The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1906-03-09
HAINES OUT OF THE S. P. G. A.
COMPLAINTS OF MISMANAGE-
MENT TO BE INVESTIGATED.
Board Of Managers Accepts with Regret"
His observation-disclosures, Content
With Victory, VIII Not Call for Mass
Meeting-Building May BE Sold.

HIS OTIHCTB, NUHtCait
With Victory, VIII Not Call for Mass
Meeting-Building May he Sold.
John P. Haines resigned yesterday after
noon as president Of the s. P. G. A. The
resignation was presented at a special
meeting Of the board of managers, held
an hour before the regular meeting, and
1t was accepted by a unanimous vote.
Gen. Charles F. Roe, who is credited with
having applied the pressure under which
Mr.. Haines quit, moved that it be accepted.
There was no debate, and the only common
was by Gen. Horace w. Carpenter, who
eaid that he thought he voiced the feelings
Of the board when he declared that the
resignation was accepted with regret.
1t will 60 into effect on May /.
The reform element in the society carried
everything before it. At the regular meet
ing a large batch Of specific complaints Of
Encouragement was presented in the form
of afidavits. These complaints were signed
by Mrs. Edith Wharton, Gen. Rush G.
Hawkins, F. D. s. Bethune and Leonard E.
Opdycke. They were referred to a COM
mittee Of three for investigation; with in
etructions to report on April ~. The COM
, mittee consists Of John H. Iselin, Richard
yelling and Henry Bergh. Messrs. Iselin
and yelling have been counted among the
opponents Of Haines. Other steps we're
made to make the society more efficient.
Not one of the reforms was opposed In the
meeting, and every resolution was passed
unanimously.
Fifteen of the nineteen members Of the
board Of managers we're present. They
included Col. Alfred Wagstaff, Gen. James
Grant Wilson, Col. Joel B.. Erhardt, the Rev.
Percy S. Grant, Gordon Knox Bell. Gen.
H.W. Carpenter, Frederic r. Coudert, Gen.
CT. Roe, Henry Bergh, John Iselin, Evert
j. Wendell, Charles Jesup, Richard Yelling,
President Haines and the secretary, John
Mason Knox.
Both the special and regular meetings
were held behind closed doors. The meet
ings began shortly after 8 o'clock and lasted
for more than three hours. Then the men,
bers OF the board came down the elevator
and hurried from the building. They de-
clared that their lips had been sealed by
vote of the board and that all information
would be given by the secretary, Mr.. Knox.
Mr.. Haines then came down, and with a
bow and a smile waved the reporters into
the elevator and took them upstairs to the
board room. He handed out printed copies
of his resignation, with the information that
nothing else had been considered at the
special meeting. Col. Wagstaf presided
at that meeting and Mr.. Knox read the
resignation. Gen. Roe then moved its
acceptance, and Mr.. Haines also requested
that it be accepted at once. There was no
opposition.
The resignation was dated March 8, but
was in printed form. 1t began by calling
attention to the fact that the board in 1904
had answered certain false and slanderous
accusations Of incompetence and inefh-
cheney" by declaring that 40 one could
have carried on the work of the late Henry
Bergh with greater zeal and loyalty than
Mr.. Haines had done. The resignation said;
Il do not hesitate to remind you Of those
words, because l venture, with all humility,
to believe that they are true"
The statement justified putting up the
$780, 600 building by saying that there had
been no extravaganza In erecting 1t because
the property could now be sold at a higher
price than the original cost. 1t said that
the printing Of the magazine, Our Animal
Friends, had cost much money, and it de-
clared that the "~silliest" OF all the charges
made was that OF bad financial manage
ment. The society's income, according 70
Mr.. Haines, has grown from $26, 900 in 1888
to 500, 100 in 1906, and that the assets Of the
society had grown in the same time from
$500. 600 to $685., 900. = Then Mr.. Haine bad
this to say Of his enemies:
1t is at this time-after a long service. in
which my whole energies have been engaged
without consideration OF personal business
or personal comfort, without the moderate
vacation that the busiest Of business men
allow themselves-that / have been assailed
as thoughI had committed some act of wicked
ness by a small but persistent band Of people
with this one common characteristic, that
none Of them has ever before been known
to care for animal protection. For months.
indeed for years, their malicious assaults
have been kept UP In the correspondence
columns of the newspapers. Many articles
have appeared under many names which
were actually written by the same hand.
The agitation thus begun has been brought
into the meetings OF our society. Nothing
has been too vile to be said so long as the
slanderers could keep clear OF the danger Of
prosecution.
But the day that I step out OF this office
there must be no possibility Of question Of
the absolute integrity which rules and has
ruled In every part OF our business. After
seventeen years Of cheerful voluntary service
hold myself entitled at least to that justice.
Mr.. Haines then presented a report from
Stephen Little and F. j.. MacRae, certified
accountants, that they bad found the al
fairs OF the society honestly administered
With the Haines resignation accepted the
regular meeting was called and Mr.. Haines
presided. 1t was decided to instruct the
attorneys Of the society to oppose the bill
at Albany to give the Henry Bergh Humane
Society greater power. The resignation
OF Frederic r. Coudert as a member of the
board was withdrawn by Mr.. Coudert.
Henry Bergh then moved that the moneys
expended each year by the society, ex-
elusive Of requests and legacies, should
never exceed the regular income by more
than 5000. Mr.. Coudert then offered a
resolution that while the society was OPP
posed to the division Of police power in