The age-herald., 1902-02-14
PROPOSED CHANGES IN
 D. A. R. CONSTITUTION

l The constitution of the Daughters of 1 the American Revolution is said to be about the length of the constitution of the United States, and the bylaws are twice as long.
 At the forthcoming continental congress of the D. A. R.'s there are seventeen amendments to the constitution and five to the bylaws that will be acted upon. Among the proposed amendments, as re- gently given in a Washington paper, is one offered by Mrs J. A. Coleman of Chi cago. and adds a clause to the eligibility for office" section, which declares: And no one shall be eligible to hold office in the national society until she has been a member of the national society two years" Mrs. William H. Mccartney of Wilkes Barre Pa, desires to amend this same section by making it read 'No person shall hold office more than two terms successiveiy." Tine clause that this is to amend reads; No officer shall be eligible to the same office for more than i two terms consecutivey." Mrs McCart- i ney seeks by her amendment to put a
 stop to, the evasion of the present law l by those who. having served two terms 1 successvely. are 10th to lay aside the
 official toga and immediately proceed to stand for some other office. Mrs. Me- | Cartney says there are few offices and
 many members, and it is only right that
 the honors shall be passed around
 Mrs. Hamilton Ward wants to change the constitution by making the congress meet biennially unsteady of annually. as now, and have the officers elected at each biennial session. As the constitution now stands officers are elected biennially and the congresses are annual.
 Mrs. Thomas Roberts wants to insert clause declaring that arrangements for such continental congress shall be made by a joint committee from the congress and the national board. to be appointed by the present general, N. S., D. A. R." Under the present constitution the na- tiona board, it is said, is a kind of "Poobah
 Mrs. Alice Bradford Wiles, state re- gent of Illinois. offers two amendments enc on the clause on arrearage in dues and the other having reference to the manner of indorsing amendments for presentation to the continental congress
 Mrs. k. Ellen Batcheller. state regent of New Jersey, proposes to amend the constitution so as to make the opportuni- ties to tear it to pieces less frequent, and would have constitutional amendments offered only once in three years.
 It is said there is considerable dssatls- faction over the matter of annual dues. Under the present laws one-half the dues of chapters and one-half of the life mem bership fees are given to the national organization. Two amendments are of fered to this section. One by Mrs. c. B. Bryan of Tennessee is as follows: 'The local chapters shall be entitled to retain three-fourths of chapter dues each year until Continental Hall is an assured fact; then all dues from every chapter in the organization shall be sent to the conti- mental fund for one year.
 Mrs. J. c. Mckenzie wants the chapters to send one-third of their dues and life membership fees to the national society instead of one-half.
 The battle of the congress. however, will settle about the question of repre- sentation The representation in the con- unental congress has grown enormously under the constitute nal provision for representation IS follows.
 Section ?. The continental congress of