Evening star., 1902-02-11
THE DAUGHTERS LAWS
Contest Probable OverC Changes
in Constitution.
METHOD OF PROCEDURE
REVOLT MAY FOLLOW REDUC-
TION IN REPRESENTATION
Suggested Abolition Of Clause Regard
ing Infractions Of Regulations
in Open Sessions.


The constitution Of the Daughters Of the
American Revolution is of about the length
| of the Constitution OF the United States
and the bylaws are twice as long, but it is
| much easier to amend them than 1t Is to
effect changes in the national document
Amendments have to be proposed in writing
and submitted to one congress to be
thought over and discussed for a year and
submitted to the vote of the next congress
! The congress that does the voting will not
| have a score Of delegates who were voters
at the previous congress, but that makes
| no sort of difference.
There are seventeen amendments to the
constitution and five to the bylaws to be
acted upon at the coming congress, and the
| two instruments are only about three years
old, having been adopted after several days
| of full and free discussion In 1899.
The first amendment to the constitution,
| offered by Mrs. ]. A. Coleman of Chicago.
| ILL.,. adds clause to the eligibility for
| office" section. which declares: And no one
shall be eligible to hold office In the ma
! tional society until she has been member
| of the national society two years." Mrs.
| VIM. H. Mccartney Of Wilkes Barre. Pa,
| desires to amend this same section by max
| ing it read, mo person shall hold office
more than two terms successfully" The
clause that this is to amend reads: "4~ o
officer shall be eligible to the same office
for more than two terms consecutiyely.
| Mrs. Mccartney seeks by her amendment
to put q stop to the evasion OF the present
law by those who, having served two terms
successfully, are 10th to lay aside the ofh-
for some other office. Mrs. Mccartney says
there are few offices and many members
and it is only right that the honors shall
be passed around.
Oh,
the constitution by making the congress
meet biennially instead of annually. as
now, and have the officers elected at each
biennial session. AS the constitution now
stands officers are elected biennlally and
the congresses are annual
Mrs. Thomas Roberts wants to insert a
clause declaring that arrangements for
such continental congress shall be made by
the national board, to be appointed by the
president general, N. s. D. A. R." Under
the present constitution the national board,
it is said is kind of 'Poobah.'
Mrs. Draper's Amendment.
Mrs. Bell NJ Draper of Washington is
also after the national board, and has an
amendment to offer. The clause she OBJ
jects to, and the one. which makes the ma
tional board all powerful, is as follows:
Section g The national board Of man
agement shall be an administrative body.
| They shall carry out the ordering Of con-
| gress act upon applications for member
| ship, fill vacancies in office until the next
meeting of congress, prescribe rules and
regulations for their own government while
| in office and in general do all things neces-
| sary for the prosperity and success or the
| society, subject, however, to the approval
| of the continental congress"
Mrs. Draper would amend by striking
out this section entirely and replacing 1t
| with the following:
1.-The national board of management shall
be an administrative body. They shall
| carry out the ordering Of the congress;
| prescribe rules and regulations for their
own government while In office. All 'ac-
| tions shall be considered valid unless dis
approved by the continental congress-
| It is said there will be a very pretty
fight over his clause. as there is growing
| desire to curtail in some way the always
| increasing power of the national board.
Mrs. Draper also offers an amendment
| changing the time of payment of dues
from February q to October IL of each
| year.
Others Who Desire Changes.
Mrs. Alice Bradford Wiles, state regent
of Illinois, offers two amendments. one to
| the clause on arrearage in dues, and the
| other having reference to the manner OF
| indorsing amendments for presentation to
! the continental congress.
| Mrs. e. Ellen Batcheller, state regent of
New Jersey. proposes to amend the con-
stitution SO as to make the opportunities to
| tear it to pieces less frequent, and would
have constitutional amendments offered
only once In three years.
1t is said there is considerable dissatis-
| faction over the matter of annual dues.
Under the present laws one-half the dues
OF chapters and one-haif OF the life mem
bership fees are given to the national Or
ganization. Two amendments are offered
| to this section. One by Mrs. C. B. Bryan
| Of Tennessee is as follows: 1.-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
| to be sent to the continental 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 in
stead Of one-half.
Matter Of Representation.
The battle Of the congress, however, will
center about the question of representation
The representation in the continental con-
gress has grown enormously under the
constitutional provision for representation
as follows:
Section g. The continental congress of the
National Society shall be composed OF all
the active officers OF the National Society
one state regent from each state and the
regents and delegates Of each organized
chapter in the United States
section 8. Each chapter shall be entitled
to be represented at the continental con-
gress by its regent or her alternate.
1.-THE chapters shall be entitled to be rep
resented by their regent and one delegate
for the first fifty members: when one hun
dred members are attained, to still be rep
resented by but one delegate. This to ap-
ply to all chapters.
"After the first hundred the representa-
tion shall be in the ratio Of one delegate to
every subsequent one hundred.
"An alternate shall be elected for each
chapter regent and delegate"
The congress of the D. A. r. Is now COM
posed OF about 800 voting members and as
many alternates. 1t Is said that In another
year there will not be an audience chamber
In Washington that will hold them. The
body Is 80 big that no ordinary voice can
reach all. and consequently the outer rim
Of delegates is constantly complaining of
being unable to hear. Those who cannot
hear will not keep quiet. consequently the
congress Is q noisy body. Three Of the
amendments have reference to the restricl
ton Of the representation.
Some Of the Suggestions.
Miss Janet Richards Of the District Of
Columbia would amend the section as fol-
lows:
Sec. 2. Amend by adding after the words
zone state regent from each state the
words land four additional representatives,