The Savannah morning news., 1903-02-24
CONGRESS OF D. A. R.
WARM CONTEST FOR PRESIDENT.
GENERAL.
MRS. FAIRBANKS is OPPOSED
BY MRS. DANIEL MANNING AND
MRS. MCLEAN.

Contest Against Mrs. Fairbanks is
Based Upon the Contention ThaS
She is Barred by the Constitution.
Her Friends Insist That the Con-
StitutiOnaI Restriction Cannot be
Considered as Retroactive-AbOut
I,GaO Delegates and AIternates
are in Attendance.
Washington Feb. 2S-The twelfth
Continental Congress of the Daughters
of the American Revolution convened
in this city to-day. Many of the lead
ers of the organization were present.
Approximately, 1000 delegates and al
ternates from all the states of the
Union attended. The congress will be
in session throughout the week, and
already bids fair to be marked by sew
eral warm contests, the principal one
being over the office of president-gen-
eral.
Mrs Charles W. Fairbanks is a can
didate to succeed herself for the sec
ond time. She already has served one
term as president-general and one term
before that as vice president general,
and the opponents to her reelection
claim that her tenure in both offices
operate as two continuous terms in the
meaning of an amendment to the con-
stitution inhibiting the officers from
serving more than two continuous
terms. The advocates of her re-elec-
ton contend that the amendment was
not retroactive, and that she is, there
fore, eligible.
Mrs Daniel Manning and Mrs. Dom
aid Mclean, both of New York city,
will be conspicuous in the campaign
for president-general The election
will take place Thursday.
The features of to-days proceedings
was the address of welcome of Mrs.
Fairbanks, the response by Mrs. Mary
P. Montgomery of Oregon, which took
place this morning, and the ceremony
or raising on the site of the memorial
Continental Hall the flag presented to
the society by the Sons of the American
Revolution of Washington.
The afternoon session was ushered
by a lively tilt over the question of
seating on the floor of the congress all
mates to the state regents. The mo-
ton to that effect was made by Mrs.
Robert E. Park of Georgia, who, with
Mrs. Donald Mclean of New York, led
the affirmative side of the debate, while
Mrs. A. G. Draper of this city led the
negative. 1t was finally voted to seat
the vice regents in the absence of the
regents themselves.
Edwin Warfield of Baltimore, presi-
dent general of the Sons of the Ameri-
can Revolution, made an address in
which he paid high eulogium to Pres
idents Washington, Lincoln and McKin-
ley. He arraigned Congress for not
having appropriated money for the erec-
ton of Continental Hail.
An interesting feature of the days
exercises was the raising of flag on
the site 0f the proposed Continental
Hall, at ,--e corner of Seventeenth and
D streets, northwest. This occurred at
the conclusion of business of the con-
vention for the day. The flag was at
tached to a rope in the hands of Mrs.
Fairbanks and with cheers it was
hoisted aloft to the tune of the Star
Spangled Banner" sung by the crowd
below.
In perpetuation of the fame of the
Father of His Country the Children of
the Revolution, accompanied by their
elders of the Daughters and Sons of
the American Revolution, and about
1000 other pilgrims, made their annual
journey to the shrine of Washington
at Mount Vernon.