| Show METHODIST MINISTER ATTACKS CATHOLICS claims that the roman catholic church interferes in politics and opposes american public school system negro delegates have united on choice for bishop los angeles may 9 rev dr W J bowen will be the colored bishop named by the present conference ot tho Method late in this city the colored delegates to the conference ot whom there are seventy nine in addition to three white delegates representing colored conferences have been in caucus and by what amounted to an unanimous vote agreed to concentrate their strength upon a single candidate that candidate to be dr bowen the selection of the colored candidate by their own people meets with the approval of a majority of the white delegates who favor the election of a colored bishop dr bowen who Is 48 years of age graduated with high honors from the boston school of all sciences and school of theology and has held important pastoral positions in boston newark and washington the immense pavilion in which the conference sees lons are being held bad been entirely decorated redecorated re for this mornings session by the ladles of tie los angeles methodist congregations with the choicest of california dollase and flowers and presented even a more striking scheme of color than on the opening day the first hour of session was devoted to prayer and long service and the reading of future days programs the first business that came before the conference this morning furnished a sensation rev dr J SI king of philadelphia was recognized immediately at r the devotional and took the stand upon the platform fie stated that be wisher to bring before the conference a very important matter to all methodists he commenced by reading an extract atrom a letter written by hev father peter II arnett vicar general of the remau catholic diocese of llon terey and los angeles appearing in a local newspaper yesterday and based upon an utterance of the episcopal address read before the conference by aishor foss on their last meeting in his letter rev harnett took exception to that statement made in the episcopal address that the catholic church Is opposed to the public school system of america rev dr kinq made a spirited attack upon the roman catholic church and declared that the assertions of rev harnett were contradicted by the facts in the case he elaborated to some extent upon the statement that the roman catholic church did not interfere la politics and concluded by reading resolution embodying his views upon the subjects which he desired the conference to adopt when dr king finished reading bis resolution there was a commotion among the delegates and a hum of suppressed conversation and many arlea of no no showing that there was strong dissension with the stand taken by dr king there was a score of delegates on their feet in an instant clamoring for recognition from bishop fowler who was presiding the chair lay delegate chief justice charles B lohr of the delaware state supreme court who hadaa strong speech in opposition to dr kings stand in regard to dr kings altitude upon the roman catholic opposition to the public school system in america said justice lohr 1 I am with him but I 1 believe this Is no place or time to indulge in an attack on the roman catholic church or any other church I 1 believe that lije roman catholic church Is doing a great work in this country along certain lines and we should put our bands unior it and assist it or any other church in any work of evangelization discussion was cut short by motion to refer the resolution to a committee on state of the church and up on this motion the previous question was moved which ended debate and referred the question to the committee on state of the church another matter which aroused considerable sid erable feeling amone the delegates was the resolution by a delegate from ohio asking that a detailed statement of salaries traveling expenses house rent and all other expenditures ot bishops and other general conference offlie cers be prepared and presented to the conference rev dr briscol of washington D C protested against this effort to inquire into the private business of the general conference officers he was followed by state senator mcclellan of new york who ad alse d the resolution adopted he said that the church elected bishops and other officers to devote their time to the church and not to making money by writing books if they were writing books and having them published by the book concern ho thought ana conference should know how much money was being made by them dr boyle ot pittsburg did not think the general conference should lower itself by going into lie private business of its general officers and investigating ti their private accounts the resolution was finally adopted and telegrams arc to be sent out asking for rates of expenses n each cae so that the information that is already la the hands of the boota concern and other auditing commet tees ceball be put in the hands of every I 1 member of the con torence n A recess gasthen wa taken for halt an hour after recess rev lyman B bockwell introduced a resolution on the subject of closing the gates of tha lewis and clarke exposition at portland ore on sundays he desired the conference to seek to have tho gates closed on sundays and requested that the secretary of the treasury at washington be asked to interpret the act of congress appropriating money tor the exposition upon this point on motion of senator Mo CleIlan 0 new york the matter was laid over tor one day rev dr T B neely of philadel ehla offered resolution to instruct the episcopacy committee to consider the question of assigning general superintendents for a period of four years and if so assigned would it bo practicable to continue to hold them in such districts debate on reference of this resolution to the proper committee took up considerable time after much discussion dr neely introduced a substitute providing tor the question ot constitutionality to the judiciary com matteo and the question of expediency to the episcopacy committee and athla was adopted bishop andrews asked that the con ference grant the bishops to suggest minor changes in the discipline these suggestions to bo made direct to tho appropriate corn and it was granted the conference adjourned promptly at noon six of the most important standing committees will meet at 3 this afternoon for the consideration of matters before them |
