Audubon County journal. (Exira, Iowa) 1884-1993, 1904-05-12
ATTACK CATHOLICS.
SENSATIONAL DEBATE IN METH.
oDIsT CONFERENCE.
Several Delegates Will Try to Make
colored Leader Bshop-ouestion
Is to Be Considered Later-Many
Subjects Discussed.

Subjects Discussed.
Los Angeles, Cal, May 1O.-The at
titude of the Roman Catholic church
toward the public school system Of
the United States furnished the sub
Ject OF sensational debate in the
Methodist general conference. While
there was strong disposition on the
part OF certain delegates to have the
conference adopt resolutions commit
ting it to extreme utterances upon
the subject, there was an overwhelm-
ing sentiment, as it developed,
against any such action, and the en-
tire matter was finally disposed of
by referring it to committee, from
which it is not likely to be reported.
Several other resolutions bearing
upon the subjects of divorce, the
termination of membership of neglect
full members and other matters of i'm
portance to Methodists were submit
ted and debated by several commit
tees. Rev. j. R. King, secretary of the
Church Extension society Of Philadel-
phia, having secured the floor, pre-
sented resolution strongly critics.
ing the Roman Catholic church, de-
claring that ''its efforts to control the
secular press, its influence in politics
and its assaults on the public school
system dem"nd the vigilance Of Prot
estants and patriots"
When DR.. King had finished there
was commotion among the delegates.
Many sought to gain recognition from
the chair in order to reply Charles
B. Lohr, chief justice of the Delaware
supreme court, lay delegate, was rec
ognized After agreeing with Dr.
King regar ing the public schools,
Justice Lohr continued: But are we
to gain anything by any phase of de-
nunciation ~ainst any other church.
(Cries of No, no.D The Roman Cath
work in this country. 1t has taken
hold of a class OF people whom, per-
haps, no other form of religion could
have nodded SO we'll for the well-be-
ing of our common land. / feel like
putting my hands under every evan
gelizing agency in this world that
helps to uplift men and not pull them
down."
This expression was received with
applause by the delegates and the
galleries.
A motion to refer the resolution to
the committee on the state of the
church was carried. In the opinion
of many prominent members this dis
poses OF this matter finally.
Judge Sibley of Ohio offered an i'm
portant resolution on the subject of
divorce. He wanted paragraph SO Of
the discipline changed to read:
mo divorce, except for adultery,
final desertion or cruelty or neglect,
such as to compel an innocent partner
to separate from the offender, shall be
regarded by the church as morally
lawful, and none of our ministers or
laymen shall solemnize marriages
where there is divorced wife or hus-
band living, unless the divorce was
| granted upon grounds hereinbefore
| specified. But this regulation does
not apply in cases where divorced
parties are seeking re-marriage."
| This resolution was also referred
to committee on state of the church.
Four Bishops to Be Retired.
1t is learned that the subcommittee
on the effectiveness of bishops re-
| ported in favor of the retirement of at
least four of the present bishops
These will be, it is said, Bishops An
drews, aged seventy-nine; Mallalieu,
seventy-five, and Walden and Vincent
aged seventy-three. Bishop Andrews
is the same age as Bishop Merrill
who has asked to be retired. II this
forecast is correct, at least seven new
bishops will be elected by the present
| general conference.
If colored bishop is to be named
it seems to be practically settled that
the man will be Rev. DR.. J. w. E.
Bowen, professor of systematic the
ology in the Cannon Theological
seminary of Atlanta The colored
delegates to the conference have me-
in caucuses and by unanimous vote
agreed to concentrate their strength
upon single candidate, that candi
| dota tn ho Dr Rouon