The daily morning journal and courier., 1903-12-09
INVESTIGATION OF RED GROSS
REQUEST OF THE OPPOSITION IS
 GRANTED.

NOt Uno or Ghe Vvcnty-tkEee Former
 Members Who Were suspended and
 Later Welcomed to Return, Present. aa
 Annual Meeting-Report of Clara
 Barton.
 Washington, Dec. s.-The American Red Cross Society, in annual meeting here to-day. decided to grant the re- quest of the opposition for an inyesti gation as to the condition of the work of the society. Not one of the twenty three former members who were sus- pended and later welcomed to return was present at the meeting. Those present declared that they welcomed an investigation and unanimously agreed that the Investigating committee should be appointed by Hon. Richard Olney, former secretary of state and now gen. eral counsel for the Red Cross
 To-days gathering was the fourth annual meeting since the national char ter was granted in 1900, At the request of Miss Clara Barton, the president of the society, former Secretary Olney presided.
 Miss Barton's annual report said that the organization had cause for grati- tude that so little of relief of great dis asters and still less of war had claimed attention during the year Of the dis sensiofi iff the ranks CT the society sine said:
 "Fortunately, our storms have been confined to ourselves. They have dis turbed no other country, swept no other coast. Tn all our existence never have such marks of sympathetic friendships and encouragement come across the sea to us as during the present year; and the international committee of Geneva, through it's published bulletin to all na- tions, finds space for pages of unbroken approval of the Red Cross of America. :"
 The report of the secretary, samuel w. Briggs, showed an increase in mem bersIip during the year of 1SO. Edward Howe. superintendent of the First Aid department, whose efforts were directed toward the mitigation of the horrors of our great industrial struggle in which day by day men and women are being killed and naimed.
 The report of the committee on a new set of by-laws was adopted. It chang ed the annual meeting from December to January The most important change, however, is in the election of d board of trustees who shall have the immediate government of the society. This change, it is said, really subtracts from the power of Miss Barton in the society and meets with favor among the 'touts,'' although 1t was explained by one of the formers friends that her power was not lessened as her friends were on the board. The article relating to the board provides that the iname- diate government and conduct of the affairs of the corporation shall be vest ed in a board of thirteen trustees, of whom the president shall be one ex-o6i- cio. The remaining twelve are to be elected annually for one year. In ad- dition to regular meetings they are to meet on the call of the president or up- on call signed by majority of the board. The board is to select an execu- tive committee of five who when the DOard IS not III StSSlOIl IS #GO 6hSIClSS all the powers of the full board
 When the amendments came up for discussion it developed that Secretary Briggs held the proxies of 197 members of the society, and that and that the husband of one of the suspended fnem- bers made some sarcastic observations on the subject, that he objected to the carpet-bag method by which the society had secured such vast number of proxies.
 The board of trustees elected is as fol- lows: Senator Hoar, Hon. John G. Car lisle, Hon. Richard Olney, Hon. George B. Mcclellan, General Miles, Eugene D. Fiske, Samuel M. Jarvis, s. B. Hayes, Charles A. Baker, F. V. Degrauw, $. w. Briggs, Miss Clara Barton, and Mrs. John A. Logan. Miss Barton was re- elected president of the society for life,
 A number of new members were elect ed to-day including the following: Miss Margaret Carnegie, New York city, and General and Mrs. Greedy.
 The meeting adjourned sine die.
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