Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1899-12-12
IT MAY Be LIVELY
Meeting Of George Washington Me-
mortal Association This Week.
Two WARLIKE CIRCULARS
Claims ofthe Contending Elements
in the Organization.
rflr
THE PRESIDENTIAL QUESTION

THE PRESIDENTIAL QUESTION
The George Washington Memorial Asso-
citation, which has for its principal object
the construction of a magnificent memorial
hall in this city to serve as the administra-
ton building and nucleus of a national
university built upon the lines suggested
by the immortal Washington. meets to-
morrow morning at 10 o'clock in the ban
quet hall of the Hotel Raleigh. AT this
meeting the association will choose pres
ident seven vice presidents, a treasurer,
recording secretary, corresponding sec
rotary, two trustees and such other officers
as may be deemed essential Reports will
be heard and the future policy of the asso-
citation decided upon. A further purpose of
the meeting is to commemorate the thought
and provision of George Washington for
higher education, and finally to act upon
certain amendments to the bylaws. Thurs
day evening the association will hold me-
mortal exercises at the Lafayette Square
Theater, concentrating the one hundredth
anniversary of the death of Washington.
While the association meets al a time in
the nations history which is most closely
linked to the very being of the organization
In the national ceremonies of tribute to
tiic btdu w dSHlliSt ION IEdl are 10 De nGlu
the country over Thursday. and it would
seem that a feeling of peace and forbear
ance would o'crspread all. there Is, on the
contrary, very substantial evidence of in
ternal disagreement in the association
which will doubtless burst into flame at the
forthcoming meeting, having srnoldered
now for nearly year
As matter of fact, there Is a decided
difference of opinion in the organization as
to the policy to be pursued in the future,
and as to the management at present and
In the past. The members Of the associa-
ton have known for some time that there
was a lack of cooperation. they say.
among the governing officials. To every
difference there must needs be two sides.
quietly during the past year a factionaI
night would appear TO have grown in the
association until now practically all of the
membership is allied, it is claimed, on one
side or the other
The cash. much talked of in private
became an open clash last month, T'1en
the near approach of the annual meeting
led TO Il test CT strength on the part of one
contingent. A war which it is believed
VIII be fought to a conclusion at the meet
ing which begins tomorrow, is anticipated
In a circular mailed recently to charter
members Of the association. dated New
York, November 81 The circular is adj
dressed to Fellow workers in our COM
mon cause" and its initial paragraph rca is
as follows:
War Circular.
This circular is addressed to you by the
members of the popular fund division of the
a. association, In the hope that their repre-
sensations may bear fruit in your prompt
efforts to cooperate with us in the work of
rescuins the corporation from threatened
miscarriage and failure"
The circular is signed by Mrs George y.
Wentworth. who refers to the followin;
me nhers of the popular fund division. ways
ana means committee, George Washington
Memorial Association, as to the correctness
of the statements contained therein: Mrs
William Cullen Brewster, Mrs, William
Charles w. Mackey. Mr.. Ethan Allen. Mr.
Louis Prang. Maj. A. S. Cushman, Mr.. J.
Theodore Odell, Mrs. Townsend Allen
helen La Dite Potter. Mrs. f. Dudleigh
Spencer. Mrs. Henry Frank. Mrs. Richard
II, Savage, Mrs, Roza |, Odell, ''and other
Continuing, the circular, which 1t is
hardly necessary to mention has stirred up
dreadful commotion in the association,
says:
1T is not To be concealed that differences
Of method and of administrator have
within the last year in a measure paralvzed
the work of the association During this
period the executive has been hammered
ana its authority assumed by certain Off
GERS OF the corporation. who have taken
upon themselves so mans functions as to
create monopoly Of the powers of the
body, leaving the president and her sup
pGrtcrS in condition of enforced inaction
anu lJdllldl OnShtctSS, winch should be "
planned to the charter members, in whose
hands the ultimate management of the cor
poration rests"
1t is declared in the circular that an ex-
ccutive committee was constituted to act
Instead of board of trustees. Giving the
personnel of this committee, the circular
proceeds thus: AT least one of these off,
GERS could not be legally member Of the
executive committee. for the reason she is
not. and has not been. a member of the
board of trustees. Another of the members
has never acted with the committee, and
the three others have taken from the execu-
tive all right of initiative, and have denied
TO the presidential office the means and on
portunities OF success. The officers in
question have taken upon themselves the
duties of as many as six different offices "
The officers referred TO are boldly named
in the circular. with their several titles op-
posite. The interesting document then
gives in detail an account of the receipts
and expenses of the memorial association
of this year and of 1898, drawing this re-
suit:
In the year 1895 there was received for
the building fund tas the result of the eff
forts put forth and the expenses incurred
the sum Of S6.32S. "A. the gain in return for
the expenditure Of 81 ,7S622 being s692S a.
In the year 1899 there has been received for
the building fund, the result of the ex-
penditure of 81. 66673. only 81, l}63s'' The
circular adds TO the expenditures Of this
year the sum of 5000 which, it says. must
be appropra ed for Office rent for the re-
VI tHe SedI anu lpf lHe present
meeting AMI memorial celebra ton, thus
bringing the total expenses of the year up
to s.. 268. 10.
THAT is to say" continues the circular.
the net sum gained for the building fund
since the above usurpation Of the powers
of the association has been less than the
amount expended therefor by s13035. I'm
der the policy pursued, though the building
fund has been augmented. that fund has
not received in the year 1891 a sum equal
to the expenses Of the association for the
same period of time"
After some comment upon these figures
the circular reads:
what Will the members of the George
Washington Memorial Association do in
of the facts here stated? The
n embers of the popular fund division de-
sire that the conditions above described
shall cease, and that the administration
shall be restored to the effectiveness which
ii displayed in the year 1898. This can be