The daily morning journal and courier., 1896-05-20
GENERAL sr E. CONFERENCE,

HOW Bishops arc Naue anu " hae i' NA'''"'
 to Retire Bishops-Pen Pictures of
 Those who Led in tho Bailoting--A
 Glance at Those who Were Buried and
 an Interesting Comparison with Former
 Elections.
 Cleveland, O., May IS. To the Editor of the JOURNAL AND COURIER;
 The great effort of this conference to elect two bishops-fruitless as l begin to write but hastening to a successful issue-has awakened such widespread interest, that thousands, do not doupt' are anxious to learn just how elections to the Methodist Episcopacy are brought about; and if, in addition to describing the process, this article shall also sketch the salient features of those who have been voted for, weaving in, as we'll, whatever is at hand bearing upon the part taken by these men Ill former contests, it may surely De eA- pected that what is written Will gratl1y 8 popular curiosity, and perhaps re- move, at the same time, some popular misapprehensions.
 According to Methodist law it is the duty of the general conference to re- view the administration of the bishops' It must sit in judgment upon all thelr acts, both official and personal. Ihls is the only body to which the bishops or the church are amenable. Yet even this body can not unfrock them, eX- cepting for the gravest cause Ihey are elected for life. The conference can add at any session as many new bishops as 1t may please, but the exist ing bishops it can depose only after trial and conviction Needless to say, no bishop of this church has ever been brought to trial for any lapse from mo- rality. In fact, none of them have ever hested under the slightest suspicion. Upon this the church justly brides it. self.
 Upon one point, however the confer ence may put it's restraining hand upon these honored dignitaries, without the formality of trial; that is, it may de- clare, after Investigation, that they are non effective. The book of discipline makes it the duty of the general con- ference to consider this matter, and to reach a decision as to who, among the bishops, are defective ve''-competent for full work-and who "non-effective'- not competent for full service. It was under this law that bishops Foster and Bowman were dealt with. Nothing H. legal has been done and nothing that IS unkind. Besides having the law behind 1t. the conference had precedents for its guidance; though, it must be admitted,
 Scott placed upon the retired list, and in 1872 Bishop Morris had been disposed Of ln the same way. These instances, how ever, were not strictly analogous with the two which have just occurred for both Morris and Scott were palpabiy bordering upon dotage, whereas the venerable men just retired are in fair health for those approaching eighty, and up to this time have taken thelr full share of Episcopal responsibility. But the conference was convinced py a large majority that to allow them to continue to bear these burdens would be at once cruel to the men themselves, and, what is more important, unfair to the thousands of men who might have to receive appointments at their hands; for both are feeble, and both, as facts abundantly show, are incapable any longer of undergoing either the strain of long travel, or the mental and ner- vous strain involved in presiding over annual conferences.
 But they are still bishops; the church would not wish to exclude them from that dignity, and it could not if it so desired If the other bishops see lit they can assign them to some light duty. In any case, the retired bishops will enjoy the same honor as before, and will get their pay, which Is certain to be liberal, from the same fund upon which all the others draw.
 These men were not retired to make room for new bishops for this confer ence can add new men at any time. Such action does not depend upon va cancies, but upon the view taken by the general conference of the needs ot the work; and will hazard my judg- ment upon the opinion that two new ones would have been elected even if these venerable men had been left as they were.
 In fact, the bishops themselves, with Foster and Bowman still untouched, had expressed the opinion that 1t might be we'll to elect a couple of new men Here, in this suggestion, made to the committee on Episcopacy, in response to an appeal to the present board for their advice in the matter, the work of bishop making began. This committee is one of fourteen standing committees, or fourteen grist mills, as they are of- ten called, each having about one hun- dred and thirty members, by which are formulated the measures which come up later for adoption or rejection by the conference Before this committee on Episcopacy could report upon new bishops 1t courteously asked advice from the present bishops. Their writ ten reply, suggesting the election of 1.-two and no more," said incidentally that the health of the present board was better even than four years before. At this the brethren rejoiced, but they were determined to see about it, and the letter was referred to a sub-com- mittee on "the effectiveness of bish- ops" the report of this subcommittee
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