipline which practically
forbids the rebaptizing of those who had
been baptized in infancy. The question had
been so thoroughly discussed on its first in
PRODUCTION that it passed with little opposi-
ton, so Methodism returns 10 its old-time
rule and custom and those who were bap-
tized in infancy may be rebaptized at their
own request was the early custom Of the
church.
The committee on itinerary is wrestling
with one OF the knottiest questions in Meth
cdsm. 1t re ates to tfe matter Of transfers 1t
was early committed to a subcommittee that
only submitted report 10 the effect that
no person should be transferred into con-
ference without the consent Of q majority of
the presiding elders Of that conference The
discussion CT this report had a richness to
those who understood the true inwardness
of the case. something an uninitiated
stranger could not realize. 1t was evident at
first sight that 1t was deemed desirable to
put some restrictions on the bishops in the
matter Of transfers, but the reasons therefor
were very much tinged with the personal en-
| NlIOHIueHlS Oh the Sptdher. OF lIStdnce,
one brother who had in early life fioate1
| from conference to conference, filling the
| best pulpits in several of them until he
| foated into a Chicago pulpit and thence into
| the presiding eldership. wants no more trans
| fers without the consent of the presiding
| elders of the conference into which the can
| didate for transfer was to land Had he seen
! the danger of such transfers? Another mem
| Il
him were competent for any pulpit in the
conference, but the iaymen of some of the
best pulpits had called in transfers, leaving
| the home talent to take what was left. He
wanted this growing custom of laymen re-
| stricted. Had he felt its wrong?
MINISTERIAL FLOATERS
| Another who had fioated from conference
| to conference until ne foated into a first
class university thought this right of the
bishop essential to the genius of Methodism
| and still another objected because it fur
nished too convenient method for the bish-
| ops TO shove into new conference a class
| OF unpopular and ineffective preachers whom
they cannot find places for when they arr
known. But behind all this is the genius O.
A1ethodism whose central thought is it's con.
nectionalism in which a minister is recog
nized as member of the transitory connec.
tion, while a membership Of any one con
| ference Is merely a convenience, not reIa
| ton that gives no vested rights inclusive on
| exclusive.
| One part of the discussion emphasized 8
feature of the itinerary which is CROWN,
more and more embarrassing every year
Men were taken into the travelling connec
| tion-ten, fifteen or twenty or more year.
/ ago-who were not much preachers at ths
time but hoping they would grow they wer,
| received. But they have not grown. The,
| have hardly kept pace with the pew The,
| time: but hoping they would grow they wer,
borne with patiently. These are now mem
bers of the conference and the theory Il
they are entitled to a place. But no church
| wants them. Because there are so many O.
| these, "up-to-date" churches ask for trans
fers. The contenders hold there is no room
| for transfers into a conference unless yo,
| transfer as many out In other words: w,
| must find room for the present membership
| Of the conference; but nobody calls thes
laggards, hence there should be no transfers
What to do with these "wet logs" as the,
are called in Methodist parlance, to max
room for live men, is the perplexing problem
which lies behind the discussion of the com
| nittee. AS the committee left it unsolve
so must /, for / am not in that busines
now. If were. would soon clear the dec
and make room for live men il had t
transfer them across the continent, albei
some churches sometimes get badly sold
in taking transfers. The time has com
when Methodist congregations claim a righ
to have something to say as to their pastor
and to plead that the conference is to
full 10 allow transfer to come in is no
conclusive against the system OF transfers
which is intended to bring in new blood. ]
was once the boast OF Methodism that ever
pastor had flock and every flock a shep
herd, but the converse of that is not tru
now If it ever was-that every pastor mus
shepherd the flock arbitrarily assigned hir
and every flock must accep. any pastor tina
is sent. All these considerations came u
In the discussions OF the committee n
wonder the whole subject was recommends
TO the subcommittee 10 eliminate these diff
culties. But can IT? We shall see.
The activity OF the lay members OF tn
General Conference In securing better rec
ognitlon OF the laity Is supplemented b
many letters from laymen at home. Not
few are now here and more are comm
to see what their personal presence can d.
1t Is not improbable that provision win b
made before the adsournment for a nations
laymen's convention In the near future. SUI