The Savannah morning news., 1902-05-22
COMP PROMISE LIKELY
METHODIsTs GETTING TOGETHER
ON WAR CLAIM.
MINORITY REPORT REJECTED.
SUBSTITUTE SMOOTHS THINGS
OVER.

| The Book Agents Mildly Censure and
Offer of Bishops to Senate to Re-
fund the Entire sum Ratified il
Senate Should So Demand-Tke
substitute Referred to "A Sub-COm-
mittce to BE Put in Better shape.
Conference VIII Elect Two Bish-
ops To-day, Voting for One at n
Time.
Dallas, Tex, May 21.-The issue
which has been regarded as the para
mount contention in the sessions of the
general conference of the Methodist
| Episcopal Church, South, since the as
sembling of that body in Dallas on
May appears to be near its final step
to settlement.
The minority report of the publishing
committee on the war claims has been
rejected by the general conference and
to-day what is known AS the McMur-
ray substitute was. in an amended
form, adopted in its stead.
The principal provisions of the Nc
Murray substitute are a mild censure
of any agent of tile church who may
have used improper methods when the
war claim was pending; ratihes the
| former action of the College OF Bish-
ops in their offer to the Senate to re-
| turn the entire sum of the war claim
| II that body so voted; makes this ac-
ton of the bishops the legal action of
the general conference and of the
| Methodist Episcopal Church This lat
ter provision is embodied in what is
| known as the Jordan amendment
which created debate last night and
during this mornings session. A spe-
cial committee was authorized to be
appointed to revise so as to make more
perfect and clear the provisions of the
entire document. Until the recommen-
dations or changes to be made by the
| special committee are before the gem
eral conference it is impossible to state
for certainty just what position the
war claim is in, in its final stages.
The following committee was APP
pointed to correct the inaccuracies in
the McMurray paper.
j. e. Bobby of Arkansas: T. w.
Jordan, Tennessee; Paul Whitehead,
Virginia; w. S. McMurray, Missouri;
G. B. Winton, Monterey. Mex.
EpwOrth League Report.
Report No. 1 of the Committee on
Epworth League, a lengthy document
was taken up seriatim and passed
| lie itlOSt Cn&nRG IN the re-
port was one making 1t possible for a
layman to be chosen general secretary
OF the order Formerly laymen were
ineligible.
Efforts to have the minority report
OF the Publishing House Committee on
the war claim matter printed in pam
phlet form as an official act of the
general conference were defeated
Bishop Isaac Lane of jackson, Tenn,
fraternal messenger from the African
Methodist Episcopal Church in Amer
lea, delivered a. fraternal address.
Bishop Galloway said the conference
had been glad to hear from Bishop
Lane. He had known Bishop Lane
long and well and that he was one of
the worthiest of his race.
Reports from the committees on
| boundaries and temperance were read
and referred.
The Report on Missions.
Report No. of the Committee on
| Missions was submitted Many minor
changes for present discipline were in
| clGded in the report. There vas one,
| however, of much Importance to the
mission branch of the church It pro-
vided for a. decrease in the number of
| secretaries, so as to better concentrate
| the work in that department 1t rec
| commended the election by the general
conference of one general secretary and
the election by the mission board of
one assistant secretary, these to be the
only secretaries in the mission. An
other important change was that of in
creasing the number of managers from
the present total of ten to twenty-five
| hereafter, ten of whom shall be lay
men. These changes were adopted at
| ter extended debate, participated in by
DR.. Wilson of South Carolina and other ,
delegates.
To Elect Bishops To-day.
The conference devoted much time in
making intelligent arrangements for
the elections tomorrow of two bish-
ops and all correctional officers. 1t
was determined that the bishops shall
be elected one at a time instead of the
delegates voting for two bishops on the
same ballot.
DIR. Lamar offered a resolution ex-
| punging from the record of the gen.
| eral conference all references to the
war claim controversy.
Bishop Galloway ruled the resolution
| out of order and it was not considered.
James Cannon, Jr., of Virginia, gave
notice that he protested against The
| action of the conference on the war
claim matter. A motion by Dr. Lips
| comb to have a night session fa'iod
| An unofficial statement was made TO-
| day that the record of the general con-
ference would not be printed in less
! time than two months, and perhaps
| longer.
After the transaction of some addi-
| tional routine business the conference
| at 1890 adjourned until 9 o'clock to-
| morrow.