On April 16th the Headquarters of the American National Red Cross were
moved to the office, room 341, provided for them in the Surgeon-General’s
Division of the War Department. Through the kindness of Mr. F. A. Keep
some new articles of furniture were purchased for the office, and the
more spacious quarters and better equipment for office work have proved
of the greatest advantage in the large amount of additional labor
entailed by the San Francisco Relief.
* * * * *
The delegates appointed by the U. S. Government to represent it at the
Convention of Geneva for the Revision of the Red Cross Treaty, held June,
1906, are Brigadier-General George B. Davis, Judge Advocate General of
the U. S. Army; Brigadier-General Robert M. O’Reilly, Surgeon-General of
the U. S. Army, who is also Chairman of the Red Cross Central Committee;
Rear Admiral Charles S. Sperry, U. S. Navy, and Colonel William Cary
Sanger, President of the New York Red Cross Branch. A report for the
Bulletin on the revisions agreed upon by this Convention will be made by
one of the U. S. delegates.
* * * * *
Since the publication of the last Bulletin the following new State
Branches have been organized:
Colorado.—President, C. C. Hemming; Secretary, W. DeF. Curtis; Trustees,
John A. Thatcher, Pueblo; F. B. Gibson, Denver.
Indian Territory.—President, Dr. F. B. Fite; Vice-Presidents, Hon. D. H.
Johnston, Chief Chickasaw Nation; Hon. John Brown, Chief Seminole Nation;
Hon. W. C. Rogers, Chief Cherokee Nation; Hon. Green McCurtain, Chief
Choctaw Nation; General P. Porter, Chief Creek Nation; Secretary, Dr.
Fred S. Clinton; Treasurer, J. H. McBirney.
Minnesota.—President, Governor John A. Johnson; Vice-Presidents, Dr.
Cyrus Northrup, Archbishop John Ireland, Hon. David Percy Jones, Hon.
William H. Lacid, Rev. A. W. Ryan; Secretary, Edward C. Stringer;
Treasurer, Kenneth Clark; Chairman of Executive Committee, Hon. Daniel R.
Noyes.
Missouri.—President, J. C. Van Blarcom; Vice-Presidents, Hon. John W.
Noble (1st), Robert A. Holland, Jr., (2d); Secretary, Leighton Shields;
Treasurer not yet designated.
North Carolina.—President, Mrs. Zepulon B. Vance; Vice-Presidents, Dr.
S. Westray Battle and James H. Caine; Secretary, and Treasurer, Mrs.
Theodore F. Davidson.
Texas.—President, Mrs. Mary Sherman Allen; 1st Vice-President, John A.
Ewton; 2d Vice-President, M. P. Exline; 3d Vice-President, Mrs. Sarah
Danover; 4th Vice-President, Mrs. C. Burton Griggs; Treasurer, Royal A.
Ferris; Secretary, Mrs. Green Scheyler Hill.
Washington.—President, Mr. John T. Redman; Vice-Presidents, Captain E.
G. Griggs and Dr. Carsley Balabanoff; Recording Secretary, Mrs. Henry
McCleary; Corresponding Secretary, Mrs. James W. Cloes; Treasurer, Mr.
Louis W. Pratt.
* * * * *
The records of the Philippine Red Cross Branch show a membership of 119
annual and 4 life members.
On December 30th there died at Manila Captain Joaquin Monet of the Manila
police force as the direct result of a cold contracted in the performance
of duty during the tornado which devastated Manila and particularly his
precinct, Paso, on the 26th day of last September, when for twenty-four
hours he worked without changing his wet clothing, amidst live electric
wires, in the ravages of storm and flood, to protect property and to
relieve the sufferings and fears of people under his care. He left a
widow and children, and as there is no provision for pensions for the
families of men who give themselves at the call of duty, the Philippine
Red Cross Society decided to appropriate out of its relief funds $15.00
a month for six months for the support of this man’s family, and the
Secretary of the Philippine Red Cross writes: “Had you relieved only
this one case it is worth the while to have founded here a Branch of the
National Red Cross.”
* * * * *
Hon. A. C. Kaufman, President of the South Carolina Branch of the Red
Cross, writes as follows:
The formation and management of a Red Cross Branch, in this
section, has called for extreme diplomacy, conservatism and
caution. Our effort has been to place this Branch upon a
high plane, following closely the standard of the parent
organization.
By pursuing this course, we have established confidence in the
movement, and have won friends in every portion of the State.
That has been clearly demonstrated in our ability to secure
as a Vice-President, from each of the seven Congressional
Districts, in South Carolina, gentlemen of exalted standing in
the social, professional and business walks of life.
The following is a complete list of the Vice-Presidents of
the South Carolina Branch: First Congressional District, Maj.
Theodore G. Barker, Charleston; Second Congressional District,
Hon. D. S. Henderson, Aiken; Third Congressional District, Rev.
James A. B. Scherer, Ph.D., Newberry; Fourth Congressional
District, Rev. Robert P. Pell, Litt D., Spartanburg; Fifth
Congressional District, Col. Leroy Springs, Lancaster; Sixth
Congressional District, Hon. W. D. Morgan, Georgetown; Seventh
Congressional District, Hon. W. C. Benet, Columbia.
Again, we have done well under the circumstances, in
contributions that have come to us, in aid of sufferers of
Japan, Italy and San Francisco. Our purpose was, not to go
around begging alms, but to trust to the generosity of our
fellow citizens, and thereby to test their confidence in us,
as representatives of this great International body. The
success of this plan has been shown in the reports that have
been made by us to the National Headquarters. Every penny we
have accounted for has been a voluntary gift, that has come to
us, not been run after. This dignified course has produced a
marked effect upon the people of the State who have witnessed
this well ordered procedure. This plan may have diminished
somewhat the amount of our receipts, but it has raised the
organization very high in the estimation and respect of the
entire citizenship of our State.
The Branch is now in a most healthy and flourishing condition
and we feel proud of the position it occupies in the brilliant
galaxy of Red Cross Branches.
* * * * *
The Secretary of the Michigan Branch, Mr. R. M. Dyar, writes under date
of June 6:
We have adopted a method for increasing our membership of
getting in communication with men in small towns, who acted
as Treasurer or Chairman of local relief committees for the
San Francisco Fund, our idea being to appoint such men as
Vice-Presidents and to have them decide on becoming members
themselves, and endeavor to secure additional members in their
cities or towns.
* * * * *
The following is a list of the Sub-divisions of the Massachusetts Branch,
with the officers of each:
Worcester County.—Chairman, Charles G. Washburn; Treasurer, Dr. Homer
Gage; Secretary, Mrs. Lincoln W. Kinnicutt.
Berkshire County.—President, Judge John C. Crosby; Vice-President,
Rev. J. C. Smoots; Secretary and Treasurer, Dr. Alfreda B. Withington;
Executive Committee: Dr. J. F. A. Adams, Mrs. H. A. Brewster, Miss
Julia W. Redfield, Rev. James Boyle, Pittsfield; Mrs. W. Murray Crane,
Jr., Dalton; Miss Cornelia Barnes, Lenox; Miss Caroline T. Lawrence,
Stockbridge; Mrs. William Stanley, Great Barrington.
Hampden County.—President, Mr. George Dwight Pratt; Treasurer, Mr. Ralph
P. Alden; Secretary, Miss Amy B. Alexander.
A Division is being organized in Essex County, of which Gen. Francis H.
Appleton will be Chairman and Mr. W. O. Chapman, of the Asiatic Bank,
Salem, Treasurer.
The Secretary of the Massachusetts Branch, Miss Katherine P. Loring,
reports that, “A man has been representing himself as an agent of the Red
Cross and has been begging for subscriptions for our purposes. We have
put notices in the newspapers and have notified the police that we never
employ agents.”
* * * * *
The Connecticut Branch reports six Sub-divisions and another in process
of formation. They have a total membership of 900, including 89 life
members. Of the foregoing membership four hundred are members of the
Norwich Society.
The Secretary of the Connecticut Branch of the Red Cross in a letter
dated June 12th states that the Bristol Sub-division, which is composed
of twenty-five boys, members of a Sunday-school class, accomplished
wonders in their efforts in behalf of the unfortunate people of
California. They not only collected and shipped to California clothing,
blankets, linen, etc., amounting to 1272 pieces, but contributed in cash
$1,235.04. No better work than this has been done by any organization,
and as Mrs. Kinney says—good for the boys!
The New York State Branch now has twelve sub-divisions. Since the April
number of the Bulletin, four new sub-divisions have been organized,
namely: Chautauqua County, Columbia County, Duchess County and New
York County. It is probable that organization will be effected soon in
Chemung, Oswego and St. Lawrence Counties. Work is now progressing and
organization is under consideration in seven other Counties, namely:
Broome, Greene, Orange, Nassau, Suffolk, Tompkins and Jefferson.
The membership of the sub-divisions is as follows:
Albany County 100
Brooklyn 267
Buffalo 80
Chautauqua County 11
Columbia County 52
Duchess County 59
Islip Township 144
New York County 587
North Westchester County 51
Oneida County 186
Rochester 30
Syracuse 20
In other counties of the State there are forty-nine members, making the
total membership for the State, so far as reported on June 16th, one
thousand, six hundred and thirty-six.
The Americans in London sent through the Honorable Whitelaw Reid, the
American Ambassador, $20,000.00 for the California Fund.
The New York County Sub-division opened two clothing depots where
contributions of clothing were received, assorted, repacked and
shipped, sending 181 cases to San Francisco. During the first three
weeks every night a list of supplies that day shipped or en route
was sent to Dr. Devine. Service was also systematically arranged in
telegraphing inquiries for missing relatives and friends and forwarding
the information when received. The business public evinced the greatest
interest and most practical coöperation in the relief work by furnishing
free service and by lending or giving ample equipment to carry on the
work.
The work of the State Branch has so increased as to render it necessary
to move into a larger office—Room No. 507—in the same building, No. 500
Fifth Avenue, New York City.