May 14. TWELFTH DAY. Rules for Committee on Ap peals amended. Special mittee. Com Report No. I. Committee on sion. Resolved, That the Rules of Order be so far amended as to admit of the following orders for the action of the Committee on Appeals, namely: 1. That the Committee be divided into two sections in alphabetical order, all names from the letter A down to and including the letter H to constitute the first section, and the names below that in the alphabet to be included in the second section. 2. That these two sections alternately, beginning with the first section, be charged with the appeal cases pending before the General Conference. 3. That the quorum for the trial of an appeal be reduced from twenty-one to fifteen. 4. That a Fourth Assistant Secretary of the General Conference be appointed. This resolution was adopted, and, on nomination of Henry Slicer, George B. Jocelyn was appointed Fourth Assistant Secretary of the General Conference. Bishop Clark also announced the following Special Committee on the Invitation to adjourn to Springfield, namely: D. Curry, E. O. Haven, H. Bannister. On motion of A. J. Kynett, the rules were susChurch Exten- pended to permit the presentation of a report from the Committee on Church Extension. J. M. Reid, Chairman of that Committee, then submitted Report No. I, being an amended Constitution of the Church Extension Society. It was laid on the table, and ordered to be printed. Conferences called. The roll of Conferences was called for the presentation of miscellaneous business, and it was introduced and disposed of as follows, namely: NEW ENGLAND. Depository in Missionary Secretary for New England. NEW ENGLAND CONFERENCE. L. R. Thayer offered the following resolutions, and they were referred, the first one to the Committee on the Book Concern, and the second one to the Committee on Missions, namely: Resolved, 1. That the Committee on the Book Concern be instructed to consider the propriety of better accommodations and greater facilities being furnished for the greatly increased business of our Book Depository in Boston, and what means are necessary to secure such accommodations. Resolved, 2. That the Committee on Missions be instructed to inquire into the expediency of providing that an Assistant Missionary Secretary shall reside within the limits of the New England Conferences, and devote his attention and work especially to promote the interests of the cause of missions in those Conferences. D. Sherman offered the following resolutions, and May 14. they were referred to the Committee on Revisals, TWELFTH DAY. namely: Resolved, 1. That the Committee on Revisals be requested to consider the propriety of adding a form in the Ritual for the organization of a new society or local Church. Stewards. Resolved, 2. That the Committee on Revisals be requested to Election of consider the propriety of so amending the Discipline relating to the appointment of Stewards that in charges where none exist the society shall have authority to elect. The amended section would read thus: "Page 108, ans. 1. In societies where no Stewards exist they shall be chosen by ballot by the members of the Church at a meeting appointed for the purpose, in which the Presiding Elder of the district shall preside. 2. In all other cases the Preacher having charge," etc. Whereas, 3. The Bishops' address and the section in the Discipline on the origin of the Methodist Episcopal Church treat on the same general subject; therefore, Resolved, That the Committee on Revisals be instructed to consider the propriety of inserting the section on the origin of the Church in the Bishops' Address after the words "Eastern States," page 5, provided the Bishops approve the change. William Butler offered the following preamble and resolution, and, on motion of Henry Slicer; they were referred to the Committee on the Itinerancy, namely: Origin of the M. Whereas, This General Conference has removed the restrictions Removing under which some of the Home Annual Conferences of our Church were laboring, and has granted them representation in this General Conference; and Whereas, It is the decided and growing conviction of our ministry and membership that the prayers and unity of our work in foreign lands, the harmony and prosperity of the missions, and also the confidence of our beloved and faithful missionaries in the impartiality and fostering care of the General Conference, all point to the necessity of recognizing that the time has now fully come when our Foreign Mission Annual Conferences should realize, without distinction, equality of rights with the home Conferences under the law and constitution of our Church; therefore, Be it resolved by this General Conference, That the Mission Annual Conferences in India, Africa, Germany, and Switzerland be and they hereby are released from their present restrictions, and are endowed with all the rights, powers, and privileges of other Annual Conferences of the Methodist Episcopal Church. Gilbert Haven presented the following preamble and resolutions, and they were referred to the Committee on the State of the Country, namely: Whereas, The most important act to which the Government of the United States, in its judicial capacity, has been called in all its history is near its consummation; therefore, Resolved, That the General Conference of the Methodist Episcopal Church, now in session, solemnly and earnestly invokes upon restrictions from Mission Conferences in foreign lands. Prayer for the May 14. TWELFTH DAY. the Senators of the United States the blessing of Almighty God that they may be guided aright in the great responsibility now devolving upon them. Resolved, That we hereby devote the hour from eight to nine o'clock to-morrow morning to prayer to our God and Saviour that he may imbue our Senators with firmness and wisdom, and so direct them in the duty which they are about to discharge that his righteousness and peace may spring forth before all nations. G. Haven then moved that the Committee have leave to retire, but the motion was laid on the table, one hundred and twenty-seven voting in the affirmative. NEW JERSEY CONFERENCE. On motion of J. B. Dobbins, the following resolution was referred to the Committee on Revisals: Resolved, That the Committee on Revisals be instructed to consider the expediency of so changing the Constitution of the Committee on Tracts, appointed by our Quarterly Conferences, Discipline, Part V, section 4, paragraph 3, page 235, as to make the Pastor ex-officio chairman. The hour of ten o'clock having come, the usual business of Conference was suspended, the order of the day was taken up, and Bishop Morris took the chair. On motion of R. H. Pattison, the time of the session was extended. At this stage of the proceedings the Rev. WILLIAM MORLEY PUNSHON, A.M., delegate from the British Wesleyan Conference; the Rev. EDGERTON RYERSON, D.D., LL.D., delegate from the Conference of the Wesleyan Methodist Church in Canada; and the Rev. MATTHEW RICHEY, D.D., delegate from the Conference of the Wesleyan Methodist Church of Eastern British America, came upon the platform accompanied by the respective Committees appointed to introduce them. The credentials accrediting them severally to this body were then read, after which they were introduced to the Conference by the President. The Address of the British Conference of 1865 having been read by the Secretary, the Rev. Mr. Punshon delivered a speech of great beauty and power. At its close the Rev. Thomas Bowman, D.D., moved the following resolution. namely: Resolved, That the thanks of this General Conference are due and are hereby tendered to Rev. William Morley Punshon, A.M., the honored delegate of the Wesleyan Body in England, for the very able and eloquent address to which we have just listened with so much pleasure. This resolution was unanimously adopted by a rising vote of the Conference, the vast congregation joining therein. [For Address and Speech, see Appendix B, II, III.] At the request of Bishop Morris, Bishop Janes resumed the chair. May 14. TWELFTH Day. Thanks to Mr. Punshon. ence, The Address of the Conference of the Wesleyan Canada ConferMethodist Church in Canada was read. The Rev. Dr. Ryerson then addressed the Conference in a lucid and able statement of the condition and prospects of Canadian Methodism. The Rev. Daniel Curry, D.D., moved the following resolution, and it was unanimously adopted by a rising vote, namely: Resolved, That we do hereby tender our thanks to Rev. Edgerton Ryerson, D.D., LL.D., a delegate from the Conference of the Wesleyan Church in Canada, for his very interesting and deeply instructive address. [For Address and Speech, see Appendix B, IX, X.] The Address of the Conference of the Wesleyan Methodist Church of Eastern British America was read, after which the Rev. Matthew Richey, D.D., made a very interesting and instructive address to the Conference. The Rev. D. P. Kidder, D.D., then moved the following resolution, and it was unanimously adopted by a rising vote of the Conference, namely: Resolved, That we do hereby tender to our brother, Rev. Matthew Thanks to Dr. Richey, D.D., delegate of the Conference of the Wesleyan Methodist Church of Eastern British America, our warmest thanks for his interesting address. Richey. [For Address and Speech, see Appendix B, XIII, XIV.] The Secretary then read the Address of the Irish Wesleyan Conference. [For Address, see Appendix B, VII.] At the close of these services the business of Conference was resumed; and Bishop Simpson, with the May 14. TWELFTH DAY. A season of concurrence of other Bishops, read the following paper for the consideration of the Conference: Whereas, There is now pending in the Senate of the United prayer for to- States the most important question which has ever engaged its attention; and morrow. May 15. Morning. Day of prayer. Afternoon session ordered, Whereas, The evidence and pleadings in this case have been fully spread before the people so that all may form an enlightened opinion; and Whereas, We are deeply impressed that upon its rightful decision will largely depend the safety and prosperity of our nation, as well as the religious privileges of our ministers and members in many parts of the South; and Whereas, Painful rumors are in circulation, that, partly by unworthy jealousies, and partly by corrupt influences, pecuniary and otherwise, most actively employed, efforts are being made to influence Senators improperly, and to prevent them from performing their high duty; therefore Resolved, That we hereby appoint an hour of prayer, from nine to ten o'clock, A. M., to-morrow, to invoke humbly and earnestly the mercy of God upon our nation, and to beseech him to save our senators from error, and to so influence them that their decision shall be in truth and righteousness, and shall increase the security and prosperity of our beloved Union. After the paper was read, on motion of F. A. Blades, the vote adopting the substitute of R. S. Foster yesterday was reconsidered, and the substitute was laid on the table, when, on further motion of F. A. Blades, the preamble and resolution were unanimously adopted. On motion Conference adjourned. After the Doxology had been sung, the Benediction was pronounced by Paul R. Brown of the New York Conference. FRIDAY MORNING, MAY 15. Conference met this morning, Bishop Scott in the chair. The usual religious services were conducted by W. Reddy, of the Oneida Conference. In pursuance of the order taken yesterday, the religious services, consisting of singing and prayer, were continued, the following brethren leading the devotions of the Conference in prayer: R. H. Pattison, T. H. Pearne, and Henry Slicer. The hour for the special service having expired, the Journal of yesterday was read and approved. On motion of J. S. Porter, it was agreed that when Conference adjourn it adjourn to meet this afternoon at half past two o'clock. |