The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1896-04-05
METH0DISTS IN COUNCIL.
THE GENERAL CONFERENCE TO BE
HELD IN CLEVELAND.

Sessions to Last Through May-In-
terestinG Questions to be Debated.
Women Delegates Filling Vacant
Omces-New BishOps-The Time
Limit of PastOrates, Amusements,
Etc.
New York, April 4.-The general confer
ence of the Methodist Episcopal church
is held every four years, in the month Of
May. Elaborate preparations are being
made for the conference of 1886, which
win be held at Cleveland, o. An appro-
priation of $4,000 has been made to cover
the expenses incident to the great gather
ing, which will last a month. About $50
delegates will be in attendance. The Rev
A. ]. Palmer, d. D., of New York is
chairman of the committee on entertain
ment, as he was in 1882. In 1888 he was
secretary of the same committee, the bus
mess of which he has at his fingers ends
Great interest in this quadrennial event
of the denomination is being manifested
by Methodists everywhere. The general
conference is the only legislative body in
the Methodist Episcopal church. Its de-
cisions govern 125 annual conferences and
the three millions of members of perhaps
the most aggressive of religious bodies
Seventeen of the conferences represented
belong to foreign nations-India, China
Italy, Japan, Liberia, Mexico, Germany,
Norway, Sweden, South America and
Switzerland being among the lands send
ing delegates. The mission conferences
have no direct representation at the gen.
eral conference.
Delegates are both ministerial and lay.
The former are elected by votes of the
ministers assembled in annual conferences,
one delegate to each forty-five ministers.
The lay delegates are chosen by what are
known as electoral conferences. These are
composed in each conference of one dele
gate from each quarterly conference. An
electoral conference cannot chose more
than two lay delegates, which arrange
ment provides for the dominance of minis
tiers in the councils of the church. If a
conference should send but one minister
to the general conference, it would also
send but one lay delegate.
The bishops, or general superintendent
of the church, are the presiding officers at
the sessions of the general Conference
this and nothing more-for they are not
members of the conference They can
neither debate, vote nor veto. They pre-
side in the order of their seniority. At
Cleveland, Bishop Bowman will preside on
the first day, and fifteen bishops will sue
coed him on consecutive days, after which
his turn will come again, and so on
Important questions will come up for
consideration by this grave and reverend
body. Four women have been elected dele
gates-shal they be given seats or not
The question involved has been agitated
for years, and the time to settled it has
come. AS a rule western women desire the
change; eastern women in general oppose
it. Miss Frances E. Willard is head and
front of the women who clamor for equal
rights with men in the government of the
church, and Bishop Fitzgerald is her
knight and champion in the contest. In
fact, Fitzgerald is the radical bishop of
the denomination. The leader on the con-
servative side is the Rev. James NJ Buck
ley, D. D.. editor of the Christian Advo-
cate, the official organ of the church. In
the debates on the woman-delegate ques-
ton which took place in the general con-
ference eight years ago, DR.. Buckley great
ly distinguished himself. Among giants in
debate there is none more formidable than
Buckley, who is always alert, energetic,
genial and fun of resources. In anticipa-
ton of the great meeting at Cleveland,
the votes of annual conferences are being
taken. Results point to a decided victory
for Miss Willard and Bishop Fitzgerald.
Even the cleverness of DR.. Buckley can
not successfully stem the tide of the ineyi-
table, and Methodists who hold conserva-
tive views on this interes ting question are
consoling themselves with the reflection
that after all, only a few women of the
Miss Willard type are likely to be elected
delegates, while the vast majority of the
sisterhood will concern themselves not a
bit about candidates and votes, but will
still be content to remain keepers at
home"
The recent death Of Rev. Dr. Sanford
Hunt, senior book-agent OF the church
leaves an important Office vacant. Con-
lectures are enrrly vain as to who will be
elected his successor. There are doubtless
many ministers who could fill the Office
with sufficient ability; and 1t is expected
that not a few names will be presented,
and an exciting and prolonged contest fol-
low. The same may be said OF the cleo
ton OF a missionary secretary TO succeed
the Rev. J. Q. Peck, ID. D., deceased. In
snort, fat offices are not altogether I'M
sought, and seem as attractive 10 church,