The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1900-05-17
DR.. j. +. Berry I'm the Lead. hut Lacks
Many Votes of the Necessary
TwO-Thirds.
FIGHT ON LIQUOR QUESTION
FRIENDS OF PRESIDENT M'KINLEY
RESENT PROPOSED CENSURE.
VIII Protest I'm Open Convention
Against Adoption of the PrOhi-
bitiOnist Majority Report.

CHICAGO, May 16.-Three DallotS nave
been taken by the Methodist Conference
in an effort to elect one of the general
superintendents Qbishops) provided for in
the report of the committee on episcopacy.
but without result. DR.. Berry leads, but
still lacks many votes of the necessary
two-thirds. Predictions were made to-
night that from four to six more ballots
would be necessary
The report of the committee on temper
ance is likely to involve the conference
in a warm political discussion, the friends
of President Mckinley having resolved to
oppose the committees structures. The fight
will begin when the report comes up for
discussion, and an effort will be made to
scalp some of the political Prohibitionists.
of whom there are a number in the con-
ference.
An interesting and somewhat pathetic in
cident, during the debate on the report of
committee episcopacy yesterday, was
the appearance of Mathew r. Simpson,
son of the late Bishop Simpson, lay dele
gate from the Philadelphia Conference.
He is about fifty years old, and in per-
sonal appearance somewhat resembling his
distinguished father. his voice at times
strikingly resembling his fathers. His
speech was in favor of the larger number,
basing his argument upon the amount of
work required of bishop. not observable
by the public, as he had known it in his
fathers official life. His reference to his
father tender and respectful, yet III
no degree in bad taste.
An aftermath of the continued prodding
of the bishops for their side engagements
appeared in Tuesdays Chicago Journal.
1t appears among the General Conference
items in all due gravity. as If it were true.
whereat ii must be joke. 1t says that
Bishop McCabe, the greatest sinner of the
board as a lecturer, has prepared series
of resolutions. which he is to have intro
duced in a day or two; the first is to
recommend the sale and abandonment of
the American University, so that Bishop
Hurst can devote all his time to the duties
of his Office a bishop. The second to
recommend that the church abandons the
Denver University so that Bishop Warren
can be released from caring for it that he
may give his whole time to the duties of
his episcopal office. and thirdly, that Bish-
op Fitzgerald be requested to resign the
presidency of the Ocean Grove Camp
meeting Association. or course 1t is a
joke and very cruel one at that. Bish-
op McCabe would rather suggest that If
these enterprises cannot live without the
personal attention of these bishops, he
would rather recommend the bishops to re-
sign their episcopal office, that others
might be elected to do episcopal work.
There Is no necessity for abandoning either
of the enterprises. Whether the labors
of either bishop, in behalf of his speciality,
would be profitable IL not done by a bishop
need not enter into the question. Besides
nothing is said about the unfrocking of
the bright side of Libby prison or of
the Great Lincoln" Are they to be aban-
doned, too?
LIFE TENURE.
A more serious fact is developed. The
most radical modification of the episcopacy
that has yet been proposed is the abandon
ment of the life tenure of the episcopal
office. and it is likely to assume large pro-
portions before it is disposed of by the final
adjournment of the conference. as it has
been dozen times or more. to bob up at
the next ensuing session. The fact in this
case that is attracting most attention is
that the veteran member. Rev. John Lam
nahan, who is serving his twelfth success
sive term in General Conference. is send
through the postoftice copy of editorials
written by Bishop Merrill when he was ed
itor of the Western Christian Advocate, in
1871, and candidate for the episcopacy.
The veterans apology for this unusual
course is that he wants to be heard on the
question, but it is difficult to obtain recog-
milton by the chair, and as the editorials
express his sentiments exactly, he adopts
them as his speech. He had used them in
his book. 1.-The Era of Frauds" published
four or five years ago. detailing his expert
ence in the book agency from 1865 to 1872.
These editorials refer to the question as one
of vital Importance. and say that the life
tenure of bishop is out of harmony with
our theory as to orders. and that two or
ders and three ordinates were not con-
sistent, and that for this reason with 9TH
ers, he, the bishop, Is opposed to the life
tenure He is opposed also because it Gre
ates caste between preachers where 1t
ought not to exist. He. the bishop. favors
electing for specific time, giving prefer
ence to four years. and he favors the SUI
perannuation of WORKOUT bishop i'm the
conference from which he was elected to
| the episcopal Office, that he may fare in his
old age just as his brothers do who never
were bishops. DR.. Lannahan says the
bishop was elected to his office on this plat
form, and that conditions now make the
scheme of Editor Merrill as imperative as
| Ii was then.
This is a rare method of making a speech
on any pending question, though the lib
erty to print is often granted In. delibera-
tive bodies but in ordinary cases the print
ed speech is for home consumption and not
| fo1 Immediate use in the pending discus
sion. 1t may be of more service in this
| case than 1t now promises to be.
Speaking of the influence of the laity In
| the General Conference, Judge Murray, of
Pennsylvania, says that great many of
| them are so profoundly grateful to the
preachers for generously granting them
the right to sit in the General Conference
| that they seem more anxious to vote on all
questions just as the preachers do than to
| do their own thinking. He was profoundly
| disguised with the course the laymen
| meeting took last Saturday night.
A MEAN THING.
| Some constituencies wag. and as likely as
any way a preacher. did a mean thing
| Tuesday afternoon. Although the rules
most peremptorily forbid the disclosing oil
| the vote until il is announced In the con-
| ference, he, the wag, started the rumol
| that DR.. Bowen, the colored candidate foI
| bishop. had been elected on the first ballot
| This started all kinds of comments in the
| hotels. One would say, 81 told you so
| That speech OF DR.. Leonard In the discus
| sion did the work" Another. well. well
| Do you imagine he will ever preside over
| white conference?" Another, He is q
| talented and cultured gentleman, and IL
| welcome him TO our conference at any
| time" Another, But how can We? Is he
| really fit for such station? Another
| THAT will make necessary the assignment
of bishops TO special fields, TO nationali
| ties and races. so that he can serve the
/ colored conference, and need not be as
| signed 10 q white conference" And so or
| until the brother in black was thoroughly