The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1904-05-08
FIRST WEEK OF
THE CONFERENCE
Decks Now Clear For Transac-
ton Of Business.
ONE IMPORTANT QUESTION
SHALL THE UNLIMITED TENURE
PLAN CONTROL?

Los Angeles, May THE end Of the
firsr week of the thirty-hrst general
conference Of the Methodist Episcopal
church sees much of the preliminary
matter and details disposed of and
the great gathering nearly ready to
take up the more important work be-
fore st.. All of the standing commit
tees have been organized many OF
them have appointed their sub-com-
mittees and mapped out the work as
signed to their special attention.
I'm the initial sessions Of the leading
committees one question above all
others has been brought prominently to
the fore. Tt is the question of whether
the present conference shall restore the
ministerial time limit of three or five
years or permit the present plan o.
unlimited tenure, which was adopted
at the general conference four years
ago, to continue The bishops in their
annual addresses touched up this ques-
ton, but RETAINED from expressing
any opinion that could be con-
strued by the conference one way
or the other, and as yet there has been
no authoritative statement on the sub
ject from any one in the. conference
Are Not Harmonious.
The committee on itinerancy has this
matter i'm charge, and the temper of
the members as shown at the first
meeting when the subject was
preached, indicates that all viii not
be harmonious IN the disposition of this
problem. Many of the annual confer
ences have memOrialized the general
conference to take action on the mat
ter and restore either the three or the
hVe-year limit. Ten memorials We're
read by the secretary of the commit
tee on itinerancy at the first meeting,
and many times this number are eX-
pected TO be filed with the sub-cOm-
mittee of fifteen which has the matter
I'm hand before final action is taken on
the subject in committee next Friday.
There seems TO be a growing senu-
ment in the membership of the church,
according TO many of the delegates,
that the historic system of an itine-
rant ministry is in danger of being de-
stroyed by an unlimited pastOrate seGv-
ice, and il has had it's effect on many
Of the delegates. In addition a con-
siderable number of ministers who are
located i'm the less desirable fields and
an army of laymen who find them
selves in possession of the less popular
pastors are clamoring for a time limit
that viii give them the benefit OF
change. on the other hand are strong
leaders like DIS. Buckley, Upham,
King, Day. Little and the younger
pastors like DIS. Eckman, Downey,
Anderson and Hughes. who are now
serving beyond the old fye-year limit
i'm their favOrite parishes, and viii en-
deavor to hold the church TO four
years further trial of the unlimited
service.
Many Memorials.
There are now before the conference
q sufficient number of memorials, re
solutions and petitions on various sub
iects to occupy d session lasting twice
as long as the present one is planned
for. A favOrite theme is the amuse-
ment paragraph most of the memorials
on this subject being against any
change
one memorial is submitted from Ne
braska asking that the term for which
bishops are elected be changed from
life to twelve years. This question mas
been discussed before, but ii IS un-
likely that the matter viii be given
serious consideration by the present
conference. Other memorials call for
more rigid discipline Of personal con-
duct. while others directly oppose II
and favor a more liberal supervision.
The South Carolina conference has
presented a large memorial asking for
the election Of a bishop OF African des-
cent.
The state conference Of Illinois appears
to be supporting Bishop McCabe in his
desire to open the American universe
ty, and has asked for the removal of