CHAPTER III GENERAL CONFERENCE 24. Location, Arrangement, etc. All arrangements for the General Conference of 1912-the selection of location, raising the necessary funds, et—are referred to the Book Committee.-Journal. ¶25. General Conference Districts Missions [in brackets] are included in contiguous Districts for representation by the respective district representatives. The figures attached to Conferences and Districts indicate the number of delegates to which they were respectively entitled in the General Conference of 1908. First District-East Maine, 4; Eastern Swedish, 2; Maine, 4; New Hampshire, 6; New England, 12; New England Southern, 8; Troy, 12; Vermont, 4; total, 52. Second District-Italy, 2; New Jersey, 10; Newark, 10; New York, 12; New York East, 14; Norway, 2; Sweden, 4; total, 54. [Porto Rico Mission.] Third District-Central New York, 10; Erie, 10; Genesee, 12; Northern New York, 10; Wyoming, 10; total, 52. Fourth District-Baltimore, 10; Central Pennsylvania, 12; Philadelphia, 14; Pittsburg, 10; West Virginia, 10; Wilmington, 8; total, 64. [Atlantic Mission Conference.] Fifth District-Central Ohio, 10; Cincinnati, 10; East Ohio, 12; Kentucky, 4; North Ohio, 8; Ohio, 12; total, 56. Sixth District-Alabama, 2; Austin, 2; Blue Ridge, 2; Central Tennessee, 2; Delaware, 6; East Tennessee, 2;. Georgia, 2; Gulf, 2; Holston, 6; Liberia, 2; North Carolina, 4; Saint Johns Piver, 2; South Carolina, 8; Washington, 6; total, 48. Seventh District-Atlanta, 4; Central Alabama, 4; Central Missouri, 2; Florida, 2; Lexington, 4; Lincoln, 2; Little Rock, 4; Louisiana, 8; Mississippi, 6; Savannah, 2; Tennessee, 4; Texas, 6; Upper Mississippi, 6; West Texas, 4; total, 58. [South Florida Mission.] Eighth District-Arkansas, 2; Kansas, 8; Missouri, 6; Northwest Kansas, 6; Oklahoma, 6; Saint Louis, 8; South Kansas, 6; Southwest Kansas, 8; West Nebraska, 4; Western Swedish, 2; total, 56. Ninth District-Des Moines, 12; Iowa, 8; Nebraska, 8; North Nebraska, 6; Northwest Iowa, 10; Northwest Nebraska, 2; Upper Iowa, 12; total, 58. Tenth District-Central Illinois, 10; Central Swedish, 2; Illinois, 16; Northern Swedish, 2; Rock River, 14; Southern Illinois, 8; total, 52. Eleventh District-Indiana, 14; Michigan, 16; North Indiana, 12; Northwest Indiana, 8; total, 50. Twelfth District-Dakota, 6; Detroit, 16; Minnesota, 8; North Dakota, 6; Northern Minnesota, 6; Norwegian and Danish, 2; West Wisconsin, 8; Wisconsin, 8; total, 60. [Black Hills Mission.] Thirteenth District-California German, 2; Central German, 6; Chicago German, 4; East German, 2; North Germany, 4; Northern German, 2; Northwest German, 2; Pacific German, 2; Saint Louis German, 6; South Germany, 4; Southern German, 2; Switzerland, 2; Western German, 4; total, 42. Fourteenth District-California, 12; Chile, 2; Colorado, 8; Eastern South America, 2; Foochow, 4; Hinghua, 2; Korea, 2; Mexico, 2; North China, 2; Southern California, 8; total, 44. [Arizona, Hawaii, Nevada, New Mexico English, New Mexico Spanish, Pacific Chinese, Pacific Japanese, and Utah Missions.] Fifteenth District-Bengal, 2; Bombay, 2; Columbia River, 6; Idaho, 2; Malaysia, 2; Montana, 2; North India, 4; North Montana, 2; Northwest India, 2; Oregon, 6; Philippine Islands, 2; Puget Sound, 8; South India, 2; Western Norwegian and Danish, 2; total, 44. [Alaska and Wyoming Missions.] ¶ 26. Rules of Order ORGANIZATION 1. Organization. When a General Conference shall have been convened in accordance with the provisions of the Constitution, after the Devotional Services and the calling of the roll, if a quorum be found to be present, the Conference will proceed to its organization by the election of a Secretary by ballot, if there be more than one nomination, and such assistant secretaries as it may deem necessary. TIME OF MEETING, RECESS, AND ADJOURNMENT 2. After the opening session the General Conference shall meet at 8:30 o'clock A. M., and adjourn at 12:30 o'clock, P. M.; but the Conference may alter the time of meeting and may adjourn and fix the time to which it shall adjourn at its discretion. A recess of ten minutes shall be taken at 10:30 o'clock, unless otherwise ordered by the Conference. THE PRESIDENT 3. The President shall take the chair precisely at the hour to which the Conference stood adjourned, and cause the same to be opened by the reading of the Scriptures, singing, and prayer, and on the appearance of a quorum shall have the Journal of the preceding session read and approved, and see that the business of the Conference shall proceed in the regular order, according to these Rules of Order and other rules and regulations adopted by the General Conference. 4. The President shall decide all questions of order. subject to an appeal to the Conference, and in case of such appeal the question shall be taken without debate, except that the President may state the grounds of his decision, and the appellant may state the grounds of his appeal. 5. The President shall appoint all committees, unless otherwise especially ordered by the Conference. 6. On assigning the floor to any member of the Con ference, the President shall distinctly announce the name of the member to whom it is assigned and the Annual Conference he represents. ORDER OF BUSINESS 7. The regular order of business shall be: (1) Devotional services. (2) The reading of the Journal and action thereon. (3) The calling of the roll of Conferences in alphabetical order for the presentation of appeals, resolutions, and miscellaneous business, for immediate consideration. The person introducing a proposition under this call may speak to it if it be seconded; after which a motion to refer, if made, shall be entertained and be decided without debate. But immediately after the motion or resolution has been presented, and before the person who introduces the proposition has spoken, the question of consideration may be raised by a member saying: "Mr. President, on that I raise the question of consideration." The question of consideration shall then be put without debate, and if there is a two-thirds vote against consideration, the proposition shall not be entertained. (4) Reports, first of the standing and then of the select committees; provided, always, that each call severally shall have been completed before either preceding one shall be repeated. (5) Miscellaneous business. DUTIES AND PRIVILEGES OF MEMBERS S. When a member is about to speak in debate, or to deliver any matter to the Conference, he shall rise and respectfully address the President, but shall not proceed until recognized by him. The member must address the chair from his place. 9. No member shall be interrupted when speaking, except by the President to call him to order when he departs from the question, or uses personalities or disrespectful language; but any member may call the atten tion of the President to the subject when he deems a speaker out of order, and any member may explain when he thinks himself misrepresented. 10. When a member desires to speak to a question of privilege he shall briefly state the question; but it shall not be in order for him to proceed until the President shall have decided it a privileged question. Questions of privilege are matters relating to the rights and welfare of the individual as a member or of the whole body; and of such an imperative character as to justify the interruption of the regular order. It shall be the imperative duty of the Bishop presiding to require the member to state his question of privilege. This having been done, the presiding officer shall decide whether it shall be allowed; and, if so, shall hold him closely to the subject. 11. No person shall speak more than twice on the same question nor more than ten minutes at one time, without leave of the Conference; nor shall any person speak more than once until every member choosing to speak shall have spoken. Provided, however, that a committee making a report shall, through its chairman, or one of its members selected by the committee or its chairman, in all cases be entitled to ten minutes to close the debate, either to oppose the motion to lay the report on the table, or, this permission not having been used, to close the debate on the motion to adopt. The committee shall not be deprived of its right to close the debate even after the previous question has been ordered, and, when a report consisting of two or more propositions has a seriatim consideration, the chairman or representative of the committee shall be entitled to the same rights and privileges on each proposition thus decided separately as he would have if the report was considered as a unit. 12. No member shall absent himself from the sessions of the Conference without leave, unless he is sick or unable to attend. |