Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1896-07-16
THE NATIONAL RIFLES
Differences of Opinion as to the Company
Property.
Old Members Want to Get the Benefit
of It-Arrnnging for O Friend
IL Suit.

proposed change in the form of charter of
the organization have resulted In several
recent publications. The property owned
by the organization and the disposition to
be made of 1t seem to be the cause of the
present disagreements. as stated in yes
terday's Star, arrangements have been
made to take the affairs of the company
into court by means of a friendly suit.
A Statement From the Majority.
Following is statement of the facts in
the case. prepared by representative of
the majority Of the organizations:
For the last four or five years efforts
have been made by several of the charter
members TO close the corporation, and to
that end they discouraged. by every means,
the recruiting of new members. one of the
ofhcers having gone SO far as to warn the
recruiting committee that it would be dan
gerous to present the name of any appli-
cant to the company until the property
question was settled. 1t is proper to add
here that the National Rifles are possessed
OF much valuable property. that 1t is a cor
3oraton which expires by Limitation in
lsG,leaving its then members its joint heirs.
The object in thus putting an end to re-
cruiting is very apparent to even the most
unmercenary mind. Thus members desr-
Ing to keep the ranks of this famous or
gamzation up to its normal strength of
for fear it would not be received, or, If so.
would be acted upon adversely. This has
been no secret. and thus the organization
dWlndled down to about sixty-nine MEN,
berS, many of them now old and past the
military age This is SO true that when the
younger element voted to send a team to
the interstate drill at St Louis just one
year ago only twenty-eisht men out of
these sixty-nine were found capable and
willing to perform the necessary military
service: and the company was obliged to
invite and carry to st. Louis, at it's own
expense. sixteen outsiders. who kindly came
IN. temporarily, for the purpose of helping
out this once vigorous organization. Thus
Il would seem that 1t is the property ques-
ton and the fear that others might come in
to reap benefits therefrom that has been
the bone of contention. So a committee
was finally appointed In 1894 to draft
tew constitution, confirming the corporation
TO the members then the rolls in good
standing. Though this action was opposed
by several of the members, at the meeting
in January. 1895, 1T was signed by every
member OF the organization The subject
was supposed to be at rest until 1902 Ar
ticle VIII of this constitution. on the own
trship of property, which is the subject of
the present controversy. reads as follows
No person shall be a joint owner of the
property of this corporation, nor entitled
10 share in its distribution IL such dis
tribution sh al hereafter take place unless
he be member of the corporation, as set
forth in section OF article III of this con-
stitutfon. Article III, relating to member
ship states that no person shall be a MEM
Der of this corporation who was not an
active member Of the National Rifles jan
uary /, 1926. whose name is not signed to
this constitution. and who was not free
from Indebtedness TO the National Rifles
at the date of signing
There were siXty-nine men. the entire
membership of the organization, who sign
ed this agreement. In about one year, on
account of death, unavoidable absence
from the city and other vicissitudes, this
membership was reduced toisixty-four. At
this rate of loss, which is not high
one. considering the age of a large number
OF the members, the membership, when
1902 shall have arrived, will have been re-
duCed to nearly one-half, who would thus
reap a pecuniary advantage from the death
and misfortunes of their comrades in arms.
This Is an application of the cruel doctrine
of the survival of the fittest, which, to the
credit of the National Rifles, appealed TO
but a small minority. Thus. another COM
mittee was appointed to inquire into the
legal status of the corporation and to re-
port back to IT whether bonds or certifi-
Gates of stock could be issued to the mem
bers. and, if SO. how, and thus vest the
property in the present membership, so
that they and their heirs would be pro-
tected, and thus allowing the majority. who
have the military reputation of this old
organization at heart, to recruit 1t up to it's
normal strength
ION May 8. 1896, a special meeting was
called at the armory to consider the report
then to be made by Mr.. T. ]. Pickett as to
whether the corporation could be bonded
or not At this meeting resolution was
introduced by DIR. c. Neil Barry with a
view of issuing bor.ds as per the plan sug-
gested by Mr.. Pickett. After much discus
sion the resolution was referred, by a vote
of the members of the committee of ten,
consisting of Mr.. F. j. Pickett, chairman;
F. P Harrington. secretary: Clayton E.
Simms. J. Henry Small jr., c. Neil Barry,
D.; JOS II. Curran. Henry K. Simpson.
Arle W. Starck, James F. Oyster and J.
Harry Cunningham with instructions to
consider that and such other plans as
might be suggested by any other member.
ard to report back to the corporation. For
the consideration of this committee two
other plans We're offered by Messrs. Henry
K. Simpson and Geo. w. Evans. respective
ly. both looking to a distribution of shares,
though in different ways. After several
meetings the committee, by vote of nine
members, one being too Ill to attend sub
mitteG their report, adopting the resolution
of DR. Barry. and asking that a friendly
suit lie entered into in o-der TO obtain a
judicial decision from a court of competent
Jurisdiction as to whether it might be car
ried out or not, and suggesting that the
objections 10 1t. as set forth in the plan of
Mr.. Evans. which differed practically from
the resolution of DIR. Barry only in that
shares should be issued in proportion to
length of term of service, should be urged
against the said resolution, to the end that
a decision might he obtained on that point.
he resolution also provided that counsel
be appointed by the board of directors for
each side of the question.
Thus. contrary to the recent articles in
TIE daily press the issue at the meeting
July not whether the financial state
of the present corporation should be
changed before the expiration of the char
ter in 1902 but whether il should be done
as per the report of the committee appoint
ed by the corporation, and in sequence of
the articles on ownership of property and
membership. before quoted. and which all
Evans. In which he and the small minority
VINO supported the same seem totally TO
ignore the agreement referred to, and dated
January j, 1898, and attested by their sig
natures This plan, during the meeting,
was offered by Mr. Evans as substitute
for the original resolution of Dr. Barry
and all, with one exception, VINO afterward
voted against the report CT the committee
voted for this substitute. which was lost
Thus Ii Is evident that all are in favor
of bonds, few of the older members how
ever, seeking more than an even share
Furthermore. the report of the committee
recommending a friendly suit was adopted
by more than Il two-thirds vote and the
minority are not. therefore. going to take
1t into court. as the articles state, but the
which adopted 1t and generously
voted the minority counsel to represent
them.
Again. among the eight members emu
merated as present and opposing. let me
say. correctly, the report of the commit