Richmond times-dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1914-current, 1916-05-16
METHODIST COMMITTEE
ENDORSES MITIGATION
Proposal Will BE Made Special
Order at Saratoga Springs
Conference To-day.
BEEN SEPARATED SINCE 1915
Union Of Northern and Southern
Branches Favored in Belief That
1t Would "Hasten Development Of
Unity World Church,"

The proposal 10 reunite the Methodist
Episcopal Church and the Methodist
Episcopal Church, South, which have
been separated since lS45. will he made
the order Of special business at to-
morrow's session of the Methodist Cen
eral Conference
The report of the special committee
dorsed the proposed unifica,ion. in the
belief that such union would hasten
| the development of a truly world
church" The report recommends that
the general conference be the supreme
governing body of the reunited church,
and that the plan Of un,fcation be
extended to any other Methods, bodies
that may desire IT, after the amalrama-
ton of the North and South branches
Of the denomination has become cNec-
tive. The report favors the orgauiza-
ton Of special conferences for the
negro membership of the church such
negro conferences to be represented in
the general conference.
Under the plan suggested by the spe-
cial committee on federation. the board
of bishops would appoint a commi ssi ion
of five bishops, ten ministers and ten
| laymen to confer with commissioners
of the Methodist Episcopal Church.
South. and the Methodist Protestant
Church. and other Methodist bodies in
the United states TO work out the ten
tative plan that has been proposed.
and in carrying forward such negotia-
lions as shall result In the proposed
unifcation and TO report 10 the next
general conference the full details of
the uniflcation plan agreed upon By the
| joint commissioners.
RECOMMENDS RETENTION
OF EPISCOPAL RESIDENCES
The episcopacy committee recon-
mended tho retention Of Episcopal
| residences at New Orleans, Atlanta
! Chattanooga, Washington, Boston
Philadelphia. New York. San Francisco.
Denver, Portland. Ore; Chicago, Gin
cinnati, Buffalo. Omaha ST. Louis,
Helena, Mont, and st. Paul The resi-
dence at Kansas City. kans.. would be
| transferred TO Wichita. kans.; that at
| Oklahoma City would be discontinued.
and new residences established at
| Pittsburgh. Pa: Detroit. Mich, and
Seoul. Korea.
| Foreign Episcopal areas would be
continued at Zurich. Buenos Aires and
Picking, and the Foochow residence
would be transferred to Shanghai.
After long discussion the conference
| voted to recommit the report without
instructions.
Another report OF the espiscopacy
| committee recommending that North
crn Africa be associated with Europe
! for Episcopal supervision was adopted.
/ Rev. +. b. Chappell, of Nashville.
/ Tenn. fraternal delegate from the
Methodist Episcopal Church, South, in
an address, urged an early amalgama-
/ ton of the various branches of method
! ism. Bishop E. H Hendrick. OF the
| Southern Church. was introduced TO the
conference to-day, and was greeted
! with prolonged applause.
TWO VIGOROUS CONTESTS
/ FORECAST IN CONFERENCE
! Two vigorous contests in the general
conference We're forecast tonight hy
the announcement that the committee
on episcopacy had voted TO make a
supplemental report recommending a
| further increase in the number OF new
bishops TO he elected. and that the com
mittee on the state OF the church had
decided against striking from the re-
| quirements for church membership the
prohibition against theaters. cards and
| dancing. Both recommendations II
was predicted by conference leaders.
would meet with much opposition
The original report of the episcopacy
| committee presented to the conference
to-day, urged the election of seven
new bishops general superintend-
! ents. which would increase by TWO the
membership OF the board of bishops
| authorized by the general conference
at Minneapolis four years ago. 1t was
recommended also that the Oklahoma
| Episcopal area be abolished, and that
| new areas he created at Pittsburgh
Pa. Detroit, Mich, and Seoul, Korea.
| The committee also urged that two
| missionary bishops one of them ne
gro, should be chosen to supervise the
| work in Africa formerly in charge OF
the two missionary bishops. retired.
! Debate In the conference developed
q sentiment against any increase in the
overhead expense OF maintaining the
board of bishops by the addition Of new
members, and the conference recon-
mended the report to the episcopacy
| committee.
The conference at special meeting
| in the afternoon finally voted, ia to
81, to recommend the election of seven
| bishops, with powers of general SUI
perintendents. and Il missionary bishop
| for Singapore. In addition to the two
! missionary bishops for Africa.
| The amusement question came up for
| action to-day in tho committee on the
state of the church which adopted a
l minority report OIL II subcommittee
| which had deliberated on the matter.
| The majority OF the subcommittee,
headed by Chancellor James y. Day,
| OF Syracuse University. recommended
| that prohibition OF theaters. dancing
| and games Of cards he eliminated,
| while the minority recommended that
the discipline remain unchanged. The
vote Of the full committee in favor OF
the minority report was 1l3 to a.
The committee OF itinerary voted to
| recommend an increase in the pensions
paid to widows Of retired ministers.
| The itinerary committee also re-
| ceived 4 subcommittee recommcnda-
| ton that women be licensed as local
] preachers, but rccommitted the meas
ure to the subcommittee. II was un-
! derstood that this question would not
get before the conference.
| Buried with Military Honors.
| NEW YORK. May 15-National