THE PERCH E RON REVIEW 
51 
havo a system of electing directors by a Proxy Committee, and 
that none of us wlio come here feel that we have any voice in 
saying who shall be elected and who shall not be elected. 
I made the request some three years ago, that a Nominating 
Committee be elected by the members at each annual meeting, 
and that it should be the duty of this Nominating Committee 
to present to the Board of Directors a list of at least double 
the number of the retiring directors. I also suggested that 
copies of this list should be attached to the proxies sent out by 
the Board, or the Proxy Committee, with the request that the 
members signify their choice for the offices. The Proxy Com- 
mittee at that time did not see fit to have this recommendation 
adopted. If the Proxy Committee feels that they would accept 
an amendment of this sort to the Constitution I would be very 
glad to present it now. but if they do not there is certainly no 
use in presenting it. 
I spoke to Mr. Vaughan today, about it, and he seemed to 
be in favor of it. I tried to find the other members of the 
committee to get tlieir view of it but could not locate them. 
I think that if we do something of this sort that the members 
who come to the meeting and who were interested in the per- 
petuation of tlie Percheron breed in its best estate would find it 
very much more interesting, and they would think that they had 
more to say in the conduct of Percheron affairs. I would be 
very glad to hear from Mr. Vaughan. or the members of the 
Proxy Committee on that point. 
Vice President Burdick: Mr. McLaughlin, and Gentlemen: 
I wish to state now that I should be very much in favor of any 
movement that would give the members present, who come here 
year after year, in person, more interest in the meeting, aside 
from listening to the report of the Proxy Committee. 
Now you realize, as well as I do, if there was any contest 
in the election officers, like we used to have when we were 
all younger than we are now, that all we could do in this meeting 
was to sit there and count the proxies, and you could not do 
anything. You could make a speech, or two of them, like 
McLaughlin has several times done, but they simply used the 
"Steam Roller" on him and Mc. was no thicker than a piece of 
cardboard when we got through with him. (Laughter.) 
It was the opinion of a good many people that we were doing 
things in the interest of the Society, and I believe what we did 
worked out all right, but I would like to see adopted something 
along the line suggested by Mr. McLaughlin, because I do not 
believe I would like to come here year after year and have 
nothing to say about what should be tlie policy of the Percheron 
Society. 
Now I would like to have someone else express his ideas 
along that line. See if we can't give these members who are 
here something more to say in the conduct of the affairs. 
Mr. Holbert: Isn't it a fact that the Proxy Committee 
cast their twenty-one or twenty-two hundred votes for the men 
they want to elect? Would it not be more representative to 
have the ideas of every member present at this meeting instead 
of these three members of the Proxy Committee? 
Vice President Burdick: Mr. Holbert, I believe we see alike, 
only from different angles. My position is, and I believe the 
position of the Board of Directors is, that we would like to have 
every element of the membership represented just as far as it 
is possible for us to have everybody represented. 
Now a man may be represented by his personal presence, or, 
under the law, he may be represented by his proxy. That is, he 
is constructively present in giving his authority to someone else. 
Now it is a physical impossibility for a great many men who 
are members of this Society to come here every year to an annual 
meeting, and consequently, they have adopted the method of 
proxies. And while we are on that one phase of the question I 
will say that I would be glad if there was anybody capable of 
seeing some means devised by which those who are here present 
can make their voice felt in the affairs of the Percheron Society. 
I would not be in favor of turning over the policy of the Perch- 
eron Society to one hundred and twenty men who are here, when 
there are eight thousand men that are not here; but I do feel 
that you ought to be properly interested in the matter and ought 
to have some voice. 
Mr. McLaughlin: The amendment to the Constitution that 
I presented, as I say, three years ago, which was turned down, I 
think was possibly one of the best ideas that has even been sug- 
gested to the Society to get rid of the feeling among the members 
who come here year after year and who do not have a voice in 
the election of the directors. In that way they would not be 
entirely subservient to the Proxy Committee; I move you. there- 
fore, that the present body elect a committee of three, one of 
whom shall be the presiding officer of the meeting tonight, who 
shall bring in a resolution, or an amendment to the Constitution 
at our next annual meeting, to see if we can't avoid what causes 
a lot of ill feeling among tlie memlicrs who come to this meeting 
every year. 
Mr. Eoss : I second that motion. 
Vice President Burdick: A motion was made that a com- 
mittee of three be appointed or elected to draft a resolution to 
be presented to the next Annual Meeting, to try to provide some 
way of giving those members who are present annually a more 
direct voice in the management of the Percheron affairs. Are 
you ready for the motion? Are you ready for the question? 
Those in favor of the same will signify by saying "Aye." Con- 
trary, "No." The motion prevails. 
Vice President Burdick: Select your committee. You do 
not want them to be appointed because that brings you right 
back to where you were before. 
Mr. J. B. McLaughlin: In my motion I said one should be 
the present presiding officer, and the other two men should be 
members of the Society. 
Vice President Burdick: How are you going to select them? 
Mr. J. B. McLaughlin : By a vote of those present. 
Vice President Burdick: Someone will liave to nominate 
them then and we will elect them. 
Mr. McMillan: Mr. President, I nominate Mr. McLaughlin 
as one of the members of that committee. 
Vice President Burdick: Any others? 
Mr. Holbert: I nominate Mr. Jim McMillan as one of the 
members of that committee. 
Mr. Pollock: I nominate George Dix. 
Mr. Danforth. I nominate Dr. Carl W. Gay. 
Vice President Burdick: Are there any further nominations? 
If not, I will declare the nominations closed. You can prepare 
your ballots and vote for two of the four men named. I will 
appoint Mr. Hurd and Mr. H. J. McLaughlin tellers. 
Mr. Vaughan: If the Proxy Committee is included in this 
we can render our decision now, but if it is from the members 
present, as the suggestion has been made, why, of course, it will 
not be necessary for us to do so. 
Vice President Burdick: Well, from the legal standpoint the 
Proxy Committee have tlie right to vote proxies, but the thing 
we are trying to overcome will never be overcome unless those 
])resent can have a little party of their own for the purpose of 
drawing up these resolutions, and while you have the right to 
vote, I would suggest that you do not. 
Mr. Eoss : As I understand the motion it was that the parties 
present should nominate three, one of whom should be the pre- 
siding officer. I do not think proxies are considered present. 
Vice President Burdick: They are present but the com- 
mittee can walk out of the room with them and they will not be 
present. 
Vice President Burdick: The result of the voting of those 
present is as follows: 
Mr. Geo. Dix, 27: Mr. J. B. McLaughlin, 34; Dr. Carl W. 
Gay, 38; Mr. J. B. McMillan, 12. 
The two highest being Mr Gay, 38 — and Mr. J. B. McLaughlin, 
34. I declare them elected to membership on the committee. 
Mr. Houston: May I ask, as a matter of information, do 
our by-laws provide that an amendment to the Constitution will 
have to be submitted to the membership before it can be approved? 
Vice President Burdick: The Constitution as we have it 
now may be amended by the Board of Directors. 
Mr. J. B. McLaughlin: Mr. Burdick, you are not correct. 
This can only be done by a vote of the members present, including 
the Proxy Committee. 
Vice President Burdick: You are referring to the Constitu-^' 
tion. I had reference to the by-laws. 
Mr. McLaughlin: This is an amendment to the Constitution. 
Mr. Houston : Do you understand I was asking, does that 
have to be in written form to all the members of the Society? 
Mr. McLaughlin: Yes. 
Vice President Burdick: I do not understand it that way. 
Mr. Mcliaughlin : That is usual, just as a matter of 
information. 
Vice President Burdick: I do not recall that our Constitution 
has been amended by the membership since I have been a direc- 
tor, but by the provisions I have no doubt it can be. 
Mr. Dunham: Mr. President, our Constitution is one thing. 
We have a Constitution and we have a set of by-laws. The Con- 
stitution is amended only by the members. The by-laws can be 
amended by the Board of Directors. 
