Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1909-03-23
RAISED BY MEMBERS
Board of Trade to Help
Municipal Exhibit.
COMMITTEE is NAMED
Opposition Is Developed to Making
an Appropriation.
AMENDMENT TO THE BYLAWS
Proposed to Have Regular Monthly
Meetings Except in Summer
Notwithstanding Tonight.
AMENDMENT TO THE BYLAWS

Scott c. Bone George H. Harries and
John Joy Edison were appointed spe-
cial committee of the Board of Trade yes
terday to raise among the members of the
board a subscription of 500 to help de-
fray the expense of bringing to Washing
ton the municipal exhibit of the commit
tee on congestion Of New York city show
ing the evils Of overcrowding and plan
for obvtating such a condition. The dis
cussion Of the question occupied most of
the time at yesterdays meeting Of the
board OF directors. and 1t was not until
after lively discussion that what APP
peared to a majority of those present as
the best way to raise this money was de-
cided upon.
The matter came up as the result of
letter from the Chamber Of Commerce to
the Board Of Trade stating that the for
mer organization had appropriated sou
OF the board to the desirability of bring
ing the exhibit to Washington.
William F. Guide, president of the
Chamber of Commerce, who is also
Board of Trade. explained the purposes
of the exhibit and spoke Of the interest
manifested in it by President Taft, the
board OF District Commissioners and
many prominent men in Washington. He
said he hoped the board would see fit to
make an appropriation. About $500 would
be necessary, Mr.. GUIDE thought, to de-
fray the expenses. The Chamber of Com
merce. he SAID. had appropriated $500 and
the Federation of Laymen 500.
Opposed to Appropriation.
In the discussion which followed John
Joy Edison opposed the plan to appropri-
ate the money from the treasury of the
board on the ground that it would be Gre
ating bad precedent. He would be glad
ldle said to make personal contribution.
1t was not the amount of money IN
volved. but the precedent that caused
his protest. If the board made the APP
preparation it would involve change of
policy which would foreshadow other ap-
preparations. which, perhaps, could not
be met.
In fixing the membership dues of the
board. said Mr.. Edison. it had been I'M
derstood that the amount collected from
them would be just about enough to pay
running expenses, and that appropria-
tions for other purposes had no. been
contemplated. Mr.. Edison added that
while he was on this subject he wanted
TO say that he for one favored an in
crease in the dues. He would be per-
fectly willing to make the annual dues
$50 instead of SO. their present figure.
The mo ion of John b. I.arner to refer
the matter to the executive committee
brought Mr.. Guide to his feet again. Such
an action, he said. would effectually kill
the proposition. AS far precedent
was concerned. Mr.. Guide thought 1t un-
necessary TO be bound by what had not
been done before. He believed, he said,
in letting each day make its own prece-
dents, and thought that the board should
make the appropria ton.
Supporters Of Appropriation.
In line with Mr. GUIDES argument was
that presented by Scott c. Bone. who
said that the board should do all in it's
power to bring the exhibit here. since it
| was civic proposition that was inter-
esting and instructive. and one that
| would be a good object lesson to Con-
gress. w. T. Galliher was another sup
porter of the proposal 10 make an APP
propriat Ton. He is member of the Fed
Grafton of Laymen. and expressed the
| opinion that it was the duty Of the board
| to take a leading part in all such move
ments as the one under discussion.
| George H. Harres firmly opposed the
appropriation. The dues OF the board, he
| said, were not predicated upon the idea
| that the organization should make ap-
| preparations for such purposes. They
! had been fixed. he said, with an idea that
they would be about equal to the fixed
EXPENSES of the organization. The sur
plus now on hand, Gen. Harries thought,
would be just enough to pay the ex-
penses of the organization between now
and the time of the next collection day
| and If this appropriation were made a
deficit might appear Sucn appropria-
| tions were not a part of the board )
work. Gen. Harres thought, since 1t had
never been intended that the board
should relieve its members Of their per-
sonal responsibilities citizens.
| In reply to Gen. Harrics, Mr.. Bone said
| that in his opinion the making of the ap-
preparation would create no serious prec-
edent. While the Chamber of Commerce
| had kindly offered it's rooms for the eN
| hibit Mr.. Bone thought it would prob
| ably be necessary to get larger quarters.
The banquet hall of the New Willard
| Hotel, he said, had been discussed IN
this connection. since it was expected
that upon the occasion Of the exhibit Z
| civic congress would be held in Wash
| ington which would Craw a large crowd.
The board. he thought, ought TO give the
money. Mr.. Bone then offered an amend
ment to Mr.. Larner's motion calling
upon the board to make a direct appro-
priation.
Vote Results in a Tie.
The vote on the Bone amendment was
ties to 8. J. II. Small the president of
the board Of directors. who was in the
chair, did not cast vote to break the
tie He gave as his reason that NE
thought the executive committee could
find another way to raise the money
among the members of the board Mr..
Larner's original motion was then put
and carried.
After the meeting adjourned Scott c.
Bone vice chairman of the executive COM
mittee.- called an immediate meeting of
that committee, and in few minutes il
was decided to appoint the committee of
three, as named above, to raise the
money. Before leaving the rooms of the
beard the committee had pledges for sub
scriptions amounting to $50, and no fear
is felt that the necessary 5000 will not
be raised promptly.
Next in Importance to the question of
the two -hundred-dollar appropriation was
the authorization of the president of the
board to appoint committee to draft an
amendment to the bylaws providing for
regular monthly meetings of the board
hereafter, with the exception of the
months of June July, August and Sep
tember During this period the meetings.
it is proposed, will he held at the call of
the president.
\ number of routine matters were dis
posed Of Among them was the adop-
ton of the treasurers report, which
showed that there was a cash balance
of $2....73.52 in the treasury.