Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1912-05-30
IS
BUSY ON LAST
DAYS SESSION.
M. E. Delegates Evade Re-
vision of Ritual, but Name
Commission for That Pur-
pose; Bishops Get Raise.

Minneapolis, Mimi, May 29.-Dele-
gates to the general conference Of the
Methodist Episcopal church today
evaded the question Of revision Of
the ritual which last night caused
much confusion. The conference
ordered commission to prepare re-
vision of the ritual and present it at
the 1916 convention. The conference
also indorsed the district nominations
for members of committee of the
church organizations which to great
extent will have charge Of the churchs
affairs in the next four years.
Among other things accomplished
today were:
Increased salaries of bishops from
IS, 900 to Sc, 500, of which $1,000 is for
living expenses and $500 for secre-
tary's hire.
Refused to be influenced by senti-
mental consideration in favor OF the old
name presiding elder" and ordered
that the term district superintend-
ent" adopted at Baltimore in 1908 be
retained.
Announcement also was made that
a $4,000 gift to the board Of confer
ence claimants of the church had
been made by donor whose name
was not divulged.
The conference by vote Of 524 to
45 adopted the report Of the episco-
pacy committee favoring "bishop OF
races" This applies especially to. the
negro churches Of the south. The
question Is referred to the annual and
lay conferences of the next four years
and comes up for final action In 1916.
The districts into which the Meth
odist Episcopal church is divided,
have completed their nominations Tor
members Of the three standing COM
mittees OF the chur III which will have
I In charge the chief business OF the
church during the coming quadren-
mum.
The names will be presented to the
general conference for approval some
time before the adjournment. which
is scheduled to take place at l o'clock
today. The final adjournment may be
somewhat later, however, as numer-
GUS reports are to be adopted or
rejected.
The following with the conference
from which they come, are the nom.
nations for the book committee which
is called the backbone e of the
church.: silas Pierce, New England;
John Handley, New Jersey; ]. &.
Shepard Wyoming; w. F. Conner,
Pittsburg; r. T. Stevenson, Northeast
Ohio; J. A. Patten, Houston; M. s..
Davage, Louisville; Hanford Craw-
ford, ST. Louis; H. M. Havner, Iowa;
Joe Bill, Central Illinois; c. e. Bacon,
Indiana; J. S. Alland. Northern Min
nesota; w. E. Bletich, Chicago Ger
man: Rollo V. Vatt California; W..
Wandusen, Idaho.
On the general committee, one min
lister and one layman from each dis
trict are chosen and on the Epworth
league board one, either minister or
layman from each district
On the book committee devolves
the work Of deciding the place Of hold
Ing the next general conference and
while it probably will not be decided
until some time in 1915, numerous
requests already have been received
from various cities for the privilege
of entertaining the 1916 session.
Among those seeking the conference
are: Portland, Ore; Colorado Springs,
Colo; Washington, D. c.; Chicago and
San Francisco. AS the 1908 meeting
was held in Baltimore and the 1912
session here, it is thought probable
the 1916 gathering will go to some
city in the south or west.
Charges and counter-charges, accu-
sations and denials, and for fifteen
minutes the din of Methodist hymns
sung on the floor Of the general con-
ference for the purpose Of preventing
the recognition of any speaker last
night delayed the transaction of the
business of the Methodist Episco-
pal conference.
The trouble arose with the submis-
sion of the report of the committee on
revision Of the ritual of the church.
Some sections of the majority report
had been adopted when the minority
of the committee objected that 1t had
q report to be heard.
The question of whether the words
dust to dust should be left in the bur.
ial service was discussed, and was
laid on the table.
After the confusion had subsided a
motion was adopted striking the mat
ter from the records.
Among things which the conference
later did are:
Provided for commission on
church union.
Appointed commission to join in
protest conference to discuss affairs
of churches represented.
Refused to make automatic retire
ment Of bishops at seventy third
birthday effective at the close of the
next general conference instead of at
beginning, as previously adopted.
The announcement also was made
that w. A. Rankin, Of Anarga, Ill, was
the first of twenty who had contribut-
ed $4,000 of $4,000 for the general
educational fund established by the
conference