Omaha daily bee., 1915-09-25

John n. Slater, EOldrege.
Politics" gag rule!" "unfairl"
UNJUST" "cruel!" INSULT" and
similar epithets heated the atmo-
sphere at the First Congregational
church during the opening session of
the quadrenniel conference Of Me-
braska Methodist laymen. Old
timers In the councils of the church
said afterward it was one of the live
liest sessions since the good old
shouting Methodism' went out OF
style.
The conference gets together once
every four years to elect nine delegates
to the worldwide general conference of
the church. and the heated arguments
at the first session were precipltated by
a lively and successful attempt by the
| rural delegates to put one over on the
city delegates.
Heretofore the nine delegates have
been elected direct by the state confer
ence, and generally about seven of the
nine were city men, because the city
/ candidates were the most popular and
widely known. Desiring to change the
system and have one delegate come from
each of the nine districts in the state,
q. r. Buckner OF Waverly led the sue
Continued on Page Seven-Column One)
cessful fight to have each district choose
it's own delegate to the worldwide con-
/ ference.
It was only after long and loud de-
bate, intricate parliamentary tangles,
violent assertions and considerable ex-
change of personalities that the change
was voted upon favorably by the $50
delegates who lined up distinctly on one
aide or another Of the contest between tho
city and rural pastorates. ----~+-
CitIes Want Control.
'The cities are trying to control the
delegates to the detriment OF the rural
districts" Mrs. Mary Culmer OF Carol
ton. a rural district candidate. asserted
In a lengthy and exciting speech. She
was one OF the leaders of the ruralites.
Judge W. @. Spurlock was prominent
in the stand-pat opposition TO the new
method OF election. and maintained the
! old system gave the best delegates" A
Lincoln delegate declared that the new
method was ''as cruel as any political
gag rule"
TITS an insult to us farmers to say
that the old system OF mostly city dele
gates gives the best delegates" H. w.
McFadden of Holbrook, q sandhill dele
gate, shouted. There's politics in this
opposition"
IF there's any politics. it's in your
ter denied the assertion.
1
where Do You standf
'.Are we going to be politicians or SER
wants of Godr' another westerner in
Quired.
Delegate Buckner, father Of the new
system OF election. asserted that the city
opposition was unfair and unjust"
An amendment was offered, then an
amendment TO the amendment. then a
substitute motion was made, after which
the previous question was called for and
the meeting degenerated into a free-for-
all talk-fest for a minute, while Chair
man John A. Ehrhardt Of Stanton
scratched his head.
Original Motion Passes.
A score or more of delegates all In
sisted upon recognition at once. shout
ing to each other to sit down and give
bOuSDOuy cine u CHduSo 70 thAks iutAiyi
all but the original motion were clint
mated and It was passed as originally
made The conference then took a re-
cess for a short time, to allow dele
gates to rest and get lunch.
When the conference reassembled In the
afternoon Chairman Ehrhardt ruled that
the action permitting each district to elect
its own delegate was not In accord with
church law, which requires that the state
conference as a body shall elect the dele
gates.
But he said that each district might
nominate its own candidate. who would
be then elected by the conference. un-
less the latter saw fit to disregard the
nomination and elect somebody else.
The outcome was that he conference
In each instance followed the choice of
the districts. thereby electing one repre-
sentative from each. instead OF giving the
city districts control Of the entire dele
cation. 70 the disparagement OF the rural
districts. Delegations from the latter con-
sidered that they had won a big victory
and set an important precedent.
J. A. Brown of Normal acted as
secretary OF the conference. Chairman
Ehrhardt appointed A. NJ. WalIing of
David city. Mrs. culmer and T. Z.
Young OF Ashland to be the COMMITTEES
on resolutions. ]. A Brown and Judge
Spuriock formed the committee on Gre
dentials. The chief business Of the
conference was TO elect delegates to the
worldwide general conference at Sara