A MANUAL OF THE DISCIPLINE.

CHAPTER I.

THE CONFERENCES.

SEC. I. THE GENERAL CONFERENCE.

1. AT the first, those traveling preachers who had stood out a certain probation and met at the appointed time and place, whether many or few, constituted the General Conference, which then possessed unrestricted powers. In 1808 there were five hundred and forty traveling preachers, and one hundred and twenty-eight of that number, being present, constituted the General Conference. Satisfied of the propriety and utility of the system, they resolved to confirm and perpetuate it. "To this end," says Bishop McKendree, "they constituted a delegated General Conference, formed a constitution, and so limited and restricted the powers of their representatives as to preserve the system of gov

ernment inviolate, and secure the rights and privileges of all the members. The General Conference, thus constituted, is invested with full powers to make rules and regulations for the Church, under certain limitations and restrictions,' and to enforce those rules by means of the General Superintendents, who are amenable to them for the administration.”*

Joshua Soule, who drafted the Constitution, said, in 1824: "The General Conference held and exercised unlimited power until 1812, because they met en masse, and not by virtue of their election or delegation. This was felt to be a dangerous state of things, and unfair to the more distant portions of the work. And one great, controlling motive in introducing the representative principle was to lessen the danger of sudden and violent changes in the fundamental polity of the Church, by establishing a delegated legislative body, under restrictions - thus insuring stability to the organic institutions, and equality in representation. It matters not by what name these restrictive rules may be called; [he called it a 'constitution;'] the design and effect were to take questions enumerated from under the control of the delegated Conference, except in the way and manner specified." (Life and Times of McKendree, Vol. II., p. 38.)

After the ministerial convention of 1784, at which the Methodist Episcopal Church in America was organized, there was no similar meeting till 1792. "A few

*Life and Times of William McKendree, Vol. II., p. 362.

years' experience," says Bishop McKendree, "taught the necessity of revising and perfecting the system of rules. For this purpose a General Conference was called, and met according to appointment, Nov. 1, 1792, and was continued, by adjournments, once in four years, until May, 1808, which was the last General Conference of this description. . . . Sundry alterations and additions were made at those five Conferences; but the principles and constituent parts of the system remained unaltered." (Pp. 360, 361.)

2. The General Conference of 1866 initiated measures for changing the composition of that chief judicatory of the Church, which had before been entirely of ministers, to include an equal number of ministers and laymen.

On April 23, the following resolution was adopted(ayes 95, nays 50):

"Resolved, That it is the sense of this General Conference that Lay-representation be introduced into the Annual and General Conferences."

A Committee, composed of one from each Annual Conference, was appointed by the delegations severally, "to bring in, at an early day, a plan for effecting this object." On May 2, the Committee's report, slightly amended, was adopted by the General Conference, (ayes 97, nays 41,) and subsequently incorporated into those sections of the Discipline treating of the General and the Annual Conferences. The report of the Committee was considered to involve constitutional alterations; and having received the recommendation of two-thirds of the General Conference, they were sub

mitted to the Annual Conferences for their concurrence as provided. (Journal, pp. 62, 63, 108–110.)

Accordingly, the report was laid before the Annual Conferences succeeding, and on April 16, 1867, the College of Bishops, assisted by the Book Editor, counted the vote, and announced the following result: Ayes 1199, nays 371. The proposed alterations, having been concurred in by three-fourths of all the members of the several Annual Conferences present and voting, were pronounced carried, and went into effect. (Records of College of Bishops, p. 29.)

3. The Bishops preside in the General Conference, and sign the Journal. The personal order of presiding is a matter of agreement among themselves. The one in the chair, for the time being, is the legal President of the Conference.

4. The rights and privileges of reserve, or alternate, delegates, regularly appointed, and appearing in the place of the absent principals, have not been questioned since A.D. 1812. Of course, they are subject, in their appointment, to the same conditions and qualifications as their principals.

Reserve delegates appeared in the first delegated General Conference. In the examination of the certificates, in order to organization, a case was brought forward respecting some of the delegates from New England. It seems they elected three extra members,

who were to succeed and take place, in case of the failure of any of the first chosen delegates. The Conference took into consideration the propriety of the principle, and, after some debate, voted that this business should be laid over till to-morrow."

On the next day, (May 2,) the consideration of the question was resumed, and this "motion" passed: "Are our brethren from the New England ConferenceJoel Winch and Daniel Webb-entitled to their seats in this Conference?" Ayes 56, nays 22. "They accordingly took their seats in the places of John Broadhead and Elijah R. Sabin. (Journal of General Conference, 1812, pp. 98, 99.)

At the General Conference, 1866, Bishop Pierce having stated that by mistake the Georgia Conference elected only twelve delegates, when it was entitled to thirteen, on motion of L. M. Lee, H. H. Parks was recognized as a delegate, and Alexander Means (reserve delegate) was recognized as a delegate in place of William J. Parks, whose place had been previously filled by H. H. Parks. (Journal, p. 30.)

5. The majority of "two-thirds of the General Conference," required by the constitutional proviso for recommending the alteration of a restrictive rule, is not two-thirds of all the members elected to the General Conference, but twothirds of a legal quorum or more, who may present and voting on any question.

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The legal quorum was fixed in 1808, at "two-thirds of the representatives of all the Annual Conferences."