The Washington times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1902-1939, 1903-04-28

gether, Inconsistent with, and can find
no warrant of authority in. the purpose
and intent of the charter of this cor
por2tion as granted by Congress.
la The charter declares in section
/ that certain persons manning them.
/ and their associates and successors, are
| hereby created a body corporate and
| polite in the District of Columbia
| The District OF Columbia is. there
| fore. the legal home Of the corporation.
/ and the law is undisputed, that ne
| regular annual meetings of corpora
/ ton. az which every corporator has the
right to attend and have voice, must
/ be held within the territory which is its
/ home. The new bylaws contravene the
/ charter OF the society by providing in
! their very first article and first section
/ that the annual meeting of the Ameri-
can National Red Cross shall be held
| each year. the time and place to be de-
termined by the executive committee
Violate SOciety's Charter.
/ OBJ The new bylaws violate the
purpose and intent of the charter grant
ed by Congress, in that they constitute
a system which invades the chartered
rights, if it does not practically dis
| franchise all the members Of the asso-
| citation, except the few whom the presf-
| dent may appoint on committees: and as
one person may serve on several com
mittees. 1t is in the power of the presi-
dent to commit all the real power of
| the corporation into the hands of less
! than one-tenth of the membership. We
call attention to some of these new by
| laws Article III boards and commit
| tees
Section |. The board of consultation
provided for and 10 be composed of the
president and his cabinet is nugatory.
because the president and his cabinet
have declined TO act
| Sec. >. The national advisory board
appointed by the president of the society
may give advice, but has no power
Sec 8. The executive committee is
| empowered to appoint board OF eleven
/ trustees 10 receive endowment funds.
etc, and administer the same with Tho
/ approval Of the executive committee
Sec, p The executive COZ mittae Of five
! three TO constitute a quorum-and ap-
pointed by the president. shall have
power to conduct the affairs Of she cor
poration during the time Intervening be
tween the regular meetings.
UnameTican Methods.
| This section indicates that those who
may attend the annual meetings. at the
/ time and place agreed upon by the exc
cutive committee. shall have a voice IN
/ the conduct Of the affairs Of the cor
poration, but that very. same section goes
or to give that committee the power OF
/ expulsion. subject 10 appeal TO the an
nual meeting Two persons. the DTesi-
cent and one other. who make a ma
jority of a quorum of the executive
committee. may suspend any member
who gives. IN their opinion, good and
sufficient cause and the present sus-
pension of tweuty-tbree members illus
trates forcefuily the autocratic and an
American working of this power in The
hands Of the present committee.
There was q provision in the old by
laws. Article ", section 3. giving the
power TO suspend from office any officer
or member of this corporation subject
to appeal, but this~power could only be
exercised by a majority Of the board Of
directors of thirty, all Of whom had been
elected by the coTpOratOrs at an annual
meeting. These thirty directors were re-
spOnsible for the manner in which thcy
might discharge this extraordinary
power Of expulsion &c their fenow-cor-
porators who elect them Under the
new bylaws the FIVE in which this power
is vested are responsible to the one
person VINO appointed them
Ali Power in a Trinity.
These extraordinary powers pos
sess4 / now by three. persons. a majority
OF Eve. Or it may be by two. majority
OF a quorum UhTeeD can never be take
away from these persons without the
consent Of the preside E.. because sec
ton 3 new bylaws. provides but one
method OF amendment OF alteration
which IS at an annual meeting, where
such action Eas been announced in the
call and notice of the meeting. when
announcement the executive committee
is 10 make.
The charter of the Red Cross named
MANY pEICOHS db tOEOpOIdiOfo. all Sc
1ected because they we're presumably
fitted by character and autccedents to
advise, consult together, and 20 conduct
successfully this great iRterna onsI
corporation. which was to represent our /
country in an international assocfa ton
which is the noblesJ product of the hu-
man civilization OF this age.
'These. bylaws begin by asserting the
power Of the executive committee TO re-
move the home Of the American Ma
tlonal Red Cross from the District of
Columbia, ii which Congress declared it
should he, and by vesting eifectiveIF in /
one person all those powers which Con
gress intended should .c exercised by
the corporators it had named, and their
successors, with an added provision that .
rendered them practically irrepealabIe .
Such system, we submit, would not
meet the approval of the American peo- ]
pie even if these bylaws had been reg
ularly adopted after fair debate. But (
secondly, these new bylaws were not. !
we insist, fairly OF legally adopted.
0ftense Of athe Minority"