Jvaltelzj %'i?^ THE MOTORS'" IMBROGLIO A Itevuto of the •■ Memorial of the National Mrili- riU Soe left/of the District of Columbia." and of tlm He port of Senator Sumner from the Commit- ter of the ni-itriet of Columbia on the Hill to Repeal the Charier of the Medical Society of the i District of Columbia. "lilack H.iirits and white, re I spiritsaoU grey. timid*, mingle, in: ugle, you that mm tie miv. " A. few weeks ago, as we hive learned from reports in the public prints, two or three med- ical men somewhat known in this District, aided and abetted by a handful of obscure and motley tyros in medicine, organiz d them- selves into a society to be known by the high Bounding and paradoxical title ot "The N.-t- tionil Medical Society of the District of Co- lumbia." It seems that, this body determined to apply to Congress for a charte., among the pro- visions ol which should he on1; repealing the charter of "The Medical Society of the District of i 'olumbia," first granted in the year 181'J, and renewed in ls:iS, and another provision re- quiring the veterans in the profession belong- ing to the old society to appear before a board ol this new body and undergo an examination into their professional qualifications, or ex hibit their diplomas in order to obtain a Ijcense to practice their profession. These men thus assume, in their arrogance, to ask for the right to indorse ,the professional knowledge of the grey heads who have taught Borne of them what they know of medicine and professionally attended not only at their births, but probably at those of their fathers and their mothers. ■ It. appears, also that Senator Sumner, on December 9, introduced into the Senate a resolution, which was referred to the Com- mittee on the District of Columbia, inquiiing into the expediency of tepealing the charter of the Medical Society, and, as pretended reasons lor the repeal, making statements without any foundation in fact, even quoting verbatim a regulation ot the Medical Asso- ciation of the District of Columbia, (an en- tirely different body from the society,) as an existing and enforced law of the said society It being evident that, the Senate and the co hi m it tee were about to act on false inform i- tioti, the society thus publicly and untruth- fully arraigned, thought, proper to make an appeal to the public, setting forth the I acts in the matter and explaining its true position. In answer to this appeal a memorial has appeared purporting to be signed by some ten individuals as a committee of the'National Medical Society of the District of Columbia.'' A gentleman whose name was appended to this memorial published a card on the follow- ing morning, informing the public that his signature had been used without his knowl- edge or consent, the lirst intimation lie had of it being its appearance in print. A parallel instance of audacity is the published fact that at one ot their meetings they hail fixed upon the names of a certain number of medic il men as applicants for a charter.when one member, less unscrupulous than the rest, moved that, as the two most prominent, men so named had never given any assurance ot co-operation with them, their consent should be lirst ob- tained to attach their names to such an appli- ■ cation. Vlv ae may give Borne idea of the amount of reli.-trfilify to be placed upon stare- M; if:;;-.. ments emanating from such rTTWirt1. ~"We can hardly look for a clear stream lrom so muddy a spring. In its appeal, the Medical Society did not profess to know the origin of the false and iralicioua statements referred to. Hut, iu its memorial, this National Medical Society of the District ol Columbia assumes itself to be thus indicated and accused, and the avidity with which if. appropriates the soft impeach- ment reminds us of a similar instance of quick- ness of apprehension, referred to by the late Rev. Sidney Smith. A gentleman seated in a coffee-house,writing to a friend, became aware that a tall Irishman wm3 looking over hia shoulder, taking that liberty which Parmenio took with Alexander, but instead of placing his seal upon the lips of the curious imperti- nence, he concluded his letter by writing, " 1 would say more, but. a fellow is reading every word as I write it " '■ You lie, you scound- rel !" hastily exclaimed the Hibernian . These memorialists seem somewhat, exer- cised over the term " malicious." If a body applying fir a charter makes it an essential provision of such application, that the charter of another body shall be repealed without its wish or consent, we really think that the term malicious is not inappropriate iu defining such an action. We will quote the assertions in this " me- morial," and show how much ere lit is to be attached to them. That there is "only one medical society in the District, where all licenses to practice must be obtained" is true, and it is no less true that every person who has applied for such license has received it when qualified, Hut that there is only one society where " all advantages flowing from medical and profes- sional discus-ion were to be enjoyed," or that "it became the duty of these colored physi- cians to obtain license and membership in order to keep up their medical education," are falsifications,and no one kdows that better than some of the signers of the memorial, for they are awaie that there are two other so- cieties lor medical discussions in the District, one of which limits its membership in the be- lief that Ihere is more opportunity for medi- cal improvement in a small society than a large one. They know also that there is room here for more, and that any number of medical men who may desire to do so cau organize such societies at their pleasure. That the medical society ever acknowledged that -ihe color of the candidates was the rea- son" for refusing them membership, is another perversion of tne truth. Whatever certain members may have individually admitted as to the mo'ives by which they were personally influenced in casting their ballots, the society has never assigned any leason for the relusal of membership, and has no power to limit any member in the free use of his ballot according to his individual preferences, or (if the word will suit some people better) prejudices. Neither had it the right to interfere with the secrecy of such ballot. The very few members who voted for the admission of the aforesaid candidates have sought no concealment of their votes, and among them a e several who have no connec- tion or sympathy with this new society. Another assertion iu the " mttt'ori.il " with 2 respect to the society and these colored physi- ] cians is, that "some of its members have re- fused to consult with them because they were not members of the society" No member of the society could have based a refusal ou such aground, for every member knows that the society has no rule regulating consultations, and has never had the power to make such a rule Those among the signers of this memo- rial who are members of the medical society have been notoriously in the habit of holding Buch consultations and associations, and they cannot, with truth, mention a single instance in which the society has ever even rebuked I them for it, or in any manner exercised dis- | cipline upon them, or claimed any jurisdiction | in the matter. It has even, with a forbearance of very doubtful propriety, retrained from ex- pelling those members wno are openly work- iug for its destruction. It is also asserted that " January 3, 1870, by a vote of 26 to 10, the society refused to con- sider a resolution which reads as follows, viz: " Resolved, That no physician (who is other- wise eligible) should he excluded from mem- bership on account of his race or color." This is another impudent perversion of the truth, for the resolution was at that time un- questionably out of order, and the President bo decided it under the rules. Although the Bociety had had a long session and had a large amount of unfinished business before it, jet the resolution was, without objection, al lowed to be read lor information and its pro- poser was courteously and silently heard while he advocated its consideration ; after which a motion was made to suspend the rules for its consideration, which, on being put to vote, evidently failed by so large a majority that a divisiou was not asked for, and we are at a loss to know how the signers of the me- morial have ascertained so accurately the ex- act vote. It is true that when the colored physicians applied for membership the hoard of examin- ers recommended them. Hut this is no proof that a majority of the board deemed their election expedient or desirable, or that they even voted for them when the billot was taken. The board may have considered it to be their duty to recommend any one to whom thev had granted a license, or the board may have been unwilling to have coriceu trated upon their small body the odium of a refusal to recommend, and to have therefore thrown the responsibility upon the society as a whole. This however is conjecture; we were not in the confidence of the board. It is false "that at the last election of offi- ces in this society, held January 3. 1870, the chairman of this board was removed," for by the rule of the society, uniformly acred upon from its foundation, the tenure of all the offi- ces expired with Ihe year; nor is it less un- true that "a gentleman, late of the confed- erate army, was elected in his place," the present chairman, his successor, having been a resident practitioner of this city without any interruption during the whole war. That any gentleman "was objected to solely on theground that he was believed to be in favor ot the admission of colored members" can be traced only to the fact that a member inquired if he was one of those applying to Congress for the repeal of the charter of the society. Do these memorialists suppose that the society is composed of worms groveling enough to elect without inquiry men sup- posed to be advocating its destruction! The memorialists seem to think the fact that the meetings of society "are conducted under strictly parliamentary rules" a com- plete refutation of the statement in the "ap- peal" that the weekly meetings "are of the nature of social reunions." The society of illustious gentlemen, known throughout the world as the Pickwick Club, conducted its meetings under parliamentary rules; yet it was preeminently social in its character. We think that we have thus shown how, in nearly every paragraph of this memorial, truth has been tortured until its resemblance can scarcely be detected. "See skulking truth to h»r old cavern fled, M.i natal us of ca^-ui-try heumnei, in his report, quotes the regu- lation of the medical associarion forbidding its members toconsult with practitioners who are not members thereof, and saj s that "some depart from it clandestinely—others openly. >uine bravely challenge the censure of the so- ciety." Astonishing temerity! These men have affixed their signatuies to the following obligation, viz: "Wo, the undeisigned, do approve of the Regulations and System of Medical Ethics adop'o.l by the medical association of the city of Washington, and do agree on our honor to comply with the same " On, brave! oh, excellent men ! Oh, ye whom Senator Sumner delighteth to honor! i We must decline to imitate you, models set up for us by the Senator, for if such conduct be bravery, we glory in our cowardice. We are too cowardly to violate our plighted honor. The Senator may think this, too, "simply a question of taste." We assure him that we are proud to differ with him in matters of taste, as well as of color. That it was intended for the society to exer- cise discrimination in the choice to member- ship is evident from the terms of the charter. The charter was granted to twenty-two indi- viduals, who were allowed the privilege of electing others into their body, if they deemed them qualified. There is nothing in its provisions requiring them to elect other members. They might have restricted the number of members to twenty-two, only electing to fill vacancies. They might have made experience in practice for a certain number of years a prerequisite for member- ship, or they might have imposed other con- ditions. As the government of the society and the whole management of its affairs are in the hands of the members, it is neither surprising nor improper that the majority should oc- casionally show a disposition to retain that' control in the hands of persons who have their confidence. We repudiate as false and in keeping with the other shameless statements In this report that the society has done anything "in dero- gation of the equal rights of all." Neither has the society iu its appeal made any "apol- ogetic defences"or "excuses." Its appeal is not an apology, but a defence and protest against false accusations, and against a wan- ton attempt at oppression. The society is not ashamed of anything it has done, repents of nothing, and consequently has no apol- ogy to make to any one. The appeal of the society asserts that the meetings of the society, "are of the nature of social reunions," and this is tortured into an admission that its meetings are only social and the intimation is thrown out iu the re- port, that iu consequence of.this and the ex- clusion of the negro, it has become "a nuis- ance and a shame." We have alluded above, In our examination of the memorial of the National Medical So- ciety of the District of Columbia, to the um- brage taken at the society's claim that its meetings possessed somewhatof the social ele- ment, and at the effort therein made to prove this claim unfounded. Why really we are at a loss to know how to please these gentlemen. At one time we deserve destiuction if we are not a social body, and at another we must be annihilated because we are. The society seems to be iu the same strait as the poor lamb that was innocently and modestly drinking lower down iu the stream than the wolf. These gentlemen being hungry, and having made up their minds to devour us, any excuse will answer. As to the indecency of selecting three or four individual members of the society hy name as targets for Senatorial wrath, we have nothing to say further than that it is "simply a question of taste," and that we have reason to believe the charges to be as much perversions of the truth as the other statements in the "Report" and the " Memorial." Will Congress, in obedience to the wishes of these memorialiats and the author of this report, attempt to compel the medical society to choose into its body persons distasteful to a large majority of its members » Will it say to the society, "You may elect members, but you must elect such as we point out? " Has it Baid to Virginia, or Mississippi, or the Dis- trict of Columbia, '• VVe give you the right to \ vote freely it elections, but you must vote for an occasional negro?" Is ir a more heinous offence for the members of the medical society to exercise a discrimination .in the fleleotion of their associates than for the managers of the Republican party to be exclusive at an inauguration ball, or for a certain class to be placed at the tail end of admissions to a Presi- dential levee 1 Will it take away this ch nt.tr from the large majority of practitioners, from men who have grown up with the District. and are honored and respected here, to give it to a very small minority, chiefly new comers, j the most of whom are men whose blood is only ki pt in circulation by the daily adminis- tration of Government or corporation palm lum, and others who, if the sandy bricks of Ho waul University should to-morrow crumble into dust, would fall to pieces wDh it, as their sole occupa'ion would be gone, and the source of their sustenance dried up I The Senator, on December 9, in offering the resolution above referred to, remarked that he thought Congress could force the members of the Medical Society Into consultations which their free choice would reject. Will he or Congress attempt it ? A similar tyranny was witnessed ls)0 years ago, when unwilling men were forced to contend with as unwilling beasts iu the aren i of the Coliseum at Rome We appeal to the Senators to reverse their thumbs and save us from this destruction. Congress may have the power to inforce the threat of the Senator; but power exercised in one way may be a blessing, in another a cur-e We have the power to crush any worm that may lie in our path. The Czar of all the Rus- Bias would not attempt the exercise of such despotism as that proposed; backed by his 3,00'i armed Amazonian wives, the King of Da- homey might; but the Senator surely would not, even if he had the ability, desire to emu- late any example he might set. In this, so-called, free Government we, of tliis District, present the singular anomaly of being under a despotism. Congress is our Czar, our Sultan, our Dictator; it has exclu- sive jurisdiction over us. Will it use this authority as men who profess to be the advo- cates of free thought, free speech and free ac- tion should ? If this premeditated outrage should be per- petrated here, chartered bodies throughout the land would feel it, to be a precedent for interference with the rights of them all The colleges here derive their charters from the same source as the Medical Society; yet, with the exception of the Howard T'ni versify, they excrciie the same discrimination in the selec- tion of their professors and students as the Medical Society is now vituperated for using in the choice of its members. Hanks, rail- road and insurance computes me the same discretion in the election of their directors and other officers. "If Congress interferes with these rights here we Bhall soon find the State Legislatures lollowiug the example. We shall find men compelled by force to adopt the insane ami fanatical crochets of those in power, and we shall be teduced to a slavery of opinion worse than that of £'* body. For the slavery of the bodies of f< millions of negroes we shall have aubstifutou a despot- ism over the minds of foity millions of u lute men. "Who will array himself on the side of this wrong!'- The chains of the negro, against which there has beeneuch an outcry, were coarse, rough and visible, and therefore, Ihcely to rouse re- sistance; but these which are being wrought about ib, like those forged by Vulcan to co- trap his wanton wife and her paramour, ate invisible, but powerful ."ml the more danger- ous from their very concealment. Aledical men, as a class, "are only a danger when they are oppressed, for then their solo care is to defend their liberty." The blow aimed at the Medical Society of this District is one directed ag linst the liber- ties of the medical profession throughout the country; its m; mb'is will fraternize against such oppression. Let them tie aroused, and they will be found an engine of political power. The mass of them will not be so lost to shame as quietly to submit to the degrada- tion of their brethren, and they will perceive in this tyranny but a forerunner of worse at. tempts upon the liberties of the masses of the people. The opinions of medical practition- ers are generally respected by their patients upon other 'matters than medical; they are men of education and refinement, many of whom it would be insulting to class otherwise than as at least the peers of the best men in the Senate of the United States iu intellectual ability. More than Bixfy thousand of them, (51,~>43 by the censue ot 18jO.) traveling from house to house in daily intereout se with the people, can wield an influence that it would be well for even Congress not to despise. 1IA1R15THS. /