THE FERX BULLETIN 



31 



than this publication ever did. And to what purpose? 

 What has been gained for fern study? How does the 

 new publication differ from this magazine except in 

 the matter of nomenclature and the expression of edi- 

 torial opinion? The Executive Council should not 

 flatter itself that the Society has thus been committed 

 to the "American code." As a matter of fact great 

 dissatisfaction is felt and resignations from the So- 

 ciety are the result. 



Nor does Mr. Ware seem to be aware that much 

 more than a year ago, the Executive Council was noti- 

 fied of our intention to cease publication, and that the 

 magazine was then offered to the Society to be run as 

 a separate publication. The consolidated magazine 

 which otherwise we purposed making was offered to 

 the Society at the price it had always been paying. 

 Thus does the contention that the Society had to issue 

 a new publication fall to the ground. 



There is scarcely need of discussing that disputed 

 article in the Constitution at this time. Every member 

 can read and judge for himself. The intention of the 

 article is very obvious. The construction placed upon 

 it in former elections has always been in harmony with 

 the opinion from which our correspondent dissents. 

 This opinion has been affirmed in the Annual Reports, 

 and there is extant a substitute amendment which 

 would permit independent nominations but which the 

 maker dared not present for action by the Society. It 

 cannot be denied that the whole article is rather loosely 

 cast and that it offers the possibility that someone may 

 walk straight through it, but such a course was never 

 believed likely until the last log-rolling campaign 

 demonstrated the lengths to which the advocates of 

 the "American code" may go when their absurd nom- 

 enclature is at stake. The section which was "inad- 



