The Washington times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1902-1939, 1905-07-25
ITS FUTURE IS
IN THE BALANCE
I. $. Employees Retirement
Association Fading.
PANDEMONIUM AT MEETING
Differences Last Night Led to Almost
Unanimous Call fo- Sine Die
Adjournment
PANDEMONIUM AT MEETING

The United States Employees Retire
ment Association is practically dead.
AT the meeting held last night IL the
G. A. r, Hall pandemonium reigned anG
had il not been for the ruling OF Vice
President Potter in declaring the meet
ing adjourned in the face Of an alm0s,
unanimous demand TO adjourn sine
die, the last thread of life of the new
organization would nave been broken.
The meetin@ was attended mostly by
officers, members and sympathizers Of
the parent organization and scarcely had
the temporary chairman called the meet
ing to order when it became apparent
that trouble was brewing.
Investigation Committee Report.
DR.. Llewellyn Jordan presided IA the
beginning. and the first business taken
uD was the reading OF the report Of the
committee of three, which was appoint
ed at a meeting held two weeks ago 10
Investigate into the affairs and work
ings of the parent organization. Pickens
Neaglc, acting as chairman OF this COM
mittee read the report, which is. in part,
| as follows:
In pursuance of the resolution thar
a committee of three be appointed by
the chair who shall investigate the
work done by the United States Civil
Service Retirement Association, and
what may have been accomplished in
! formulating a bill 70 retire disabled or
aged employees and 10 report al next
meeting, July "a. 1903, your committee
has this TO report:
1T Is believed chat under the present
rnauagernent and methods OF the asSo-
citation the accomplishment OF the pur-
pose Of an association for the retire
ment of classified civil service employees
OF Just humanitarian and equitable
grounds will ultimately be accomplished
! The reasons for this assurance are to
be found in the character OF the work
already done by the association through
its officers and executive committee, the
valuable results attained by them in the
demonstration OF the futility of the large
number of bills offered for adoption and
passage, and the selection or ana work
ing toward those forms OF bills which
in the best judgment Of those VINO nave
given long and earnest attention 10 the
movement are best calculated TO meet
the needs of the civil service and prop
erIy care for the interests Of its en-
ployes.'
Mr.. Neagle's Committee.
After finishing the reading Of the re-
port ana tie answers OF Jacob w. Starr
to some questions the committee IL. its
investigation had propounded, Mr.. Nea-
gle presented the findings Of his COM
mittee in part as follows;
Your committee finds that the griev-
ance of those who complain against the
working committee OF the retirement as
ISOLATION Is that nothing tangible has
been accomplished in the five years u
It's existence-that is to say. that no
measure OF relief has passed Congress
nothing definite has been submitted to
that body IN the form or Dill Tor re
tirement, and that the committee has
not secured the approval by Congress or
any committee thereof or by any person
OF persons in positions or Importance OF
any chief feature or principle 10 ne EN-
bodied in the ultimate product or our
combined efforts.
III has been suggested 10 some of the
members of your committee by one per
son and another that a bill OF explicit
provisions along some chosen line shouid
have been submitted TO Congress, or 10
some Influential members thereof IN
order 10 ascertain what objections 10
such bill existed in that quarter, anu
that new bill should then have been
submitted with the Objectionable pro-
visions of the FORMER omitted or ch3i1geq
suitably and so on, until the matter had
been sifted down to satisfactory con-
diIion and DasSab!e measure evolved
Complaint is also made that the eN-
ecutive committee meetings are not at
tended uumerously, the members there
OF exhibiting but little interest IN bust
ness in hand, and that there is little OF
no creative power toward eXpedient ac-
ton or valuable suggestion in The eX-
ecutive body OF the United states civil
Service Retirement ASSOCIATION.
with the foregoing in view. the IueS-
ton Of whether the Retirement AsSO-
citation has accomplished all that could
reasonably have been expected OF it,
and, If not, why ii failed and in what
particulars lis methods were wrong and
insufficient. whether a new association
could profit better By the experiences or
the old one more than the old one itself
could and whether IL Is better at this
time 10 establish d new. Independent as
ISOLATION rather than unite heartily IN
maintaining the old one il stale Of
vigorous activity, are resolved by your
committee III favor of adhertng TO the
original association, subject 10 such re
organization, il any, as may after de-
liberation In general meeting be agreed
upon, and il is earnestly recommended
that that course be pursued.
The report and recommendations We're
accepted without comment OF dissent
Ii was then that Chairman Potter be-
came angry and when DR.. Jordan moved
that a committee of seven be appointed
to call q special meeting to meet the
demands O. this report. Mr.. Potter tried |
To rule him out OF order, saying: The
parent organization has nothing 10 do
with this one the fun began
Mr.. Neagle was then called to the
chair 20 preside while Mr.. Potter offered
l resolution which he claimed would
solve the tangible question. Mr. Pot
ter's resolution, the sum and substance
OF which was the recommending that