The Montgomery advertiser., 1902-05-18
Stormy Scene in MethO-
 dist Conference.
BOTH ORDERED PRINTED
Minority's Paper Said toCon-
 flict with Libel Law.
M6jor stahlman, the Attorney, Severely Dealt with--says Money Should Be Rsturusd to the
 Government by church

1
 l ~
 Dallas. Texas. May E.--The presenta- ton of the majority and mina arity reports of the Committee on Publishing House Interests with regard b the war claim
 was the intensely Interesting feature of today's session of the Methodist Con- ference. The majority report sustains the church and the bishop In offering to take steps to return the money to the gov ernment. but condemns any departure of the attorney of the book committee from the explicit instructions given to him by | the book committee in regard to the col lection of the claims. The minority re- port arraigns in strongest terms the book agents and Attorney stahlman. The re- port comes up for final settlement next | Tuesday. tf" i Bishop A. W. Wilson, the senior bishop. | presided today. The Committee on Epis- | copacy reported and recommended that | two bishops be elected. The minority report was given. dissenting and stating | that in their belief no more bishops | should be elected.
 I The Committee on Education. recorn-
 mended that more attention be paid to training schools.
 | A minority report from the Committee on Finance urged further aid to superan- | nuated preachers. widows and children
 be given and that permanent fund be established.
 l Time Limit Unchanged.
 The time limit remains as before ac- cording to the report of the Committee l on Itinerary .Dr. w. 4. Haven of the l gratifying increase in the sale ef Bibles. l The Cumberland Fresh terian Assembly | sent greeting from efrtAgfeld. Mo. The -t6seneral Assembly of the Presbytertan | Church also sent greetings from Jackson. | Miss
 l The Committee on Sabbath Observance deprecated the increase of Sunday labor of 5s per cent in the last decade. while the population had increased hut 27 per cent and also the increase in Sunday | amusements.
 Dr. Cross Alexander introduced reso- lution dealing with the question of child labor in the South. particularly in the l cotton mill district. It urged that laws | be passed prohibiting the employment of | children under F years old. Adopted. | This resolution was afterward, on motion | of Mir Hoss, reconsidered on the score that the statement that there were 10000 children under F years of age employed was not true. It was then referred to | special committee.
 The majority report of the Publishing House Committee which has in charge 1 the war claim" reported. The report | is confined to a brief summary of the | contentious urged by that faction. The | resolutions condemn any departure of | the attorney of the Book Committee from the explicit instructions given to him by the Book Committee In regard to the collection of the claim against the gov | ernment from which instructions. 1t Is claimed he did depart. according to his own statement made to the Senate Com
 mitete appointed to investigate these | matters.
 The Attorneys Fee. Continuing, the report disapproves any language used by the book agents in their | teleerams to Senators Pasco and Bates. | which may have misled them as to the | amount of the fee the attorney was to | receive for his services in collecting the | claim. The proposition of the bishop ,.to take proper steps to have the entire amount returned to the government If the Senate by affirmative action. declares that the passage of the bill was due 10 misleading statements" Is approved. In view of the fact that the Senate. after receiving this proposition, discouraged the return of the money, and furthermore since the Senate had declared that the church is absolutely blameless in the whole transaction. 1t Is recommended that this be considered a final settlement of the question. The report is signed by James M Robertson. chairman The minority report took an hour m the reading and condemns the action or Major Stahlman, the attorney in most vigorous language Directly and by in- ference the hook agents and thelr attor- ney are severely dealt with.
 The resolutions appealed are as fol- iows
 we believe that the retention Of this money ia a disturbing factor in the peace and harmony of the church at present and may disquiet the membership in the future.
 therefore. That there may be peace and harmony in the borders of our be- loved church, and that 1t may do no act that calls in question its good name, Ee recommend the adoption of the following resolution:
 Should Be Returned.
 That the entire sum collected. viz, s2Ss. GOO be returned to the United States Government That a committee of nine members of the General Conference be named who shall report to this confer ence as soon as possible a plan carrying into execution the above resolution.
 That we heartily endorse the letter written by our Bis hops to the Senate of the United States. It showed their Jeal- GUS care of the good name of the church and indicated wise solution of the mat ter"
 The resolutions are signed by James Cannon, Jr. of Virginia, chairman. Both reports were ordered printed after much discussion. The war claim matter will come before the conference next Tuesday at 10 o'clock and be continued until the matter is settled.
 The discussion over the printing of the minority report on the war claim caused one of the stormiest scenes ever witness ed in a religious conference. The report is said to conflict with the libel laws of Texas. and the editor of the oficial or- gan of the church while not declining. hesitated to publish it. This caused great excitement among the minority faction, and debate over the subject was yery heated. Fs9