The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1900-05-10
PROCEEDINGS In DETAIL.
Flood Of Resolutions and Memorials
Action of Com mftfeea.

PROCEEDINGS IN DETAIL.
Flood Of Resolutions and Memorials
Action of Committees
CHICAGO. May 9.-An echo of the heated
mittees on church extension and missions
over the report Of the special committee to
! plan the consolidation of various benevolent
societies was heard to-day soon after the
General Conference of the Methodist Epis-
copal Church was called 10 order by Bishop
Foss. Delegate Handley. of the New Jer-
sey Conference, introduced a resolution
giving the committees on church extension
and missions and the Freedman's Aid and
Southern Education Society the right to
| discuss all questions brought before it.
Delegate Leonard. of Cincinnati, presented
a substitute limiting the discussions Of
these committees to subjects referred to
them by the General Conference. Delegate
King. of New York. also spoke in favor of
the substitute. After a long wrangle, the
substitute was tabled and the resolution
giving the committees unlimited scope in
discussions was adopted.
A lengthy debate as to the method of
nominating bishops and other officers was
INDUCED in, but a motion was finally
| adopted directing the bishops to appoint a
| committee of seven to formulate rules for
the nomination and election of bishops and
| other officers to report not later than Sat-
urday.
Delegate Irwin G. Penn, Of the Washing
| ton Conference, introduced a petition
signed by twenty-five conferences asking
| for the election of a colored man as bishop.
to supervise the work among the colored
| Methodists in the Southern States. The
move is in the interests Of DR.. Brown, of
Washington, the leading colored candidate
for bishop. The petition was referred TO
| the committee on episcopacy without dis
cussion.
The conference then settled down to con-
sideration of the report of the commission
appointed four years ago to revise the or
| ganic law of the church. Section 4 of Arti-
Gle 2 of the new constitution giving mission
conferences representation In the General
Conference was discussed and nnally re-
| ferred to a subcommittee of seven. With
out further discussion consideration OF the
\ report was suspended and the call of the
conferences was resumed for the ~presenta-
ton of memorials and reports.
The protection of the Deaconess Bureau
| OF the Women's Home Missionary Society
was given considerable attention, and a
number of protests were received against
the conference recognizing In any way the
| rival organization, the Methodist Episcopal
| Deaconess Society.
The matter of the investigation of the
teachings of the professors OF the schools
was brought up by a memorial from the
| Oregon Conference. A number of memorials
protesting against the removal of the ban
or certain amusements were received and
| the church. Several memorials protesting
| against the removal of the time limit for
preachers were referred to the committee
on itinerary.
The Wilmington Conference took occa-
sion in a memorial to ~criticise President
Mckinley for his adherence to the Griggs
| decision, relative to the anti-canteen law.
The memorial was referred TO the COM
| mittee on temperance. The Mankato Con-
ference registered a protest against the
Methodist Review and the Bohemian mis-
sionary pastors fleo a request that the Bo-
| hemian weekly, Krestansky Posela, be
made an official paper. A protest against
the proposed transfer of the depository of
the book department and of the Central
Kansas City was filed by the Aleen Confer
ence. These matters were all referred to
the committe on book concern.
The matter of the appointment of a
| colored bishop was called before the con-
| ference and the committee on episcopacy,
by a resolution signed by G. NJ r. Hus-
bands and a number of colored delegates.
| asking that a colored bishop be appointed.
| A request that Jacksonville, Fla. be made
| a bishops residence was also filed. The
Western Wisconsin Conference presented a
memorial asking that the term OF office OF
bishops be fixed at four years and not for
life.
The committee on revivals to-day took
up the old question of the change OF the
| Apostles Creed by the expurgation of the
word catholic and replacing it by some
word, but the attempt to change 1t failed.
| The subcommittee's report on a number of
minor changes In the Discipline was
| adopted.
The committee on boundaries, Bishop
Cranston chairman, to-day disposed of a
number of minor changes in conference.
and continued the settlement Of the contro-
| versies on boundaries between the Iowa
and the Upper Iowa conferences, and the
Northern Ohio anu the Western Ohio con-
| ferences until a later meeting.
Judge o. H. Horton in the committee on
itineracy presented a resolution providing
that no annual conference be allowed more
than four presiding elders. The resolution.
together with a number Of other memo
rails on the matter, was referred TO a SUBJ
committee Of fourteen. Among the confer
ences which have asked the removal of
conferences as New England, Rock River,
North Indiana and Philadelphia.
The committee on state of the church
to-day referred several memorials asking
for an investigation into the character Of
the teaching of the theological schools to
a committee Of fifteen recently appointed.
Laymen crossed swords with the presid-
ing elder and clergy at to-day's meeting of
the committee on episcopacy over the ques-
ton Of assigning bishops to fixed districts
for four year terms, thereby abolishfng the
| principle OF an itinerant episcopal superin-
tendence, which has been one Of the fea-
lures of Methodism since the organization
of the church. The question will be acted
upon by the committee on Friday. Presid-
ing Elder L.. D.. RAIDER OF Denver, DIR. A. B..
Leonard of Cincinnati, and Delegate w.
Evans of the Central Pennsylvania Confer
ence. opposed the change on constitutional
grounds. Delegate A j. Wallace. OF the
Southern California Conference. and Presi-
dent Harris. of the Maine University. fav-
ored the recommendations.
DR.. Robert Forbes. OF the Southern Min
nesota Conference. opposed the report,
while Delegate Mansfield offered a substi-
tute providing for a reorganization OF the
board Of bishops and the dropping OF the
plan of itinerant episcopal sSperintedence.
DIR. Nicely. of Philadelphia, favored a
change In the method OF assigning bishops
and firmly believed In fixing districts. The
subcommittee named to report on the
number Of bishops TO be retired and desired
additions TO the board met and considered
the important question before IL. II will
report tomorrow. This committee will adj
wise that one of the bishops be a colored
man. The Iaymen from the Northern and
| Western districts to-day brought out DIR.
Robert Forbes, a presiding elder In the
| Southern Minnesota Conference. as a candi-
date for bishop. DIR. H. w. Bennett. of In
| DIANA. n also being mentioned for a place
on the bench Of bishops.
! The book concern has made . report on