The San Francisco call., 1896-05-03
THE WOMEN SURE TO WIN
Exciting Sessions of the M. E.
Church Conference at
Cleveland.
Efforts of Leading Ministers to Keep
Out Female Delegates Will
Prove Fruitless.

CLEVELAND, OHIO, May 2.-The four
women elected delegates to the general
conference of the Methodist Episcopal
Church have gained q sub tantial victory.
The indications now are that at the con-
ference on Monday the women will win.
The committee will make a majority and
minority report on Monday, when the
most exciting session of the conference
will be held. All other questions have
been lost sight of, and the business of the
conference will be unimportant until the
woman question is settled.
Bishop Foster of Boston called the con-
ference to order this morning. 1t was
ordered that the Epworth League COM
mittee con sist of one delegate from each
annual conference, and that the judiciary
committee be ch osen by the Bishops.
Bishop Henry W. Warren OF Denver
read the episcopal address. 1t contained
many recommendations. The address
congratulated the church upon its ad-
vancement. but said that there was much
| work yet to be done. The growth OF the
church during tle past four years has
| been $4,000 souls, and the Methodist
| church is. now the greatest in number In
the world save the Baptist and Catholic
| churches.
The Sunday-scbools have gained during
| four years past 280,858 The Woman's
| Foreign Society and the Woman's Home
Missionary Society are very PROSPEROUS.
The Bishops did not recommend any
material change in the time limit or in the
| mode of making appointments, but sug-
gested that wisdom might provide some
method by which, under ample safeguards
the pastoral term might be extended to
meet very rare cases of emergency.
This was direct blow at those who are
laboring to extend the pastoral term, and
it was greeted with wild cheering by the
delegates.
On the amusement question the address
said the church was opposed to all
| pleasures that are dissipating rather than
| recreative. "Churches are perished by in
dulgence in what seemed at first to be in
| nocent delights"
intoxicants, and urges the United States
| Government to so adjust its laws as n OF to
seem to legaliZe the liquor traffic in States
where there is prohibition.
The subjects of arbitration and capital
and labor were treated in skillful manner.
| Downtown churches were commended,
and the report said that Methodists should
be slow to abandon them.
The report closed by saying that from
all the world came signs OF encouragement
and that II was surely marching On to
ultimate victory.
| he COniST0Dce dCCe pLeU the report.
At 4 P. NJ. the committee on eligibility,
which has before it the question of ad-
mlttlng women to the conference, met
| behind closed doors in the First Methodist
Church and had very stormy session.
They adjourned for supper and went at
it again tonight. 1t is understood that a
compromise has been practically agreed
upon, by means of which women who had
been elected to sit as delegates will be
| allowed to vote and take part in the pro-
ceedings without admitting the constitu-
tionality of the question, which is to be
referred again to the conference.
The conference claimants anniversary
meeting in favor of increasing the sup
port given to retired ministers was held
tonight. Rev. DR.. j. Benson Hamil-
ton OF Syracuse, n. Y, DR.. J. NJ. King of
New York and DR.. w. H. W. Rees of Des
Moines, Iowa, were among the speakers.
The object of the meeting>was a discus
sion of the system by which superan-
nuated ministers draw from the fund
of course the argument was all one way.
The committee on eligibility of women
held protracted and heated discussion
tonight lasting until Ii o'clock. DR..
| Buckley of New York, it will be remem-
bered, had challenged the right of women
to hold seats, and the committee decided
by vote of 20 to IL not to sustain DR..
Buckley,s challenge. The lay delegates
also had a session tonight TO discuss the
propriety and advisability of asking equal
representation with ministerial delegates
at the conferences. This was carried by a
| vote of 81 to 15, and the fight will be car
rled to the convention hall probably on
Monday.