The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1896-04-26

West Conferences divide Is the time limit
which the constitution OF the church row
Places on the services Of ministers The
constitution now limits the service Of
minister 10 i've years in ore place. and he
cannot serve in one place more than five
years IN ten IL 10 proposed 20 remove this
time itrnts entirely A similar proposition
was defeated at the last general confer
eace
Congress VIII hear from the conference
on several questions. The proposition 20
put God IN the constitution OF the United
States" which Is the subject OF thousands
Of petitions sent TO Washington City each
year. VIII be Endorsed by the conference. as
II vas by the conference Of four years ago
Congress VIII be requested 20 prohibit the
importation OF opium Some memorial on
the snoJset or the liquor traffic may be ae-
dressed to congress. and IN connection With
IT. no doubt. the liquor dealers in New
York politics and the passage or the Rainss
law viii be considered There VIII be 4
discussion OF the action Of the house at
Washington City IN cutting out Of an ap
preparation bill the provision for assisting
s-etarian mission schools. This action was
directed at the Catholics and was inspired
by the American Protective Association.
whose spokesman was Mr.. Linton. OF
Michigan. The Methodists are in thorough
sympathy with this action. and at their
last conference q resolution was adopted
requesting missionary societies to decline
receiving public funds for educational pur-
poses among the Indians.
4 Question of Representation.
Another question TO be taken up in the
conference concerns the representation in
the conference Under the present system
there are two ministerial delegates to one
lay delegate. No annual conference now
can have more than two lay delegates. and
where there are only two delegates from
an annual conference. one OF them must be
q minister. 1t is proposed now TO provide
for equal lay and ministerial representa-
ton. and this question was submitted to
the annual conferences of 1894 for q pre-
iminary vote. In addition to this and
some other individual changes in the or
ganization and government OF the confer
ence the report of the constitutional COM
mission. indefinitely postponed four years
ago. may be taken up and general revi-
sion OF the constitution adopted. But this
involves no radical changes. The report Of
. commission TO revise discipline. appoint
ed every four years. Will be received and
considered for adoption. There will be q
report also from a commission on fraternal
cooperation and organic union which the
conference Of 1882 authorized the bishops
to appoint.
In the conference OF 1892 resolution
was adopted requesting the bishops to ap-
point board 10 originate and operate a
church insurance company. This scheme
was adopted in England some years ago.
and II has proved successful there in re-
ducing the cost of insuring church prop
erty. The church in this country has the
insurance on its SIS, 900, 900 worth Of prop
erty scattered among regular insurance
corporations. 1t proposes now to do its
own insurance, as for many years It has
done its own publishing. The scheme for
church insurance company has been pre-
pared. and will be submitted TO the confer
ence for adoption.
The discussion Of the publishing BUSH
ness will lead to the uncovering Of an old
scandal The conference Of 17S9 five years
after the organization of the church,
established publishing house. following
the example Of Wesley, and ordained that
the profits should go to the annual confer
ences for the benefit Of needy preachers.
The first agent Of the Book Concern was
Rev. John Dickins. and he lent the Con-
Germ $500 of his own money to start Its
business. The business was on q profitable
basis soon. and 1t Is now one Of the biggest
publishing houses in the world, with a
branch In Cincinnati and repositories all
over the United States. The business Of