The daily Gate City and constitution-Democrat. (Keokuk, Iowa) 1916-1922, 1920-03-06
Trustees of Publishing Society
Win Case Against Board of
Directors of
Church. ..
D1TTEMoRE ALSO WINS
Oustinq Of One Member OF Board Is
Declared Illegal and He Is De-
cIared Still Holding
. Office. 80. ..-. .

limited Press Leased Wire Service.]
BOSTON, Mass, March 6.-The
trustees of the Christian Science
Publishing society today won their
suit against the Christian Science
board Of directors to restrain the
directors from interfering with the
society.
The decision was made public at
II a. m. today.
At the same time John V. Ditto
more won his suit for reinstatement
as a member of the board OF ddrec-
tors. >
John Frederick Dodge as special
master, found that the directors had
no legal right to remove Lamont
Rowlands from the board Of trustees
and that the charges against him
were not sufficient in law nor made
in good faith. 1t was also held that
the directors had no power to dis
charge Dittemore and that even ii
they had the power, the reasons
assigned were insufficient and not
made in good faith.
The suit involved Interpretation OF
two deeds Of trust made by Mrs.
Mary Baker Eddy, founder or the
church. The frst,' made on Sept. l,
1892, gave to four trustees to be
known as the Christian Science
Board of Directors" with certain
powers, the land upon which the
Mother Church was later erected
The other, dated January 25, 1888,
gave to the three trustees the prop
erty of the Christian Science Publish
ing society upon certain perpetual
and irrevertable trusts for the pto-
motion of the interests Of Christian
Science and required payment of the
net profits to the treasurer Of the
mother church.
The suit was prectpitated in March
1919, when the board of directors,
Dittemore dissenting, attempted to
dismiss Rowlands. After voting to
do this the board passed another
resolution which after reciting GER
tain charges pu1'ported to dismiss
Dittemore. The three trustees inEe-
diately brought suit to restrain the
members of the board Of directors
from interfering with the publishing
society and to declare the action III
the board illegal. Later, DitteHsp:e
brought suit DECLARING the actiou OF
the board illegal and asking rein
statement.
Judge Dodge found that the con-
troversy began in the fall of 1918
regarding the extent that the trus-
tees of the publishing society were
subject to control and supervision by
the directors. 1t became acute when
the trustees refused to sign an agree
ment whereby they were made to
declare their understanding with the
directors to be that the directors had
final authority in regard to the pub
fishing society. AS the trustees re-
fused to do this the directors passed
resolution dismissing Rowlands.
The Judge found that this was done
in pursuance of a plan to bring about
retirement of all the trustees and to
install in their places trustees who
would admit the directors final
authority.
Rowlands was completely eXoner-
ated from the charges contained in
the resolution of dismissal. The
Judge found that the real reason for
selection of him for removal was
that he had been the last appointed
or the three trustees, because he had
no pupils in Christian Science as has
his co-trustees; because he had not
SO many Christian Science friends
who might be disturbed by his re-
moval as they had and that the direc-
tors who voted to remove him were
induced to do SO rather by their pur
pose to carry through their plan to
obtain control of the publishing So
ciety than by any of the reasons they
recited in their resolution.
In passing upon the question of
power of the directors to dismiss a
trustee of the publishing society
Judge Dodge found that Mrs. Eddy
expressly gave this power to the
first members of the church, but
required, also concurrence of the
(ContixYed on page 2.)