THE FERX BULLETIN 



At the recent election of the American Fern So- 

 ciety, one of the members, by canvassing, secured more 

 votes for a certain office than either of the regular can- 

 didates but as pluralities do not elect under the consti- 

 tution the Advisory Council was obliged to make a 

 selection and very naturally and properly, elected the 

 regularly nominated candidate who polled the higher 

 number of votes. At first glance it might seem that 

 the election should have gone to the person securing 

 the most votes but it is quite conceivable that the votes 

 given the other two candidates would not have been 

 distributed as they were had all the members been 

 aware that a third candidate was in the field, therefore 

 the regularly nominated candidates were accorded the 

 preference. In early days, the American Fern Society 

 required the officers to annually nominate two candi- 

 dates for each office, and although these officers in- 

 variably selected the best people in the society as candi- 

 dates, it was pointed out that these officers by placing 

 in nomination members who were not well known 

 might make it possible to keep themselves in office al- 

 most as long as they pleased. Aside from this rather 

 remote danger the officers had the ungracious task of 

 renominating themselves for office. The Advisory 

 Council was therefore instituted and since the society 

 had grown so large that it was impossible for all the 

 members to be acquainted with one another, the new 

 Council was made to consist of the past presidents 

 with the idea that they not only ought to know most 

 about the members, but ought also to have the affairs 

 of the society most at heart. For some years, this plan 

 of nominating candidates has worked very well, but 

 there have always beer, a few individuals to object to 

 a rule that would prevent the nomination of indepen- 



