Evening star., 1903-12-07
Suspended Red Cross Mem
bers' Reply to Miss Barton.
UNANIMOUS ACTION
REFERENCE TO VOLUNTARY RES
ToRATIoN TO MEMBERSHIP.
Not Regarded as Sufficient to Harmon
lie Differences-Difhcul Lay In
Method Of Administration.

|
Red Cross who were suspended from that
| organization several months ago, and who
have recently been notified that this action
| of the executive committee of the associa.
! ton has been rescinded and have been in.
vited to attend the coming annual meeting.
| have declined the invitation This action
| was determined upon at a meeting held
| Saturday afternoon at the residence OF
Miss Boardman when those present signed
| letter which had been prepared by Gen.
John w. Foster. In the course of the let.
| ter declining the invitation the outs
point out what they consider the weakness
| and inefficiency of the Red Cross under its
present management. and the lack OF con.
| f1dence on the part OF the public, and suS-
| gest that 1t ask for an Investigation BY
Congress
The letter was signed by all the twenty.
| three suspended members, with the excep.
| ton OF two or three who were out of the
| city.
Letter to Miss Barton.
The letter. addressed to Miss Clara Bar.
| ton, the president of tho Red Cross. In -
| follows:
THE undersigned who several months
ngo received notice Of their suspension from
the Red Cross. are in receipt Of a circular
from you In which you state that the az.
ecutive committee. at your instance, ana
not deeming the matter of great import.
ance. have rescinded the vote by which
that committee had suspended US. You
refer to this action as being brought about
by you with the view to 'harmonze exist
ing dfferences-and to make the Red Cross
Corporation an efficient instrument Of the
benefcient objects 1t is designed to serve
We beg to state that we have not con-
sidered the matter Of our suspension as of
lmD0rtanCa
considerations which have occasioned our
present relations to the corporation AZ Of
much more moment to the public than -
ourselves. and we have therefore given 10
| your circular careful consideration.
The voluntary resembling of our aus.
pension, the proposal of new bylaws cor.
recting many Of the defects We criticised Ia
those now In force, and the sending out
beforehand Of the proposed new bylaws,
are acts which prove the justc. of our
| position at the last annual meeting But Il
| Is not by such acts alone that there may
| come about 'harmonizirg Of existing DIFF.
| ferences.' The causes out Of which the
present unfortunate situation grew are rot
mainly due to defective bylaws nor to
| the manner of their adoption. TIL, two sets
| of bylaws which were in existence from
| the reincorporation In 1900 IN ii the last
| annual meeting provided for financial ae-
| ccuntability and the conduct of. business by
| elective bodies. and yet the Red Cross aid
| not prosper.
Alleged Loss Of Confidence.
THE difficulty lay In the method of ad-
| ministration and the personal character Of
| its business management. which had caused
| the loss of public confidence. This ID con.
| sp!cuously shown in the Galveston disaster.
That event, which awakened the sympathy
Of the nation. brought about contributions
to the amount Of 81 800 900. bus the Red
Cross. which under proper mana cement
should have been the main channel OF relief
received only s17.84t No portion of the
$685. 900 contributed by the chamber of com.
merce of New York passed through its
hands. The experience Of the New York re-
lief committee during the war with Spain
was such That Bishop Potter its chairman,
and q number of it's most prominent MEM
bers, have publicly indorsed the demand
that there should be a reorganization of the
financial and business management Of the
Red Cross.
Many Of the undersigned were charter
members under the act of Congress of 1900.
some were members OF the board of control
in 1900 and 1901, and the entire executive
committee o. 1902 are among the under.
signed and are in position to speak OF
affairs with some assurance. These bodies
were severally charged with the manage.
| ment of the finances and property of the
corporation The American National Red
Cross, as Its successor, was entitled to the
rights and property of the Red Cross Ass0.
citation. So far as the above named mem.
bers have information no inventory of any
property, real or personal, was ever made
or came into their possession. 1t is not
deemed necessary to repeat what has al
ready been publicly stated as to the alb
sence of any proper auditing or account
ability for funds.
THE Red Cross was organized In 1882. It
has been in active existence for more than
twenty years. The annual report to Con-
gress in January last contained the follow.
ing statement: Funds. N,702; membership,
123. No property was reported. How far
Of oh for xnhfo
it was organized may be seen by a compart.
son with other branches of the great In.
ternational Red Cross. with which 1t 10
affiliated the representative of our coun-
try, under the Geneva treaty.
THE following statistics are extracted
from the latest reports of the foreign Red
Cross: France, funds, 81 ,Sd9. .0S4: value Of
materials, 141,949; total, S2,342. 1877; doctors
and surgeons sO6; railroad hospitals. so:
field hospitals, 28. Austria, funds. 81 1872.
62S; value of ma terials. S41 $40; total, ST..
474,577; hospital supplies for 1890; doctors,
7ll; nurses, 1.OO5- Italy, funds. 1881, ,6071
value of materials, s4S9525; total, 81 ,357 .222,
war hospitals. SO; train hospitals 15; ship
hospital, 1; river hospital. 1. Germany,
Prussia and affiliated societies. funds over
s76O,OoO; supplies, etc, for over 5000 beds
for wounded; membership over 275 600. Ba.
varia, funds, 221,797: beds for 1885: doc.
tors, 1O6. Japan, funds. over S2,O00, ,O00j
membership, over SO0.OOO.
Useless to Attend.
1t Is useless for the undersigned to at.
tend the annual meeting, which will be IN
the hands Of the same management which
perpetrated the arbitrary acts that marked
the proceedings of the last annual meet
ing, supported as they will be by the
proxies held by them. 1t is admitted. how.
ever, that the failure of the American Ma.
tional Red Cross to attract and maintain
the confidence of the liberal public. or TO
properly represent our country on this great
humane body, is serious misfortune, one
greatly to be regretted, and which calls for
a searching inquiry TO its causes.
IF the conditions stated herein are
correct the public ought to know It, and Il
they are not correct the corporation should
be openly and authoritauvely vlndicated,
In your circular you seem to challenge
scrutiny of the Red Cross and its man.
agement The undersigned. therefore. pro-
pose that at the annual meeting steps be
taken to ask Congress to authorize full
and thorough investigation of the affairs Of
the American National Red Cross"