San Antonio daily light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1886-1907, 1896-04-15
THE WOMEN QUESTION.
GENERAL M. E. CHURCH CONFER
ENOE TO DECIDE.


ENOE TO DECIDE.
Shall Women be Admitted as Delegates to
the Annual and Quadriennial Meetings of
the OhurCh-Likely to be Decided in the
Affirmative Women Delegates to the
May Conference Will ask Admission.
NEW YORK, April 15.-The Her
aid this morning says: The last
annual conferences Of the Metho.
dist church which will meet pre-
vious to the general conference in
May, will begin today at widely
separate places in the country.
One will be at Troy, n. Y; the
second is the East Maine conferen-
ce; 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 to do with
the question of woman suffrage
as applied to the admission of
women delegates to the annual
and quadriennial assemblies. By
advices received by the Methodist
Book Concern from all over the
country it would seem the women
had won a preliminary victory in
the annual conferences and all that
is needed to secure them the fruits
of their long struggle will be equal
success in the general conference.
The constitution requires thatvoteS
on changes in the representation in
the annual conference shall be de-
cided by a three-fourths majority.
The Methodist Book Concern has
prepared a table Showing the re-
suit of the voting in the spring an
nual conference on three subjects
which VIII have to be decided next
month. These propositions are:
Ito amend the second restric-
tive rule so that the amended
clause shall read: "Nor of more
than two lay delegates for an an
nual conference and said delegates
must be male members"
2.-To amend the second restric-
tive rule so that the amended
clause shall read: "Nor of more
than two delegates for an annual
conference and said delegates m ay
be men or women"
3.-To substitute "siXty-five" for
"forty-five" in the paragraph of
discipline describing the basis of
ministerial representation.
Judging from the showing made
in this table the conference in favor
of admission OF the women need
only a few more votes to give them
the required three-fourths major
ity.
Those favoring the admission of
women delegates believe they are
almost certain to get this and so
will bring the matter directly be-
fore the general conference. In
the general assembly it is believed,
at the Methodist Book Concern,
they are almost certain to win, be-
cause with few exceptions the lay
members are in favor OF the prop
osition to admit women.
AS though to bring the matter
to an issue three conferences have
already chosen women delegates
and will demand recognition. One
of these delegates is Mrs. Jane W.
Bashford, wife Of Prof. James
Bashfo rd, of Wesley college. She
was chosen by the Ohio conference.
Her husband will 60 to the general
conference as a delegate and will
be called upon to vote on his wife's
eligibility. Miss Ida W. Tribe
is another delegate, from China,
and Mrs. Parker and Mrs. Butch
er are from India, where their hus-
bands are missionaries. Their
husbands are also delegates to the
convention. There is very gen.
eral feeling in the Book Concern,
that while the conservatives will
be certain to oppose these ladies
admission to the conference as del
egates, on the ground that they
had been illegally elected, the con-
ference will seat them and permit
them to enter into its councils. 1t
is said that the sentiment regard
ing church woman suffrage is
so strong that there is little doubt
that these pioneers will not only
win their victories but their sisters
in fight in the general conference
will also be victorious.
Republican Splits in California.