As Adopted in 1869, Modified in 1875, and Adopted Each Session Since. 1. The Conference shall meet at 81⁄2 o'clock A. M., and adjourn at 12 M., but may alter the time of meeting and adjourning at its discretion. 2. The President shall take the chair precisely at the time to which the Conference stood adjourned, and cause the same to be opened by reading the Scriptures, singing and prayer, and shall have the journals of the preceding day read and approved. 3. The President shall decide all questions of order, subject to an appeal to the Conference; but, in case of an appeal, the question shall be taken without debate. 4. He shall appoint all committees not otherwise specially ordered by the Conference, but any member may decline serving on more than one committee at the same time. 5. All motions and resolutions introduced by any member shall be reduced to writing, if the President, Secretary, or any member of the Conference requests it. 6. When a motion, resolution or report presented, is read by the Secretary or stated by the President, it shall be deemed in possession of the Conference, but any motion or resolution may be withdrawn by the mover, at any time before action or amendment. 7. No new motion or resolution shall be made before the one under consideration has been disposed of, which may be done by adoption or rejection, unless one of the following should intervene, which motions shall have precedence in the order in which they are placed, viz: Indefinite postponement, lying on the table, reference to a committee, postponement to any given time, or amendment. 8. No member shall be interrupted when speaking, except by the President, to call him to order when he departs from the question, uses personalities, or disrespectful language; but any member may call the attention of the President to the subject when he deems the speaker out of order, or any other member may explain when he thinks himself misrepresented. 9. When any member is about to speak in debate, or deliver any matter to the Conference, he shall rise from his seat and respectfully address himself to the President. 10. No person shall speak more than twice on the same subject, or more than fifteen 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. II. When any motion or resolution shall have passed, it shall be in order for any member who voted with the prevailing side, to move a reconsideration. 12. No member shall absent himself from the services of Conference without leave unless he is sick or unable to attend. 13. No member shall be allowed to vote on any question who is not within the bar of the Conference at the time such question is put by the President, except by leave of Conference, when such member has been necessarily absent. 14. Every member who shall be within the bar at the time the question is put, shall give his vote, unless the Conference, for special reasons, excuse him. 15. No motion shall be considered unless seconded, 16. The Secretary shall keep a journal of the proceedings of the Conference, and, when approved, shall record them in a book provided for that purpose. He shall take charge of the journal and other papers of the Conference, and preserve them with care; suffer no person to take a copy of any paper during the interval of Conference, except with the consent of the Conference; and shall forward the journal and papers to the next Annual Conference. 17. A motion to adjourn shall be in order at any time, and shall be decided without debate. 18. No preacher shall bring any charge against any member of this Conference until he has first given him information of the same, either by letter or otherwise, ten days in advance, if practicable, so that the accused may have an opportunity for defense. 19. When any brother intends to object to the passage of another's character, it shall be his duty to hand the name of the person against whom objections are to be made to the President of the Conference. [The Conference, Sept. 8, 1873, ordered the previous question on a pending motion, thus establishing a precedent.-Secretary.] |
