Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1915-09-23
FIGHT GIVES CITIZENS
ASSOCIATION NEW LIFE
Instead of Disbanding, South Wash.
ington Body Largely Increases
Membership.
DR.. L. J. johnson Is Elected Presi-
dent and Other New Officers
Are Chosen.

Rejuvenated by a short but vigor-
GUS fight made to supplant it with a
new organiza ton, the South Washing
ton Citizens Association, one of Wash
ington's oldest civic bodies, today en-
tered upon a new period Of work, with
new officers and a membership twice
as large as it's old.
More than one hundred citizens Of
Southwest Washington attended a
meeting in Fifth Baptist Church last
night to determine whether this asso-
citation should continue to exist or be
merged in a new body, and the verdict
overwhelmingly was in favor of the
former proposition.
This action was followed by a call
for new members, and sixty-nine names
were added to the roster, bringing the
total membership up to 14s. Former
officers of the association, who had held
their respective positions for twelve
years. rendered their designations, and,
despite determined urging upon the
part of many in the audience that they
continue at their posts, their insistence
that new officers be elected prevailed.
New Officers of Association.
DR.. L. J. johnson, brother of r. Har-
ris Johnson. the retiring head of the
association, was elected president.
Others elected were w. w. Riley to
succeed DR.. NJ. F. Thompson as vice
president, II. Murray to succeed Frank
Gilmore as secretary and Thomas B.
Brown to succeed w. A. H. Church as
treasurer. r. Harris johnson, NJ. 2.
Thompson and W. A. II. Church were
elected to serve on the executive com
mtttee with the officers of the associa-
ton.
The new officers will serve until the
third Wednesday in next September.
when another election Will be held. It
also was decided to hold the regular
meetings of the association hereafter
on the third Wednesday Of each month.
Last nights meeting was the out
growth of a mass meeting held last
Wednesday at st. Dominic's Hall, at
which the movement to supplant the
existing organization with a new civic
body was formally launched. 1t was
claimed at the former gathering that
the South Washington association had
lapsed into inactivity and had not held
a meeting In two years. Friends of
ance and by successful filibustering
methods succeeded in having action on
the proposition to organize a new assoc
citation deferred until it could be con-
sidered at another mass meeting to be
called by the existing organization and
to which all citizens of Southwest
Washington would be invited.
Ended in Love Feast.
The two factions donned their fight
ing clothes and it was apparent at the
beginning of last nights session that
a battle was to be staged. b. F. Lin
das. leader of the progressive move
ment, presented a statement giving the
reasons why the group Of citizens
which he represented believed that a
new organization should be formed.
Supporters of the old organization met
the attack by inviting the progressives
and all other citizens of Southwest
who are interested in the
of that section to affiliate
with the association that has always
represented the southwest. This appeal
proved effective and what was COM
menced as verbal combat finally
wound up as love feast
In retiring from the presidency, r
Harris Johnson thanked the members
and officers for the service they have
rendered and predicted that the assoc
cia tion, with its new members, would
go on to the accomplishment of better
things for the southwest section. He
read a list of improvements which the
executive committee had recommended
to the District Commissioners for con-
in connection with the prep
aration of the Districts annual esti,.
mates. The list was approved by the