Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1904-10-13
American Board of Foreign
Missions Closes One of Its
Largest Meetings
SPECIAL TRAIN TO DIES MONIES
Yesterday Spent in Acrimonious De-
bate Over Sanders Plan to Extend
Scope of Boards Neutrality-suspicious.
Of the Bostonese Have Little Use
for Western Members.
to Times Republican.

CI.
hold the next annual meeting at
Seattle. Wash. the American Board Of
Foreign Missions adjourned after
noon and left on a special train for the
meeting of the Congregational National
Council at Des Moine". In point OF
numbers the meeting exceeds any ever
held so far from Boston. being larger
even than the session at st. Louis
four years ago. Up to this afternoon
over 500 had applied for entertainment
and had been comfortably accommo-
dated and there are over hundred
others.
The chief interest in the second
days session of the American board
was conferred In the business meeting
this afternoon and more specifically
as anticipated in yesterdays Register
and leader, In the report OF the COM
mitee Of nine by DR.. +. x. Sanders
Of Yale as their chairman. For three
hours from to z. the board fought
and tussled with the problem of rear-
rangement Of Its system OF member
ship and representation. When 1t had
finished and accepted the report of the
committee with two amendments there
were many who felt that the last state
of that board was worse than the first.
No one was entirely satisfied. The
committee had seen one OF It's most
important recommendation stricken
out In spite OF eloquent appeals from
Or. Sanders, DIR. Nehemiah Boynton
and DR.. Sidney Strong. The opponents
of the report had been forced to swal-
low it in the face of the impassioned
appeals of such old wheel horses of
the board as DIR. Noble Of Chicago and
Rev. Parks.
After the meeting was over one OF
the Oldest and most prominent MEM
bers exclaimed: THE American board
has done the most foolish thing 1t ever
did in it's life
The object Of the committee, as
stated by DR.. Sanders, was TO change
the present plan of membership, which
is based on the state associations, as
units of representation, In favor of
some scheme which is more flexible
and more representative OF the whole
country rather than merely New Eng
land, as at present. This question of
giving the west proper representation
aroused acrimonious discussion at
times, but once a speaker aroused
much applause by referring somewhat
contemptuously to the people who
knew of the west only as geographic
cal area outside Of Boston.
But discussion was the warmest over
the recommendations of the committee
that churches contributing over $1,000
yearly to the board be given one mem
her on the board, and the terms Of
members be five years. The first pro-
posal was denounced by President Cyr-
MS Northrop Of the University Of Min
nesota as an adoption Of sordid COM
merial methods, and an auctioneering
OF the Lositions on the board. The
second it was intimated, was put In
to force out old life members, veterans
of the board. by the younger element
Debate Draws to Close.
The supporters of the committee
were growing impatient for the adop-
ton of the report. Every speaker
was greeted with cries of Question"
DR.. Mobiles motion was lost and it was
evident that about two-thirds OF the
port as amended. At this point the
conservatives began to adopt a dila-
tory policy, and attempted to POSTPONE
action.
DR.. Hall called for an aye and nay
vote, and when lie was refused by
Secretary H. A. Stimson, who had the
chair in the absence of President Ca
pen. on the grounds that there was no
list of those present and that 1t was
only an attempt to block business he
appealed from the decision of the chair.
The chair was thunderously sustain
ed. This was the beginning Of the
end, and after half an hour had been
spent in parliamentary squabbles and
a half dozen vain attempts on the part
Of the opponents of the committee to
adjourn, the report as outlined in the
Register and Leader was adopted, with
the amendment noted above which
struck out the much condemned thou
sand dollar church" clause, as 1t was
contemptuously referred to.
There was another slight amend
ment, making the number of members
at large $50, instead of 100, as reported
by the committee. This will give the
board total membership of 500.
Crowds Arrive.