The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1907-09-17
MOVEMENT to- HAVE
FEWER DEPUTIES
Question of Size of. Lower House
Will Engage Attention of q
Episcopal Convention.
PLANS PROPOSED
MAN
Local Committee Declares Com
plant Against Rates Has No
Justification.

Representation In the house of dep
,lties will he one of the important
matters claiming the attention. of the
coming Episcopal General Convention
In Richmond. The present bass of
representation calls for four clergy
cese. and the house Of deputies, whicGlh,
will meet In this city October I'd. Will
be constituted on that basis.
With the division of many States
into two or more dioceses. the eX-
tension of the church work through
out the West. and the establishment
of various missionary Jurisdictions,
the body. 1t is stated, has become 50
large as to be somewhat unwteldy
for ordinary Legislative procedure,
and in order to handle all the business
the strictest, adherance TO the rules
of Legislative assemblies is necessary.
AS 1t is. the whole first floor of st.
Paul's Church will have to be reserved
for the deputies. Rules of the con-
vention provide that only the pre-
siding officer, the secretary and his
assistants. shall under any circnm-
stances be admitted to the PLATFORM.
Just In front in the centre aisle Will
be erected a speakers stand or pulpit
to which any member who expects
to make extended remarks will be in
across the front of the church for
the accredited repres eptatives of q
number of newspapers and perfodi-
Gals, the rule providing that only the
newspaper men and delegates shall
be admitted to the first floor. The
galleries will be open. to visitors and
spectators under certain regulations.
Plans Suggested.
Various plans have been suggested
for some reduction in the number of
delegates to the house of deputies, but
as. yet no definite action has been
lyo DoT tt1a y1rtye vol NJ ly.lt
have had the matter under discussion,
but the advocates of the change have
not as vet agreed upon any specific
plan which they Will recommend.
One suggestion that the basis of
representation be made on the proper
ton of the actual communicates in
each diocese has met with some ia
vor and is advocated as being both
democratic and truly representative.
1t is pointed out, however, that diff
ferent methods of keeping the rolls
of communicates obtain in many sec
lions OF the country. and that in many
individual churches the rolls are no
toriously inaccurate. representa-
ton on the basis of the number OF
clergy in each diocese has also been
advocated. and as the clergyslists are
comparatively free from error they
would not be open to the objection OF
the other method. "A basis of one rep
resentative for each 100 clergy canoni-
Gully ItSlNeiit III hiiS AuioASSS' ISS'
proposed.
Opponents of the suggested change
however, point out that either propo-
sition puts into the hands of ten OF
| twelve dioceses the preponderance of
influence in the convention, since
wherever there are large lists of com!
ynunicants there Is usually CORE
| spondingly lengthy clergy list.
An even simpler suggestion; which
| does not. however, touch the basis OF
representation complained of by some
sections of the country as unjust, is
| to change the number of delegates
from four to three for both clergy
men anG laymen. thus reducing the
! size of tie membership of the house
of deputies by twenty-five per cent
Changes in List.
| The list of deputies to the general
convention, which has already been
printed, is an interesting study. AL
though many of the members have
before sat in conventions of the
church, with the single exception OF
the Diocese of New York no diocese
| RI h e