New-York tribune., 1903-04-28
RED CROSS DISSENSIONS.
Suspended Members Issue a State
meRt to the Public.


ed members Of the National Red Cross have is
sued to the public statement showing the legal
status. they view il. of the executive
Inittee of the society. which suspended them a
special committee was appointed. consisting Of
Simon Wolf. ex-Secretary Hilary A. Herbert, Miss
Mabel F. Boardrlan Mrs. ]. Ellen Foster and B. H.
Warner. colate all the facts at their command
to show the abuses that nave been practised by
the old management, and the unbusinesslike man
ner in which the finances have been collected and
disbursed-" Another statement embodying the
suits of this special committees work will be made
public
the following letter has been sent 70 Walter P.
Phillips:
Sir: Ths undersigned members Of the American
National Red Cross. in answer TO y?ur notification
thority suspend them. Yours respectfully.
Thi, letter. as well as the general public state
ment, which Is elaborate. is signed by the twenty
three suspended members. as follows.
E;Io2 Iehn ~ u WiTGn R2a: Mabel @ B0eEdHan Mrs
Eibbe, = C-offTs f - yK7yf IS II fTstT =
\. /; Tanner Mrs Henrietta y Rose. Thomas F
Michael. Anna R CowIes, Ellen Spencer Massey.
En- Eza2sth T IP;ercs y Mary 3 Hague F NJ Ram
Herbert and Harriet Blaine Beaie
The suspended members deny the authority of
Mr.. Phillips's committee 10 act and say that
nittee is proceeding under bylaws illegally adopted
ana which contravene the charter Of the society
by providing in their very first article and first
section that the annual meeting of the American
National Red Cross shall be held each year the
time and place TO be determined by the executive
committee whereas Washington is the proper
meeting place. and that the new bylaws violate
the purpose and intent of the charter granted by
Congress il that they constitute a system which
nvades the chartered rights If it does not practi-
caIy cisfranchise all the members Of the associa-
ton. except the few whom the president may ap-
point on committees; and as one person may serve
on several committees, it is in the power of the
president TO commit all the power Of the cor
poration into the hands of less than one-tenth of
the membership
After further comment on the new bylaws" the
statement continues
These BYLAWS. which begin by asserting the power
the American National PED Cross frno The Disfrfot
Of Columbia in which Congress declared it should
those powers which Congress intended should be
exercised by the corpo7atoEs it had named and
dered them practically irrepealabie. Such system
American people even if these bylaws had been
regularly adopted after fair debate. But. second
these new bylaws" were not. we Insist, fairly or
The extent Of our offence is. and the new bylaws
seem TO have been designed TO punish this offence
al present and prevent its repetition in the future
Of the society to insist that these methods should
be improved, and that there should be more com
plete accountability so that the philant hrop sts
who give and raise money for charjtabIe Purposes
our organization. and make it not only useful in
relieving the evils Of war but what It has not been
conduit for their donations for the mitigation Of in
the language OF charter, the sufferings caused
by pestience. famine, fire. foods and other great
national celamities-''
The members deny the charge that in their efforts
TO effect reorganization Of the association along
brIsinesske lines they are attacking Miss Barton
The statement then takes up the circular sent
out by Francis A1water. representing Miss Barton
in October 1902, asking for proxies because the
latter was desiroUs of having some slight changes
made in the bylaws. and declares that his letter
misleading and that the changes made at the
December meeting following were radical and revo-
lutionary-
II IS asserted that the new bylaws'' were rushed
through without opportunity for explanation, and
the statement concludes:
The known misleading effect Of Mr.. Atwater's
letter the minds Of the members who did not
attend the meeting. but could and would have done
Il they had known the facts the pro5a bic effect
conduct Of the friends OF these bylaws the
ing when L IS claimed. they passed.
enough, submit, when taken all together. to in
validate them q body We therefore insist that
were acting not against but for the best in
terests Of the Red Cross when stated 10 Con-
gress, which gave charter. how that charter
had been Used Unless present methods are aban-
COreG the society cannot retain pubic confidence,
which IS essential its success For making such
q protest 70 Congress and for that alone. twenty
three OF have been suspended BY a committee, Of
which three or on occasions two may constitute
quorum. This is the consuuamation up to which
these new bylaws have led
From the above plain statement Of facts the pub
lie viii judge for itself OF the extent to which the
OF debate to stricter methods OF accounting
controlled II the preDa ration OF the new bylaws
and in the selection 0; the methods by which these
bylaws were put through