PROCEEDINGS OF THE EIGHTEENTH CONTINEN TAL CONGRESS OF THE NATIONAL SOCIETY OF THE DAUGHTERS OF THE AMERICAN REVOLUTION FRIDAY MORNING SESSION, APRIL 23, 1909, 11 A. M. THE PRESIDENT GENERAL. The House will be in order, and we will listen to our Chaplain General. The Chaplain General read Revelations 2:7, 17 and 3:12, 21 for the scripture lesson and offered the following prayer: O God, our Heavenly Father, we thank Thee for this opening day. We thank Thee for this beautiful world which Thou hast given us for our home. May every opening leaf on tree and shrub and flower speak to us of Thee and may we lift up our hearts in love and adoration. Bless, we pray Thee, the officers who were elected yesterday to be the standard bearers of this great Society. Prepare them for the heavy responsibilities that will fall upon them and give them strength for the work that awaits them. Bless, we pray Thee, our beloved President General, whose term of office is so rapidly drawing to a close. We thank Thee for the strength Thou hast given her,-physical, mental and spiritual,-for her remarkable work of the past four years. Reward her in her own heart for her labor of love. And as she retires to the comfort and happiness of her own home, may the love that has been poured into her heart so lavishly, and the honors that have been showered so thickly upon her be a continual joy, and after a period of rest, lead her out, we pray Thee, into a still larger place, where she may use all the powers of her richly endowed nature for the uplifting of humanity and for the glory of God. Bless, we pray Thee, all these delegates who have come up here to this annual feast. May they carry away with them fresh enthusiasm, not only for the work of this Society, but for the daily task in their own homes. May it help them to be better wives and better mothers, and help them to bring up their children to be good citizens, loyal to their country and loyal to their God. May we remember that to overcome evil is the supreme business of life. May we all inherit the promises made to those who overcome, and thus be fitted for service here, and that larger service which awaits us in the better country. All which we ask in the name of Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. All united in the Lord's Prayer. Mr. FOSTER. There has been a request that we sing "Columbia the Gem of the Ocean" this morning. The precentor will sing the first part and you will join in the chorus. THE PRESIDENT GENERAL. The House, if it carried on its usual procedure would now listen to the minutes, but the Chair has just received a message from the Chairman of Tellers saying that she is ready to appear before you. Does the House desire to hear from the Chairman immediately? Mrs. ORTON. I move that we hear from the Chairman of Tellers, Madam President General. (Seconded.) THE PRESIDENT GENERAL. It is moved and seconded that we hear immediately from the Chairman of Tellers. (Motion put and carried.) CHAIRMAN OF THE TELLERS. honor to make to you in my official capacity a partial report of the work of the tellers. It has been impossible to complete it. The total number of ballots cast yesterday by the voters was 873. The legal votes cast for President General were 864; necessary for an election 433. Mrs. Scott received 436. [Applause.] Mrs. Scott received 436 Madam President General: I have the votes and Mrs. Story 428.* Mrs. STORY. Do I understand that Mrs. Scott has been elected? Mrs. STORY. Madam President General and Daughters of the American Revolution: I ask the privilege of the House for three minutes. I wish to move that the election of Mrs. Scott be made unanimous. [Cries of disapproval.] THE PRESIDENT GENERAL. Ladies, Miss Desha seconds the motion. Mrs. Story requests your attention for another word. Mrs. STORY. I wish to speak to my motion. I wish to say to the women who have voted for me and who have worked for me that I dearly prize the honor of having been at the head of the party that has stood for the conservative ticket. I should have felt that it was the greatest honor that could come to me had it been my privilege to serve you in the office for which I was an aspirant, and I wish to ask those women to expect from their President General fair non-partisan rulings and I wish to ask them to accord to her every justice and support that they can give. [Great applause.] THE PRESIDENT GENERAL. There is a resolution before you. The resolution was offered that this election be made unanimous. It was seconded by Miss Desha. What is your pleasure? All in favor will please say, aye. Opposed, no. Ladies, it is not a unanimous vote. The Chair in thanking Mrs. Story, who has been so gracious, will say that the Chair thanks her in the name of the interests we have all been pursuing during the week-those of peace and harmony. And the * No illegal votes were cast; nine blank votes were cast for President General. Blank votes are not counted. That left 864 votes for the office of President General. Chair would also draw attention to one word in the remarks of Mrs. Story. Each candidate before you was a candidate regularly nominated by the National Society Daughters of the American Revolution in Congress assembled. No adjectives (such as "conservative" or otherwise) are necessary to apply to either ticket in designating any particular party. Each candidate was regularly nominated on the floor; and we all appreciate the delightful outcome which insures the continued prosperity of the work, not only because of the election of one, but because of the gracious good feeling of the other. The Chair announces the election of Mrs. Matthew T. Scott, as President General of the National Society, Daughters of the American Revolution. [Applause.] Mrs. MURPHY, of Ohio. I take upon myself the responsibility to say for my candidate, Mrs. Scott, that she would not wish, if it were cven possible, for her election to be made unanimous when it was not unanimous. THE PRESIDENT GENERAL. There is a resolution for which Mrs. Murphy asks for recognition. Mrs. MURPHY. Madam President General and Ladies: I at this psychological moment offer this resolution: Be it Resolved, that the Eighteenth Continental Congress now confer upon our beloved retiring President General, Mrs. Donald McLean, the title of Honorary President General. [Applause.] May I speak a moment to my resolution? Madam President General, this is an honor that every retiring President General has had and none has merited it more than this retiring President General. Mrs. MORGAN, of Georgia. I want the honor of seconding the motion of the lady from Ohio. (Also seconded by Pennsylvania, North Carolina, South Carolina, Missouri, Tennessee, Illinois, Kansas, Maine, Kentucky, Iowa, Missouri. Mrs. Patton, of Pennsylvania took the chair at this point.) CHAIRMAN. Ladies, you have a resolution before you to confer the honor of Honorary President General upon our retiring President General. It has been moved and numerously seconded. Are you ready for the question? (Motion put and carried.) THE PRESIDENT GENERAL, (resuming chair). I am very grateful to share with all my predecessors the mark of your approbation of my work. I accept the office of Honorary President General-and may I continue to act as active, until we can send a committee to bring before you the newly elected President General of the National Society? It seems strange to this President General to be an inactive anything!— but it does not limit my work for our beloved organization. No title can make one work for it and no title can cause one to refrain from working for it. I now appoint a committee to apprise Mrs. Scott of her election. Before, however, saying anything further, the Chair wishes to pay a tribute to the enormous work which she understands has been done by the tellers. I have not seen the Chairman of Tellers from the time she left this floor yesterday until she reported this morning. She informs me that the tellers have counted all night long and until this hour they are still at work. We cast a large number of ballots, the largest number ever cast; and we have had so many candidates this year, electing all the national officers, in addition to the Vice-Presidents General, which acounts for the great time taken. This coming remark is simply a reminiscence, but I know you will allow me to refer to it. Four years ago when I was elected your President General, and not then till after a second ballot,—a change of seven votes would have prevented any second ballot, because we only fell short twelve of a majority on the first ballot. I draw that to your attention to show how closely divided our forces always are. We always have close elections and we always take the results graciously. I now appoint Mrs. Ames, of Illinois, as the nominator of the recently elected President General, and Mrs. Sallie Marshall Hardy, of Kentucky and Mrs. Alexander E. Patton, of Pennsylvania, as the committee of three to go to the Willard where Mrs. Scott is staying, and acquaint her with the fact of her election and to bring her to this house to receive her new office. The tellers having no further news to report we will proceed with the ordinary business. There are one or two important notices to be given by the Chairman of the Credential Committee for which your attention is asked. Mrs. SWORMSTEDT. On your program you will notice that the order of business for this morning is the report of the election of State Regents and State Vice-Regents. Last year only fourteen reports had been turned into the Credential Committee-only fourteen States. I would ask that those who have not already notified this morning will please at once send to the Credential Committee room the reports of the nominations in their States of regents and vice-regents in order that they may be typewritten in time for printing. The States only nominate. The States nominate their regents and vice regents and they must be confirmed on this platform by the Congress. THE PRESIDENT GENERAL. We will now listen to the minutes of yesterday's proceedings. (The Recording Secretary General read the minutes of the preceding day.) Mrs. PERLEY. I move that there be nothing done until we can have quiet. Even in these front seats there is such confusion that we can hear nothing. THE PRESIDENT GENERAL. It is moved that the reading of the minutes be suspended until the house can control its conversation sufficiently to listen to them. [Seconded.] (Motion put and carried.) The House having carried that motion you will proceed at once to |