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84 



NINTH ANNUAL, REPORT OF THE 



sociation will be out of business. You 

 may say the Secretary has not been 

 active enough, or he would have got- 

 ten more money. Last year we got 

 in $57.00. There was a deficit of $12.45. 

 Now you propose to join the National. 

 I have made an estimate here. Out of 

 one hundred people coming here, there 

 are about seventy to seventy-five pay- 

 ing dues. Every one should pay his 

 dollar. The Association can't live 

 otherwise. Suppose that fifty would 

 join and pay their dollar; that leaves 

 a deficit of $7.45. There won't be 

 money enough to join this Association, 

 by paying your dollar, and also join 

 the National; we have got to face the 

 situation. We have got to get in more 

 money. I have tried to do everything 

 I could. 



Dr. Bohrer — I have been of the opin- 

 ion, since I heard the report of the 

 Secretary, that each organization 

 would better be independent, and 

 stand upon its own responsibility, and 

 depend upon its own membership for 

 support. If we were sufficiently strong, 

 numerically, so that our funds would 

 bear dividing between the two Asso- 

 ciations, it would be different, but as 

 we are coming out behind, we would 

 better save what money we take in as 

 fees and take care of our home affairs, 

 and let any one who wants to join the 

 National, join it; that is, allowing each 

 organization to be self-supporting. 



Dr. Miller — Can you find out what 

 proportion of the membership of the 

 National is from societies like this, 

 coming in a body? 



President York — I think I heard Mr. 

 France say about one-half the total 

 membership of the National. 



Dr. Miller — I think that is an impor- 

 tant matter. I believe the National is 

 a power for good in the land, and if 

 all the societies stand separately, we 

 will cripple the National very much; 

 it cuts it down half to start on. Across 

 the water they have larger societies, 

 a great deal, than we have here; it 

 runs up into the thousands; it is alto- 

 gether due to the union of the socie- 

 ties. Before we decide hastily to with- 

 draw our part toward helping the 

 National, we should do some thinking. 

 Is there not some way that we can 

 manage without it? I, for one, dislike 

 very much to have it said that a so- 

 ciety which holds meetings that are 

 considered amongst the best in the 

 land, should stand to the front and 



support the National. The National 

 has done quite a little good. It may 

 do more good. I believe we would bet- 

 ter do quite a good deal- of thinking 

 before we drop our membership in the 

 National. 



"Mr. Kannenberg — I am in favor of 

 that also. Why not make the dues 

 $1.50? Then we can join the Nation- 

 al, even for that matter make it $1.75, 

 and join the National and the State 

 Association as well. I would like to 

 belong to the three. At the same time, 

 I would like to belong as cheap as I 

 can. In that way I think we can 

 manage the three of them. 



Mr. Moore — Last year quite a num- 

 ber paid $1.25. I count here twenty- 

 six who paid only $1.00 (counting from 

 book) ; for them the dues were taken 

 out of the general treasury to join the 

 Illinois State. 



Mr. Huffman — I am not a member of 

 this Association, and I am with Dr. 

 Miller as to the joining in a body» 

 Where would our National have been 

 today as to numbers if it had not been 

 for this one thing? We would not 

 have had to exceed 2,000 members at 

 a dollar a member. We didn't have 

 over 800 at the time this thing was 

 started. I, for one, am greatly in- favor 

 of this consolidation, getting mors 

 members for less price. By getting > 



more members at a lesser price we 

 would get more money, I believe; that 

 has been our experience. I am not 

 here to argue; you people do as you 

 please, but I look at it like this: In 

 our Wisconsin State Association the 

 dues are 50 cents; then when Mr. 

 France got to be Manager, he sug- 

 gested — I believe our State was the 

 first to join in a body — that we join 

 the National in a body, and we did, 

 and all the rest followed. What was 

 the result? We have about 3,400 mem- 

 bers today in the National, an.d it sure- 

 ly is a power for good, and I say. Let's 

 all join in a body. I am here to join 

 this Association, and give my dollar 

 if I never attend it, and I am a mem- 

 ber of the National. I want to see 

 these Associations kept up, and a little 

 money will help to do it. 



Mr. Cavanagh — I have been getting a 

 little bit warm under the collar. A 

 business that will support a conven- 

 tion like this every year, and a Na- 

 tional convention, and then talk about s 

 economizing on 50 cents to join the 

 National! Let us not have a State 



