40 State Horticultural Society. 



such a change in the method of keeping the accounts that the books of 

 the treasurer shall show more clearly the source of all receipts, that every 

 dollar shall pass through the hands of the treasurer, and that the pres- 

 ent system of balances be discontinued. 



This motion was seconded and carried. * 



Motion offered by Mr. Stark — I move you, Mr. President, that a com- 

 mittee of three be appointed to investigate this fund of $i,ooo or more, 

 for which no report was made to this meeting by the treasurer, ascer- 

 taining who is the custodian of the fund and by whose authority they 

 are acting, ascertaining from what source the fund was derived, tracing 

 it fromt its incipiency down to the present date, informing the Society 

 who has been handling it, what additions have been made to it, who 

 have been drawing checks or warrants against it and for what purpose 

 such disbursements have been made. This committee further to have 

 the authority to at once take possession of this fund and turn it over 

 to the treasurer who is the proper custodian of all funds belonging to 

 the Society. 



Mr. Dutcher — I second the motion. 



Member — I enter a protest to this motion as its endorsement implies 

 that the report does not cover the whole of our funds. 



The question was called and the motion carried. 



Note— This money is now in the hands of the Treasurer and has always been in the 

 hands of tlie Society and Is now deposited with the Mississippi Valley Trust Company of St. 

 Louis as Mr. Stark well knows. Later in the year President Whitten appointed Hon. M. B. 

 Greensfelder of Olayton, Judge 0. B. McAfee of Springfield and Prof. S. A. Hoover of War- 

 rensburg as the commitcee to report on this matter at the Winter meeting. This report is to 

 be found in the minutes of the Winter meeting, business meeting, fifth session. 



In our report for 1901 the Treasurer reported the special fund of $1,071.20 on hands, and 

 with interest to 1902 made the amount f 1,092.63. One hundred dollars of this fund was spent 

 for office furniture at the World's Fair, by order of the Executive Committee, and, in the re- 

 port of 1903 the Treasurer showed as a balance on hand $993.92, and accrued interest; thus 

 making a complete report of all the money on hand in the Mississippi Valley Trust Company. 



Mr. Dutcher introduced a resolution on the Gano and Black Ben 

 Davis controversy. 



RESOLUTION CONCERNING THE BLACK BEN DAVIS-GANG CONTROVERSY. 



In view of the present status of the Black Ben Davis-Gano contro- 

 versy, your Executive Committee, the special committee on said contro- 

 versy concurring, feel it is due all parties interested and affected that 

 the following statement be made : 



I. Our action in appointing said committee was a legitimate one, 

 being in harmony with the position often taken in our discussions and 

 which found formal expression in the resolutions recorded on pages 89 

 and 90 of the 1902 report. 



