The Montgomery advertiser., 1902-09-14
Genealogical and
Historical Department.

I Historical Department. 2
Observation-Disclosures
that Chapters shall be aentitled to re-,
tain one-half Of the annual dues pau
to them But members who have re-
signed do not pay dues to any Chsptel.
So the Chapters have no claim on tne
dues, Of old members who have become
at-iarxe. 10, that plain? Therefore the
old members who nave resigned from
Chapters, but who remain In the Ma
tionaI Society, pay 81 per year to the ma
tional treasury. So much OF resisnauohs.
THE same rule holds good to some
etxent with regard to members droppeo
from CHAPTERS for s1on-payment OF dues.
As the Chapter can not admit members
to the Society. by. itself. SO 1t can not
drop them from the Society by It's own
action merely. Moreover the Constitu-
ton expressly states, ARTICLE VIII, Sec
ton 81, that no one shall be dropped
from the rolls by the National Board
OF Management until two notices OF ar
rears three months after notice OF ar
she may be dropped after being in ar
rears, three months after notice or ar
rears has been sent her. Consequently
when Chapters report members as
dropped for non-payment OF dues. the
National Board can not also drop them
until notices of arrears have been sent
As soon as practicable after notice IS
received from a Chapter that members
have been dropped from the Chapter,
separate notice Is sent to each SUCH
member stating that she is no longer
a member of such or such Chapter
and asking II she intends to remain In
the Society. With this letter is bill
for her delinquent dues and request
for speedy reply. II the lady pays
up, there Is nothing to be done but to
record her as a member-at-large in good
standing. Il she takes no notice of the
bill we wait until the next season OF
sending out at-large bills and then send
her the second notice. II this also Is
disregarded. she is dropped from the
rolls.
Now the last Congress passed an
amendment in regard to the re-instate-
ment of dropped members, to the effect
that members-at-large dropped for nom
payment of dues may be reinstated
through their respective Chapters upon
payment of all back dues to the Chap
tiers and the Chapters are to pay to
the National Society 81 for each year Of
delinquency of such member Hereto
fore, on the ground that those not Chap
ter members must be at-large members.
my ONCE has always required all those
who desire to be reinstated to pay to
this ONCE 81 per year for each year or
delinquency, and then we issued to them
transfer cards to their Chapters show
ing that all dues had been paid to date
Of transfer. Under the new amendment,
those who have been dropped for dues
can bse reinstated in the same Chapter
on payment of 81 for each year to the
Chapter Treasurer, who will then for
ward to me but 81 just as she would
have done had they never been dropped.
But. as I understand it, IL such mem
bers should wish to join other Chapters.
they would send to my Office 81 per year
for the delinquent years and l could
then re-instate them in the Society and
Their, transfer them to the new Chapter.
For obviously. they could not be re-irf-
stated in a new Chapter.
TT would seem that the new amend
| ment applies only to dropped members.
| So 1t would seem also to be to the ad-
vantage of the Chapter to drop all those
| in arrears rather than to let them re-
sign. For If members resign in arrears
the Chapter. can claim no part of the
dues for the delinquent years. In case
such members decide to return. And II
they resign in good standing. even then
when they wish to return to the same
Chapter, the Chapter can claim no part
| Of the dues for the years of their alb
sence. 1t all goes to the National Soci-
| ETY.. II is a curious state of affairs that
| dropped members reinstated should
stand on a better footing than resigned
members should isn't It? But that seems
| to be the plain wording Of the case
And l may add that this. Is the opinion
| of the lawyer whom consulted upon
the matter. He SAYS the new amendment
applies only. to dropped members and
does not at all cover the cases of re-
signed members. So they seem to stand
on the old footing.
'.As stated at the Congress. did
not oppose the new amendment. but
did not approve II, because | dislike all
half-considered tinkering with the laws
about fees and dues. Unless very care
fully considered. they make more con-
fusion than the old laws, which of course
had their faults, but were comparatively
simple on the whole. / do not like COM
plicated laws. difficult to explain.
However, as soon as the Chapters UNI
derstand that it is more to their adj
vantage to drop delinquent members
than to let them resign, ! expect to have
an avalanche of dropped members re-
ported to me. For there are many Chap
ter members carried on Chapter rolls.
from year to year, never paying one
cent Ard / cannot deal with them be-
cause Of the rule that Chapters must
collect dues from their own members.
So there these names stay. year after
year. and then Congress wonders why
there is such a difference between the
number of members on the rolls and
the amount of annual dues received.
an the January Board meeting of 1897.
the then Registrar General asked that
some Delinquent member be allowed to
come back into the Society as a new
member, by giving up her old certificate
and national number and starting anew
like any new member and paying but
So and the board allowed this to be done.