Ottumwa semi-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1899-1903, 1900-05-08

success. The presidents and financial
agents of our colleges and seminaries
have reported at the central Office over
|$2, 100000 subscribed for Christian ed
ucation.
More than $2,5O0,O0O has been sub
(scribed for debts on church property
and at least $750,900 for philanthropic
and charities.
Ii all reports were in they would,we
think, show that one-third of the $780,
100000 has been subscribed. Every day
this movement is growing in interest
and favor with the church.
Chicago, May 5.-By Associated
Press.)-After an hour of active de-
bate among the delegates to the
Methodist general conference today,
committee OF fifteen was appointed
to report a plan for the union of the
Freedmen's Aid and Southern Educa-
tional society and the Chruch Extern
sion society, or either of them with
the home department of the Mission
ary society into one society, to be
| known as the Home Missionary So
siety of the Methodist Episcopal
church. The committee was instructed
to report next Friday. Numerous res
olution and memorials were presented
to the conference and referred to the
proper committees. Among them was
a memorial introduced by DR.. H. G.
jackson, and signed by twenty lay
men, providing for important changes
in the methods of governing deacon
nesses. A resolution recommending
that any proposed changes of disc1-
pline or rules be supplemented to re-
quire two-thirds vote of both orders
present necessary for adoption, was
referred to the committee on the
state of the church. The conference
then adjourned until Monday.
The Session Yesterday.
Beginning with the devotional exer-
cises, the session yesterday ran thru
number OF preliminary actions, touch.
ed and dropped the amusement ques-
ton for the time, and launched with
full swing into the spirited debate OH
the issue of bishropic perquisites. The
bomb was thrown when, in the call
by conferences for resolutions and me-
MORALS, the call came to the Iowa dele
cation. Delegate William G.Wilson was
on his feet in an instant to read res
olution deprecating the alleged habit
of bishops of taking fees for work
they were naturally expected to per-
form gratis.
Tho Wilson Resolution.
The Wilson resolution read original
ly as follows:
Resolved, That in the judgment of
this general conference the book COM
mittee should provide literally for the
support of our bishops and general
conference officers.
Resolved, That no bishop or general
conference officer should receive any
thing above actual expenses for his
services in the dedication and reopen
ing of churches, attending commence
ments of our educational institutions
and such other like services as he may
render the church.
DR.. Buckley secured recognition first
and strobe to the platform with de-
tsrmined step. He declared that it
was prostitution of most sacred call
ing for bishop to refuse to attend a
church dedication unless he is promis-
ed price. He commended that they
were amply paid, and all salaries al
lowed them. Opposing the first sec
ton, he pleaded for the passage of the
second and took his seat amid APP
plause.
Delegate after delegate arose to
speak in the same strain. Some de-
clared that while the money did not
come oftentimes of their own seeking,
| that fattering offers were held out to
the bishops by ambitious preachers.
Securingthe floor again, DR.. Buckley
poured oil upon the waters and ended
the debate by plea that the bishops
were entirely iniaccord with the prop
osition, and that members of the CON
ference who had no personal expert
ence in the matter should not try to
discuss it further. Previously the first
section of the resolution had been
withdrawn. and the vote finally taken,
the restrictive clause was adopted amid
Applause.
i [Rev. w. G. Wilson. the author of
| the above resolution. is well known
in Ottumwa. He is at present presid-
ling elder of the Oskaloosa district. and
was for five years pastor of the First
i M. church in this city.-Ed.]