Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1903-11-07
RED CROSS MEETING
FOURTH ANNUAL ASSEMBLAGE
TO BE HELD IN WASHINGTON.
Election of Officers to Occur and New
Code Of Bylaws to Be
Considered.

| American National Red Cross to be held in
| this city at the Arlington Hotel on the after
| noon of December 8, have been dispatched
| to all members of the organization by MI.
| Samuel w. Briggs, secretary. The meeting
| Is looked forward to as one of the most
| important in the history of the Red cross
| The notices sent cut urge every member TO
attend the meeting or send proxy, and
blank forms of proxies are sent with each
notice.
The meeting will be called to order at
o'clock, and the annual reports of the OF
fcers and committees will be read. The
election of officers for the ensuing year will
take place, and the committee appointed TO
draw up for adoption new code of bylaws
will report This is regarded as the matter
of greatest Importance which will come be-
fore the members.
I A copy of the new bylaws is sent to the
members with the notices, in order that
they might famliarize themselves with the
provisions. 1t is the desire of Miss Clara
Barton, president of the society, TO nave
all the members of the organization pres
ent and she has supplemented the regular
form of notice with an address to the men,
bers.
Miss Barton's Address.
In this address she states:
Under authority given to the president
by the existing bylaws 1 some time ago
appointed Senator George F. Hoar. Sen
ator Redfield Proctor, Mr.. John G. Carlisle,
Lieut.. Gen. Nelson A. Miles and Mr. Richard
Olney a committee to consider the bylaws
of the corporation and to draft and report
such bylaws as In their judgment the pow
ers and duties Of the corporation call for.
I was led to take this step partly because
both the present bylaws and the mode in
which they were adopted at the last annual
ffrrr how hnn ri
partly because, during the past year, the
officers of the Red Cross have entered upon
some branches Of work-notably first
aid department'-not contemplated or pro-
vded for In the existing bylaws.
1.-The bylaws inclosed have now been
reported by the committee, are unanimous
ly agreed to by 1t, and are entirely
acceptable to myself They remove, 1t Is
were offered to the bylaws now In force.
They put the corporation upon an efficient
business footing, and under them all
mcEeys received and disbursed by it's Of
fcers or agents are to be duly accounted
| for and its financial accounts periodically
audited. The call for the annual meeting
| Is issued at this early date that every
member may have full opportunity to take
| part In it in person or by proxy, and Is &C
companied by a copy Of the new bylaws
| to be submitted to the meeting, that it
may be impossible to charge that the
| changes of bylaws proposed are not fully
understood by those who are to act upon
them.
Question Of suspending Members.
TT has always been claimed that the
vote suspending from membership certain
members Of the Red Cross was irregular
and Invalid. Whether that be or not, the
executive committee. at my instance, and
not deeming the matter Of great impor-
tance has rescinded the vote. This course
is taken, the new code of bylaws is pro-
posed and circulated, and the annual meet
ing is now called, with the sole purpose of
| doing everything in my power to harmonic
existing differences between members of the
| corpora ton, and to make the Red Cross an
| efficient instrument of the benefcent OBJ
| jects it is designed to serve. If in Initial
| ing these measures for a Cancellation of
opposing interests and views it may seem
| to some of my friends that I overlook just
grounds of personal OffenSe in 1mputatiOns
wantonly made upon my honor and In
tegrity, l do so knowingly and willingly
and because the cause that the American
National Red Cross is meant to promote
stands first in my. affections and my de-
sires.
ut would be strange II 1t did Motif the
cause to which I have devoted myself for
| half a century were not deemed by me
| worthy of any possible sacrifice of per-
| sonal pride or personal interest. 1t would
| be equally strange If, after so many years
| of earnest effort for the relief Of human
suffering, during which have always lived
| and moved in the full glare of the public
gaze, could not now safely trust my char
acter and good name to the care of the
American people. I am sure that I can
| that risk nothing in doing so-and If those
now at variance with me will meet me in
| the same spirit by which 1 am animated.
we cannot fail to adjust all differences to
our mutual satisfaction and to the great
advantage of the cause all should have at
heart.
IF 1t will be impossible for you to be
% f11 Al
| of the secretary, referring to the immediate
! return to him Of the inclosed proxy, duly
executed. should not be overlooked In
view of the great Importance Of the bust
ness before the meeting, it is very desirable
that every member of the corporation
should be represented either in person or