Show LAWS OF IW E CHURCH PROPOSED CHANGES OCCUPY ATTENTION AT-TENTION OF CONFERENCE Report of the Special Commission Appointed Four years Ago to RevIse Re-vise Laws Is Presented Chicago May 12 Proposed changes In the organic law of the church again came to the fore at todays session of the Methodist Episcopal general conference I ference by the presentation of the report re-port of the special commission appointed I ap-pointed four years ago to revise the law Section 1 of article 3 of the constitution I con-stitution as presented by the chairman chair-man of the commission was approved and articles 1 and 5 providing for the II issuance of credentials were also adopted without dispute Delegate George Elliott of Philadelphia Philadel-phia met defeat In an attempt to secure se-cure still further recognition for laymen lay-men lie worked In a resolution to make laymen and local ministers eligible eligi-ble as bishops a privilege at present confined to traveling preachers or elders I Delcpilc Neeley also of Philadelphia nrosen made a motion to table Dr Elllolfs resolution which was done amid applause showing the prevailing opinion that ministers alone should be made bishops The section of the book of discipline requiring a separate vote of ministers and laymen on questions Involving changes In the book was ordered l stricken out by the passage of a resolution reso-lution introduced by Delegate Douglas The committee on the state of the church headed by cxGov Pattlson of Pennsylvania sent a quartette secretaries sec-retaries of organized benevolences on the anxious seat by introducing the following report We recommend that there be but one general secretary for each of the organized benevolences of life church who shall be the executive officer This proposition cuts off four general secretaries serving on annual salaries of 1500 each the mission society now having three secretaries and the church extension society and Freedmans Aid society two each The board of bishops appolnled the following committee to consider changes in the organic law during the next quadreiuiium J M Buckley D II Moore T B Neey J W Hamilton Hamil-ton J L Hayes W R Warnock C W Smith M B Leonard C B Loro F M Simmons J W Goucher W II Shlror A J Wallace and G II Brldg man Inability of the committee on episcopacy epis-copacy what to do In the cases of several sev-eral bishops whose retirement is dls cussed made it impossible to report today The curiosity of the spectalnrs was wholl < jd up for the report that had been ordered presented today hut the committee was allowed an extension of time until Tuesday |