Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1907-10-08
Upper Iowa Methodist Confer
ence to Be Enlivened By Choice
OF Lay Delegates
PROMINENT MEN ARE WANTED
Bankers, Editors, Lawyers and Bust
ness Men Candidates for Honor of
Going to Baltimore Meeting - Six to
Be Chosen - Conference to Open
Wednesday.
Special to T!mes-Republican.

u
Cedar Falls, Oct. S.-The fifty-second
annual meeting of the Methodist
church for the upper Iowa conference
convenes in this city Wednesday morn
ing under the guidance of the presiding
bishop, Rev William f. Mcdowell, Of
Chicago. The examination Of candi-
dates desiring license to preach is in
progress today, in charge of Rev. n.
w. Troy of Marion, assisted by corps
of assistants appointed by the confer
ence held at Maquoketa last year.
Several important problems relative
to the government of the Methodist
! church will be up for consideration
during the conference, most of them
having been referred to the annual dis
trict conferences, for final considera-
ton, by the general conference, which
! met three years ago. Among other
problems that will come up during the
| business sessions are the following:
First--The election of the presiding
elders by the district conference, in
stead of having them appointed by the
| bishops, as has been the rule in the
Methodist church for many years.
Second--The election of a colored
bishop by the general conference at
| Baltimore, next May. whose duty 1t
| shall be to preside over the southern
| conferences of the colored people be-
| longing to the Methodist church.
Third--The return to the tive-year
| tenure of office, thus allowing no min
lister to remain with one congregation
| longer than five years. AS 1t is at
present the time limit does not figure
| in the matter at all, except in the
smaller parishes. where a change is
generally made every second or third
year.
Fourth-The decrease in the number
Of delegates in attendance at the ma
| tional conferences of the Methodist
church. The present ratio is one to for
| ty- eight, and there is a national move
ment on foot to reduce this representa-
| ton.
! Fifth-The consolidation of the two
! book concerns and also the consolida-
| locations under one management.
| It is rumored that the older mem
bers of the conference are going to
stand pat against change, while the
younger ministers as well as most OF
the lay delegates. are in favor of many
of the proposed reforms
While this is to be a distinctly re-
| Iigious gathering in every sense of the
word, there will be a great game OF
| politics on the side when it comes to
| selecting the six lay delegates from
| this conference to attend the national
gathering at Baltimore next May.
| Among the candidates who have been
| in the field for some months and whose
| friends have been doing a great deal
of personal work for them are Judge
S. M. Weaver of Iowa Falls, member OF
| the supreme bench of the state; Theo-
dore Johnston, secretary of the Times
Republican Printing Company, Mar
shalltown; Thomas j. B. Robinson,
president Of the Citizens National
bank at Hampton; Hon. e. j. Esgate,
cashier of the National bank at Ma
rion; M. w. Sawyer of Cedar Fails
one of the oldest and most active bus-
| mess men and prominent members Oh
the church in the conference NJ II.
Edward an attorney at Parkerspurgi
w. D. Lee, of Toledo; Hon. r. D. Bal
lou Of Belle PLANE; w. w. Robinson,
banker of Dubuque: Editor g. e. john
ston of Rockwell City; Robert Relner'
banker, Independence; Attorney J. ).
Clarke of Mason City.
All the lay delegates have quarters
engaged at the hotels and Will be on
| hand with their boosters to promote
their interests among the 200 delegates
representing the same number Oh
| churches.
The six ministers to be chosen to
attend the national gathering at Baltl-
more next spring are In the minds OF
many ministers already selected.
Among those that will in all probable
ity be chosen are Rev. E. ]. Lockwood
of Cedar Rapids, Rev. w. w. Carl
ton of Mason City, President William
A. shanklin of Upper Iowa university
at Fayette; Presiding Elder j. G. Van
Ness Of the Cedar Rapids district, win
| Headquarters at Mount Vernon, Pre-
siding Elder w. f. Pitner of the Mar
shalltown district with headquarters at
Waterloo, Presiding Elder I. p. F>lem-
ing of the Dubuque district, with head
quarters at Manchester.
Among the others mentioned as pos
| sible candidates are Rev. George ii.
Birney, pastor of the Methodist church
at Cedar Falls, whose church is enter
tanning the conference. and since 1t has
been the rule of the district to always
honor the entertaining pastor by send
ing him to the national conference, 1t
would not be at all surprising if the
Rev. Mr.. Birney were honored in this
way this time. Rev. q. T. GruWeH OF
Hampton, is also being most favorably
| mentioned, as is Rev. Fl. w. Troy, OF
| Marion; Rev. Merle n. Smith of Mar
shalltown, Prof. III. H. Freer, of Cornell
college at Mount Vernon, Rev. Nathan
/ iel Pye Of Charles City.
/ At least 125 women will be present
to attend the conference, many of them
A