The Indianapolis journal., 1903-04-28
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To-days statement begins by announcing
that the following letter has been sent to
Mr. Walter p. Phillips:
'Sir-The undersigned members of the
National Red Cross, In answer to your
notification of their suspension, deny. your
legal power or authority to suspend them"
This letter, as well as the general public
statement, which is elaborate, is signed by
the twenty-three suspended members, as
follows: John NJ. Wilson, Mabel T. Board
man, Mrs. ]. Ellen Foster, Mrs Sarah A.
Spencer. Bessie ]. Kibbey, A. c. Coffman,
Simon Wolf, B. II. Warner, N. L. Tanner
Mrs Henrietta NJ. Rose. Thomas F. Walsh,
Amy l.. Wolf, Hetty Harrison. William H.
Mussey, Elizabeth T. Pierce, Mary B.
Hague, F. NJ Ramsay. w. X. Van Reypen,
John w: Foster, III. A. Herbert and Har-
riet Blaine Beale.
CHARTER VIOLATED.
The suspended deny the authority Of Mr..
committee is proceeding under bylaws il
legally adopted, and which bylaws con-
travene the charter of the society by pro-
viding in their very first article and section
that the annual netting of the American
Red Cross shall be held each year, the
time and place to be determined by the ex-
ecutive committee whereas Washington is
the proper place." and the new bylaws
violate the purpose and intent of the
charter granted by Congress in that they
constitute a system which invades the
chartered rights. if it does not practically
dlsfranchise all the members of the asso-
ciation, except the few whom the president
may appoint on committees; and, as one
person may serve on several committees
1t is in the power of the president to COM
NIT all the real power of the corporation
into the hands of less than one-tenth of the
memberships"
After further comment on the new by
laws, the statement continues: These
bylaws, which begin by asserting the pow
er of the executive committee TO remove
the home of the American National
Red Cross from the District of
Columbia. in which Congress de-
clared il should be, ended by vesting ef-
fectively in one person all those powers
which Congress intended should be exer-
cised by the corporators il had named, and
their successors; with an added provision
that rendered them practically irrepeal-
able. Such system, we submit would not
meet the approval of the American people,
even III these bylaws had been regularly
adopted after fair debate. But, secondly,
these new bylaws were not, we insist,
fairly or legally adopted.
The extent of our offense is, and the
new bylaws seem to have been designed
to punish this offense at present and pre-
vent Its repetition in the future, that we
ventured TO criticise the business methods
of the society. to insist that these meth
DDS should be improved. and that there
should be more complete accountability,
so that the philanthropists. who give and
raise money for charitable purposes should
have more implicit faith in the efficiency
OF our organization and make IT, not only
useful in relieving the evils of war. but
what IL has not been for some years past
the great practically one. conduit for their
donations for the mitigation of. in the IAN
guage of our charter. the sufferings caused
by pestilence. famine. fire. floods and other
great national calamities.
NO ATTACK ON MISS BARTON
The members deny the charge that In
their efforts to effect reorganization