Evening journal., 1910-09-29
PLAN FOR THE
P. E. CONVENTION
Five Important Amendments
to be Considered at Gin
Cinnati Meeting
METHODS OF DOING
BUSINESS In HOUSE

The general convention OF the Pro-
testant Episcopal Church, which will
be held in Cincinnati, o., beginning
October 3 and continuing utnil DC
tober %. VIII be of importance, as
several great questions viii be brought
up for discussion. One OF these ques-
lions will be whether the presiding
bishop Is to be elected or benefit by
seniority.
In former years it has been tho GUS
tom of the delegates to hold their
conventions in church, but this year
the meeting will be held i'm large
hall The general convention con
sists of two houses. the Houes OF
Bishops and the House of Deputies,
the lattor composed Of clergymen and
laymen.
The House of Bishops has a mem
bership of 1O4. The House of De-
puties, $50 from dioceses, and sew
eral more from missionary districts.
The House of Bishops sit with clos
ed doors Efforts have been made in
the past. and. doubtless, will be made
| I'm the future to open the doors, but
! for some reason or other the bishops
prefer TO deliberate and act in pri-
vate. The presiding bishop, the Bishop
of Missouri, is the titled head of the
House OF Bishops. but chairman is
elected and actually presides. The
Bishop of Massachusetts has held the
position for two terms, and under the
rules is ineligible for further election.
Who will be his successor is not
| known.
House of Deputies.
The House of Deputies elects its
president That position has been
| twice held by the Rev. Randolph II.
/ McKim ID. D., of Washington and he
will doubtless be chosen again.
Each diocese is entitled to send four
clerical and four lay deputies. There
are at present 65 dioceses in the
United States.
It may not BE embarrassing TO de-
scribe the method OF doing business
in the House of Deputies.
On the second day OF the session the
committees are appointed. There are
IA committees, the important ones be-
ing amendments to the constitution,
canons, prayer book and rules
Resolutions, when approved, are re-
ferred by the president to the appro-
pirate committee.
The house meets every morning at
$50 and sits until ]. and I'm the after
noon from 8 to $50. Evening sessions
are sometimes held.
The time prior to II o'clock Is de-
voted TO resolutions and reports. For
IL o'clock there is always an order
of the day. which continues the order
every day at II until disposed Of.
The arranging of the order. so that
no time shall be wasted, is I'm the
hands Of the Joint Committee on Dis
patch Of Business, subject to the APP
proval OF the House This committee
at present consists OF the bishops of
California and Newark. the Rev. 10. b.
Moir OF Maryland: Messrs. Francis
A. Lewis, OF Pennsylvania. and Joseph
Packard Of Maryland. The commit
tee can only recommend, fbut the
House has up TO this time never fail
| ed to approve it's recommendations.
| The first business to come before the
convention viii be five amendments TO
/ the constitution. These have already
been adopted once and come up now
for final action. All legislation re-
quires affirmative action by both
houses.
One OF the pending amendments is
entirely unlmpOrtant: the other four
will probably be considered at once
two by the House of Bishops and two
by the House Of Deputies In the first
instance.
At present the presiding bishop of
the Protestant Episcopal Church is
the senior bishop In order Of conse-
Grafton. having jurisdiction with tho
United States. The proposed amend
ment provides that after the death OF
the present presiding bishop that
Office shall be filled by election, the
House OF Bishops 20 choose and the
house Of Deputies 10 approve. The
presiding bishop is TO hold his office
for six years and is to be retired at
90
In editions of the Book Of Common
Prayer in foreign languages. such YER
bal alterations as may be necessary
TO adap. the same to lleati condi-
/ tions may bC made ~ the Authority
of the bishop Oh the diocoes or mis-
sionary district In which Il is used
subject to the approval Of the pre-
siding bishop.
This amendment was hastily put to-
gether and hastily adopted IN 1907.
and is likely TO fail of final passage.
Sufiragan Bishops.
A sunragan is an assistant to a dio-
cesar bishop. He has no jurisdiction,
and differs from a coadjutor. I'm that
coadiutor has the right of success
sion while a suffragan has not Suf-
fragans have never been allowed in
the United States. The pending
amendment is as follows:
IL shall be lawful for a diocese, with
consent OF the bishops of that diocese
to elect one or more suffragan bishops
without right of succession, and with
seat and without voice in the House
of Bishops. A suffragan bishop shall
be consecrated and hold office under
such conditions and limitations, other
than those provided in this article, as
may be provided by canons of the
General Convention. He shall be
. eligible as bishop or bishop coadm.
tor of diocese. or as a Suhfragar
In another diocese, or he NAV be