The commercial. (Union City, Tenn.) 190?-193?, 1903-08-21
CONSTITUTION Z M21aeE ED

the Tulane Hotel in Nashvill,
marks a change in that organiza
tion. which has for some time
been conducted merely as junk
citing association, with the sole OBJ
7ect of an annual free summer
outing wherever the railroad,
would carry its members, with nc
special concern about who com
prised the membership. In fact.
it was said that on the Western
trip little more than a year ago,
out of a party of one hundred
and twenty only about twenty were
bona fde newspaper men. From
this and the general conduct of
the association grew a revolt
which developed into magnificent
proportions at the regular meet
ing in Chattanooga last June. The
constitution was made the point of
attack, and after a lively battle of
giants, resolution was offered
calling a special meeting to be
held in Nashville on the 18th of
August to revise the constitution.
George Stanfll, of the Dyersburg
Herald, led the fight. The presi-
dent declared the motion out of
order. An appeal from the de-
cision of the chair was taken and
sustained, and the resolution
adopted. When the meeting was
called to order in Nashville, Mr..
StanfIl was on the floor as chair
man of the committee on revision,
and made a motion that the asso
citation 90 into committee of the
whole to consider the amendments.
This was passed, when Mr.. Hass
lock raised the point of order that
amendments to the constitution
could not be considered. This
point was ruled out of order.
The constitution was then read by
articles and sections, such portions
as had been revised, and after a
few strenuous objections at the
start, was adopted exactly as the
committee had revised it. Mr..
HassIock, leader of the opposi-
ton, discovering that he was max
ing a useless fight, retired frop
the hall, and from that time on
the victory was an easy one. The
revision consisted chiefly of the
exclusion of monthly publications
and ex-presidents of the associa-
ton who had permanently retired
from the business. The new con,
stitution requires the association
to be composed of editors and
publishers of general news publ
cations issued as often as once
week, and draws a safety line
around its members in the manner
of holding proper credentials. A
business meeting was also pro
vided for, to be held in Nashville
not later than March of each
year, when the association NAV
proceed to secure, by way of
legislation or otherwise, some
practical benefits accruing from its
organization.
This is getting back to original
principles and the association may
now, instead of being a mutual
admiration society for the promo
ton of uninterrupted frolic and the
general distribution of free rail
road transportation to everybody
with no respect to calling, become
a newspaper association for the
prevention of the high-handed
methods of patent. medicine men,
interlopers and enemies wishing to
strip the business of legitimate
fruits of labor. The boys are
now paving the way for new and
progressive regime of newspaper
dom in Tennessee, and we believe
they are filled with a laudaole am
bition in the movement.
By the way, we believe the thanks
of the association are due Mr..
StanfIl for the skill and courage
with which he has generated the
fight, and take occasion to suggest
that vote of thanks be rendered
him with the promise of some
4b;ncr Of q mora CuhCtantial natIro