The St. Louis Republic. [volume] (St. Louis, Mo.) 1888-1919, 1900-05-01
Western Interest in the General
Conference Centers on Election
of Publishing Agents.
MANY AsPIRANTS ANNOUNCED.
German Delegates are Protesting
Agains, Boer Lecture by
Bishop Hartzell, Who SYM
pathizcs With England.
i;EFU ELlC SPECIAL.

| ltErUELI SPECIAL
Chicago, H., .'prii 31.-WesIsrn interest
| in the General Conference Of the Methodist
| church. which opens in Chicago Wednesday
Is centered largely in the electioa of the
| publishing agents Of the Book Concern fer
| this section. Doctors Lewis Curtis and II
| = Jennings both have been Involved in
| church affairs in such manner that a num-
her OF candidates for the place have bee
| brought forward The agents not On
| terms OF intimacy essential to harmonious
| action. Each is making an independent
canvass for reelection, and friends Of ach
| are ready 10 trade with other promising
| candidates.
The prospect for equal lay representation
mas Intensified the policies of the General
Conference. and the iaymen are disposed
TO demand their share cf the positions Of 4
business character W. W. Cooper, q prom
| inent business man Of Kenosha Wis. is
4 candidate for book agent of the laymen's
side.
The clergyman wlo have been named as
desiroUs 10 succeed Doctors Curtis and Jen-
ninfs are: Doctor Horace Reed, Decatur.
ILL.,; Doctor T. l.. Rider. Colorado: Doctor
{. L. Leslie. Indiana. the Reverend ". L.
PaTr. Fort Wayne; the Reverend = r
Whitlcck. Delaware. q.
Doctor Curtis was rsprimande,. last fall
ny the Rock River Conference for accept
ing gift from Presiding Elder Caldwell
for the loan Of church funds.
The charges against Doctor Jennings are
still pending. though the finding is exon
GRAFTON on the ground of trivialtv.
Apropos the Jennings and Curtis Incidents
an anonymous circular in the form of
letter nf advice made its appearance to-day
and is being received by the delegates in
their mail is they arrive In Chicago. The
circular describes the politics of the church.
declares that the General Conference is like
a party convention and that politicians and
candidates resort TO all the methods OF
worldly campaigns.
David Monroe. for sixteen years secretary
Of the General Conference. vii! br oppose.
by Doctor 5. y. BentoH a member of he
Book Committee Doctor Arthur Edw" t-
ndi;ur cf the Northwestern Christian \ .'.-
cate. viii he opposed by the Reverend J w
G, Coke Of Washington. Ia.
The advance delegates from the German
Conference are protesting loudly against
The projected lecture Of Bishop Hartzell a;
the Auditorium on Thursday night. The
Bishop. who has the missionary superinteu-
doncy in Africa. will lecture 'Boer and
Eritain delegation of German pastors
to-day declared that the selection of So ar
dent :. British champion ~ Doctor Hart
zeli was an Insult 10 the German and Amer
jean delegates. who believe the Beers are
fighting Tor liberty.
IN. threat was made that the lecture
would te interrupted by expressions Of dis
sent
Among :he new arrivals to-day were the
Bishops who were in session Al Indianapo
Las week
They are: Bishop Fitzgerald. 81. Louis:
Bishop Bowman. Eas. Orange. y. J.; Blsh-
op Foster. ROxbury, Mass. Bishop An
drews. New York: Bishop Warren. Tnivcr-
sity Park. Colo; Bishop Foss. Philadelphia:
Bishop Hurst. Washington. ID. e.: Bishop
Ninde. Detroit: Bishop Mullaleu. Auburn |
dale Mass. Bishop Vincent. Topeka. Bish- |
op Joyce. Minneapolis. Bishop McCabe. |
Fort Worth. Tex. and Bishop Crsnston. |
!
The Bishops will meet tomorrow morning
and give final approval TO the quadr-nn';l !
address being prepared by Bishop Andrews. !
Tile document contains i5.,op words an |
treats of the state OF the church and the !
work of the last four years. Il will be read 1
st the opening session, Wednesday morn !
ing. /
The drawing of seats was not completed |
until after II O'Clock tonight. Bishop Gran /
,ton presided,
The Committee on Halls Mt noon to-mor- |
-ow will assign the committees TO their |
meeting places. Tomorrow night the lay
men who have been elected provisional
delegates in anticipation OF the ratification
v the amendment TO the laws providing for
.gusi representation Will hold caucus at
which a plan OF action before the confer
.nce will be discussed
Bishop Bowman, the senior member Of
he Board of Superntendents. said tonight:
There is one feature tina; has yet ap-
,eared that IL destined to mark the coming
ess,on distinctly its own. To me the
treat point of interest is that close the
century with a membership Of over 6,90Go1
We began it with 61.0"o members. II was
he pruning of the record. not n bal,ns in
,rUwth. that has left the total membership
for a year"