The San Francisco call., 1898-12-11

teriZed by discord wrangling and violent bursts of denunciation against the pres ent method of conducting the institute. The trouble arose over the following eX- tract of a proposed amendment to the constitution, which was finally voted down after bitter contest of nearly an hour and half:
 At the quarterly meeting in December of | every year. or at meeting of the members of | the Mechanics Institute duly called for the purpose, prior to the annual election, there | shall be elected from the body of members | committee of five who shall prepare and sub | init list of candidates for trustees to serve | TOT the ensuing term.
 This committee shall be chosen in the fol- | lowing manner:
 Nominations shall be made separately, and | when seconded shall be recorded by the secre- tary. When no further nominations offered the chairman shall declare the same closed. The secretary shall then read the names of all nominees as recorded ,and the members shall proceed to ballot, each member voting for five nominees, and the five nominees receiv- ing the highest number of votes shall be de- clared the committee.
 The list of candidates submitted by this com mttee shall be known as the regular ticket. and shall be posted on the bulletin board in the library by the secretary not later than thirty days before the annual election, and shall be the expense of the institute If the ticket be not posted as above required 1t shall not be called the regular ticket
 petition.
 
 the election, notice of his candidacy signed by himself and thirty other members eligible dorse other candidates nomination. Such candidates name shall be placed upon the regular ticket in addition to those submitted by the nominating committee under the desig- nation Candidates by Petition"
 Some accused Horace Wilson, the framer of the resolution, of attempting to injure the institution by concentrating the executive power in the hands of a com mittee of five, thereby creating course of procedure allied to star chamber pro- ceedings. It was claimed that if absolute power were invested in such a committee the members could use arbitrary means in conducting the affairs of the institute by substituting, instead of the liberal form of government which now charac- terizeS it, a political ruling body that would have no other object but furthering its own interests to the exclusion of those or the institute. It was also contended that if such a resolution as that proposed were adopted member who now has all the privileges of aspiring for elective of flee would be totally ignored if he hap pened to incur the disapprobation of the men appointed to the Committee of five. I one Of the members claimed that if a man happened to be blacklisted under such regime his name would never be pro- posed before the representatives of the institute, and he would lose all existing rights as member of the organization until he could effect a reconciliation with those on the committee against him. In snort, politics would enter largely into
 
 would probably wreck 1t, as political man agement has virtually wrecked the Mer- cantile Library Association before it.
 Upon the defeat of the proposed amend ment motion was made to have it di- Yfded, emitting that portion relative to the proposed. scheme of vesting arbi- trary power in the hands of the commit tee Of five. After vainly endeavoring to carry the motion through it was finally ascertaned that action could not be taken on such division until the next QudrIerlY meeting. tO he held Mo- It was then proposed to advertise the intention of the revision of the original lar published by the institute for the in struction and edification of members This motion, as in fact all the motions proposed during the course of the meet ing, met with division of opinion as to the advtsability of such publication Ev- cry individual member seemed to have ms ms own views on the subject, enter ing into, eloquent arguments as to the good and the evil that would inevitably result from such action, and incidentally tmpugnfng the intelligence of those mem berS entertaining and expressing an an- tagonisuc argument to that proposed and made by him. At last it was decided to repunnsn i1iIoo the amendment as revised and give every subscriber to the institute an opportunity of reading and considering 1t before voting upon it at the next meet ing.
 After the amendment was considered and disposed of several subjects relative to the progress of the organization were prougnt before the meeting and adopted In addition to these a motion was passed providing suitable furniture for the library and the repair of that portion of 1t now urgently in need of renovation. The subject of painting the pavilion on Larkin street was considered, as was also a number of like projected improve ments, after which the meeting adjourned until next March.
 A Californian has patented an attach ment for shears used in cutting flowers of n ais Of, to1 r,Io clamped on the blades to shut and grin the stem as it is clIt off holding 1t lirttl