The Birmingham age-herald., 1922-05-13
NEW CHURCH UNION NOW LOOMS AT HOT GS MEETING.
UnheraIded Suggestion Made of Federation With United i Brethren Meets With
 Hearty Approval

Hot Springs, Ark. May 12.-A new church union Of proportions loomed among the possibilities tonight as a result of an unheralded suggestion
 made to the nineteenth auadrennial Agenera1 conference of the Methodist t.Episoopal Church, South. here today
 that the denomination join interests Rwith the church of the United Breth- sSen in Christ.
 { The suggestion came through s,Bishop H. H. Tout of Indianapolis. tfraternal messenger of the United
 Brethren, who told the conference ss1hat he was empowered by the bish- Aops of his denomination to say that lihny steps toward federating on the ipart of the conference here would Aneet with, their hearty approval.
 That the suggestion was coming ywas known only to few of the Ehigher church officials, and 1t created $a demonstration which continued sev- eral minutes. The conference voted Ito send the suggestion to the commit Etee on church relations and official k opinion tonight was that a commits sion would be appointed to represent the conference sand negotiate with Ecommission to be named by the fTnited Brethren conference, which Nsits q few months hence.
 All conference officials were of the bsopinion that q wide new field for Fdiscussion had been opened up. and s1here was much speculation over the kpossible effect of today's suggestion lupon proposals for unification of the northern and southern branches of . Methedism. Many officials were of 4 the opinion that a triple merger haG been made more probable. and de- scribed the territory of the United t.Brethren church as forming link sbetween the northern and southern Methodist churches. The United Brethren church has membership eof about 400.000 and has interested 2 in many middle western aNd eastern { states, including Kansas, Missouri. Iowa, Indiana, Ohio and Pennsyl- vania. It operates a large publishing house at Dayton, o.
 In presenting his message to the yconference, Bishop Fout reviewed the Ahistory of his church, asserted that edts origin and principles were strik- ingly similar to those of the Metho- dist Episcopal, South.
 Bishop Tout was heard near the end of a business session at which the conference, after sharp debate, 6 to elect five new bishops at this time A fight led by pr. A. C. Millar of Little Rock to increase the number to seven failed. as did a proposal to reduce 1t to four. The conference defeated, without roll call. amend ments to that effect, and adopted the committees report by a large ma -jority
 ~ In speaking for his amendment, pr. Millar was applauded by the confer snce when he suggested that legisIa- tion should be enacted at this ses- sion requiring bishops and certain other officers of the church to live in the district which they represent. Of- ffcials expressed tho belief that such legislation probably would be placed before this conference.
 The conference today received greetings from the Methodist churches of Japan and Canada through their fraternal delegates. Dr. Naniro Yanfgahara and s. B. Bland of Toronto. The devotional address was delivered by Bishop U. V. w. Darlington of Huntington, W. Va, and Bishop H. NJ. Dubose of Berkely, Cal, presided over the session,
 The evening service was in charge of the Epworth league, with pr, Ivan L. Holt of St. Louis and pr. Paul IS. Kern of the Southern Methodist university, Dallas. Tex. the principal speakers.
 Committees continued to work un- til far into the night but no an- nounoements were forthcoming as to which ones will report tomorrow. It was understood that the committee considering reorganization of the general board of missions had ten- ratively decided to recommend the
 appointment of commission to study the question. The conference has been memoralized to separate the body into three district boards. one having charge of the foreign field. one taking care of the home field and one with Jurisdiction over women,s work.