Weekly American. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1858-1858, 1858-02-27
THE WASHINGTON MONUMENT.


THE WASHINGTON MONUMENT.
oMe Editor Of ths Americans:
Acquiescing, as I most cheerfuIIy do, in the
general result Of the election Of officers and mana
gers Of the Washington National Monument So
ciety held on the 22d instant, it Is nevertheless
due to the truth of history, that the assumptions
of Messrs. Carberry and Brent, in their card, pub
lished the morning of the election, in the Intel
lipencer, and the positions taken, pending the
election, by those who controlled the proceedings
Of the Society, should be noticed and refuted
may premise that 1t must now be obvious to
the public, that the Board of Officers and Managers
whose term ended on the 22d instant, neither took
any steps nor entertained any desire to be re-
elected. There are nearly thousand members
Of the Washington National Monument Society
residing In this city, who are known to be "Ameri-
cans" by party designation, any fifty Of whose
votes could easily have prevented the change
which was made on Monday. understand that
less than thirty ballots were cast for the new
board!
further understand that but one member Of
< the late board was present at the Monument
Rooms on Monday last, TO wit: Gen. NcCalla,)
and he attended simply to meet whatever enquiries
might be made Of him by members Of the Society,
touching the condition of the treasury of the So
ciety. There was therefore neither any effort nor
any wish on the part Of the late American Board
to control the election of the 22d instant
From the scard Of Messrs Carberry and Brent
It seems that these gentlemen, on the morning Of
the 22d instant, claimed to be officers Of the 30
ciety, under an election held many years ago, and
they protested against triennial election being
held on the 22d instant They assumed that the
Irregular triennial election" must be held on the
22d Of February, 1859, and not in February 1858.
The same position was taken, it seems, by the
I'd Vice President, (Dr. w. B. Magruder,) pending
the election.
A resolution was then adopted by tie Society,
declaring CONTRARY to the fact) that as the late
Board had neglected to meet for six months, they
had forfeited their Offices; and therefore an cleo
ton of officers for one year was held This cleo
tion for one year was dedicated on the idea that
the late Board were elected to hold their respec-
tive Offices till 22d February, 1859.
All these assumptions and positions were erro-
neous as glance at the former proceedings of the
Society will show.
These positions, in fact, were taken for the pur.
pose of maintaining the original assumptions of the
Board of ls49, composed in part Of the new
Board and who were ousted by the election Of
22d February, 1855. The Board which was then
displaced, by the election Of the american"
Board strenuousy maintained, in 1855, that the
Irregular triennial election" could not be held that
year, and that the election of 1855 was void.
had supposed that this oft-rcfuted assumption was
abandoned, but IL is renewed.
The simple truth is, that the opponents Of the
late american Board, have, from first to last,
taken positions on this question of the "trennial
election" utterly inconsistent with the constiu-
tional powers Of the Society. Their various posi-
tions, too, conflict, one with another. Let me ex-
anime them.
Messrs. Carberry and Carroll say, in their card,
Of 22d instant that the Irregular triennia meeting
cannot be constitwtionaliy held till 22d February
1882" and that they are respectively officers Of
the Society, holding over.
The constitution, it is true, provided originally
for elections to be held on the 22d of February,
1885, and on the same day triennially thereafter.
II this provision were imperative, and if all cleo
tons must be held precisely three years apart,
counting from that day. in order to be ''constitu-
tional" this assumption of Messrs. Carberry and
Brent would be true But it SO happens that the
Society at all its annual meetings mot the Board
have unlimited control over the constitution, and
may alter it. amend It. or it chooses in its charac.
ter as Society, disregard it altogether. II Is a
voluntary association, and held together only by
continued assent. How stand the facts touching
the regular" elections'
An election was held by the Society on the 22d
of February, 1888. The next election was held
on the 24th of March, ls4li Thus there was no
election las there should have been) in 1888, nor
In February, ls4l. There no election held
22d February, 1874, las there should have been,)
but an election was held on the 26th of April ls45
Both the month and the year were thus wholly
disregarded by these stcklers for Irregular trien-
nial elections" Well counting triennally from
1885, there should have been AN election on the
22d of February, 1s+7, but none was held that
yearl These Irregular election" advocates held
no election from the 26th Of April, ls45, IA wrong
day and year, TO the 22d Of February, ls49-the
vrong year, according to their present notions Of
the constitution. And these very gentlemen,
Messrs. Carberry and Brent, we're elected uncon-
stitutionaity(i) in ls49i
Well, counting trienniplly from 1885, according
TO the words of the constitution, elections should
have been held on the 22d Of February, in the
years 1880 and 1858, whereas, in fact, these gen.
tlemen, Messrs. Carberry and Brent, and their as
sociates have held no election at all since the 22d
OF February, ls49, until Monday last, period Of
nine yearsl and they even protested against that
electonl! .ice set of men, truly, TO assume
now, after all these Irregularities, to be the cham
pions Of '''reqalar constitutional ciections'W
Inow propose to dwell somewhat upon the cleo
ton of the 22d of February, ls49, when Messrs.
Carbcry, Brent & Co. were elected officers Of the
Society. That was not regular triennial year,
counting from 1885, according to the constitution.
But unless the Society had right to make that a
constitutional election, there has been regular
constitutional election since 1885, for election
since that day has been held on the riqM day and
year, as prescribed by the consfitution. Is Il not
very remarkable, that, ON 1885 to this day,
there has been not single election held by the
Society, according to the provisions of the consti.
tuition Yet such is the fact, shown by the