The Montgomery advertiser., 1906-05-06
THE METHODISTS MUST
 OPPOSE THE MATERIALISTIC

 Kingdom was at their feet.
 The conference has now set It's great machinery to work Ire General Conference Is a Constitutional Conven- tfon of the Mefhodists which meets ev- cry four years. In it's powers, in the way in which 1t sets about doing Its work. the conference is very like a Consultations, Convention.
 It Is the highest law making body of the church. What it does stays com rietcly until four years have gone by and 1t meets again. It creates Bishops and the Bishops have no higher power. nor as high power. as the conference. The Conference gets down to it's work just like a Constitutional con- vention, only quicker. Today all of the machinery was ready for It's work. The committees were announced. ad their schedules of meeting had been arrang- ed. The Conference proper takes all the morning item of the delegates. They meet at g o'clock a. m. and keep in session for conference business until o'clock p. m. The balance of the af- ternoon when the delegates have had time for lunch is given over to the ex- haustive work of the committees Before the conference is the case of Rev. James Thomas of Arkansas. . case which is at once a romance and 6 ny GlCIys MI. AOkl4hS IS H1otOt VI hAt1 First Methodist Church of Little Rock, one of the very best charges in the Arr kansas Conference. He is able. elo- quent and devout-
 But Mir. Thomas Is before the Con- ference. He is before the Conference primarily because there is mystery in his life. Mir. Thomas appeared sud- denly in Arkansas as a young man. His former life was behind him and of it he said never word. It was Il closed book then, and 1t is closed book now. Here where he and his ca reer are being investigated. he could avcid unpleasantness and embarrass- ment by telling of his days before he came to Arkansas. But he chooses to keep his lips sealed and let his ex- emplary life since he has been In Ar kansas speak for him. VI
 The conference Is not arraigning Mir. Thomas because his youth is a mystery. but because out Of that mystery came incidents and happenings which culmin- ated in the official notice of the cor.- ference
 Mir. Thomas was made the subject of severe verbal attack by Rev. J. .. Hawkins, a Methodist minister, who formerly lived in Alabama. For cer- tain of these assertions Mir. Thomas successfully prosecuted Mr. Hawkins for islander. Through the efforts of MT. Hawkins and his friends the vexea question comes before the General Con- ference.
 Rev. Mir. Thomas Seated.
 Notwithstanding the charges of Rev. J. C. Hawkins, Rev. James Thomas was given seat in the Conference The Committee on Appeals promptly and unanimously reported in favor of scat ing him. The fact that he had mys- tery in his early life had no standing against his exemplary life of eighteen years since he has been member of the church.
 In the meanwhila. the mystery sJ1 the life df Rev James Thomas is un- solved and 1t may be unsoived when the Conference shall have completed it's labors and adjourned.
 The committee on appeals has. too. the case of Rev. W. w. Wordsworth of Hartwell. Ga. MT. wadsworth has been suspended from the ministry for a year by the North Georgia Conference. He was, charged with taking undue liberties with a feminine member of his congregation. Tried by the North Georgia Conference, MT. Wadsworth was found guilty and sentenced to a years suspension. He claims that the conviction was illegally made and that it came after he had been acquitted of the charge by his district conference.
 So far these two form the only un- pleasant matter with which the Con- ference will have to deal
 One of the most delicate and most important questions with which the delegates are concerning themselves is the possible superannuation of ten or more of the present Bishops of the church. It would appear at the out set of the Conference that some of the elder of the Bishops, perhaps. two. perhaps three. or perhaps four. will be superannuated Bishops are nos often superannuated at their own re- quest If 1t is done. 1t is done in op- position to their wishes and they only bow to the will of the Conference. which they can not successfully op- pose.
 The superannuation of any Bishop Is inaugurated by the committee on Epis- copacy. The committee makes recom- mendation to the Conference which decides what shall anr what shall T { be done If any of the Bishops are superannuated at this Conference they will undoubtedly be among the older Bishops such as Bishop Wilson. Bish- op Morrison. Bishop Duncan. But the temper of the Conference is yet to be learned definitely as to the retire ment of any Bishop.
 
 be elected They are to succeed Bish- op R. K. Hargrove and Bishop J. .. Keener, dead since the last General Conference It is all but certain that one of the places will go to Dr. J, J. Tieert of Nashville, Tenn, the strong and able secretary of the Conference. If there is only one other place to De filled, there will probably be three nominations made for if, that of Rev % Nashville Rev Seth Ward of Texas, and Rev. J. c. kllgo of North Carolina.
 It is the great conference talk here that in the event four bishops are to be nominated there is probability that one of the places will go to Rev. J. Fl. Mccoy, the able young Birm- ingham minister who delivered the elo- quent address of welcome Thursday night
 The thousands of Alabama friends of Rev. A. J Lamar will be interested in the news that just now there seems to be a probability that he will be opposed for reelection as Manager of the Book Concern of the Methodist Church located at Nashville. Rev. C. A. Lipscomb of Virginia is in the att titude of candidate. There are no charges and there is no criticism against the management of the Book House by Dr. Lamar. The report of the Publishing Committee submitted Friday showed that all the publishing interests of the church have had un- precedented prosperity during the four years just passed.
 The Alabama delegates do not en- tertain any fear that Dr. Lamar will be disturbed.
 Opening the gates for the first rush of resolutions resulted in several prop ositions to alter the discipline of the Ska kN