as the organization which is authorized to act in matters of relief under said treaty. In accordance with article seven, of the treaty, the delivery of the brassard allowed for individuals neutralized in time of war shall be left to military authority. SEC. 3. That the purposes of this corporation are and shall be First. To furnish volunteer aid to the sick and wounded of armies in time of war, in accordance with the spirit and conditions of the conference of Geneva of October, eighteen hundred and sixty-three, and also of the treaty of the Red Cross, or the treaty of Geneva of August twenty-second, eighteen hundred and sixty-four, to which the United States of America gave its adhesion on March first, eighteen hundred and eighty-two. Second. And for said purposes to perform all the duties devolved upon a national society by each nation which has acceded to said treaty. Third. To succeed to all the rights and property which have been hitherto held and to all the duties which have heretofore been performed by the American National Red Cross as a corporation duly organized and existing under the laws of the United States relating to the District of Columbia, which organization is hereby dissolved. Fourth. To act in matters of voluntary relief and in accordance with the military and naval authorities as a medium of communication between the people of the United States of America and their armies, and to act in such matters between similar national societies of other governments through the "Comité International de Secours" and the Government and the people and the armies of the United States of America. Fifth. And to continue and carry on a system of national and international relief in time of peace and apply the same in mitigating the sufferings caused by pestilence, famine, fire, floods, and other great national calamities. Sixth. And to devise and carry on measures for preventing the same, and generally to promote measures of humanity and the welfare of mankind. SEC. 4. That from and after the passage of this Act it shall be unlawful for any person or association of persons within the jurisdiction of the United States to wear or to display the sign of the Red Cross or any colorable imitation of said insignia, except in the service insignia colored in imitation thereof except by authority of the Government of the United States or by permission of the American National Red Cross, for the purpose of collecting, soliciting, or receiving money or material, or for any person or organization to use the said symbol or name of the Red Cross, in doing, or in attempting to do, work similar to the American National Red Cross without permission as aforesaid, and the person or association so using the said Red Cross, or any colorable imitation thereof, shall be guilty of a misdemeanor, and shall be liable to a fine of not less than fifty dollars nor more than five hundred dollars, or imprisonment for a term not exceeding six months, or both, for each and every offense. The fine so collected shall be paid to the American National Red Cross. The appointment of the chief medical officer shall not be made without the approval in writing of the Secretary of War. Sne. 5. That the said American National Red Cross shall report annually to the Secretary of State concerning its proceedings, and to the Secretary of War and the Secretary of the Navy when working with either or both of these Executive Departments of the Govern ment. SEC. 5. That the said American National Red Cross shall, on the first day of January of each year, make and publish in at least two of the daily papers of the city of Washington, District of Columbia, a full, complete, and itemized report of all receipts and expenditures of whatever kind, and of its proceedings during the preceding year, and shall also give such information concerning its transactions and affairs as the Secretary of State may from time to time require, and, in respect of all business and proceedings in which it may be concerned in connection with the War and Navy Departments of the Government, shall make reports to the Secretary of War and to the Secretary of the Navy, respectively. SEC. 6. That Congress shall have the right to repeal, alter, or amend this Act at any time. Passed the Senate February 21, 1900. CHARLES G. BENNETT, Secretary. REPORT TO ACCOMPANY S. 2931, FIFTY-SIXTH CONGRESS Mr. Money, from the Committee on Foreign Relations, submitted the following REPORT [To accompany S. 2931] The Committee on Foreign Relations, to whom was referred the bill (S. 2931) to incorporate the American National Red Cross and to protect its insignia, having carefully considered same, beg leave to submit the following report with the recommendation that the bill do pass: The accompanying bill to incorporate the American National Red Cross and to protect its insignia (the red cross on a white ground) is a bill which has, in different forms, but all having the same object, been reported favorably many times within the past fifteen years by both Houses of Congress, and has failed of becoming a law through lack of attention and not from opposition. The treaty of the Red Cross, the articles and purposes of which are fully set out in the accompanying bill, was entered into August 22, 1864, at Geneva, Switzerland, by plenipotentiaries representing Italy, Baden, Belgium, Denmark, Spain, Portugal, France, Prussia, Saxony, and Wurtemberg, and the Federal council of Switzerland, and was the result of a conference which convened in Geneva, Switzerland, October 26, 1863, at which 14 Governments were represented by official delegates, and there were also present 5 members of the Geneva committee, 6 delegates of different associations, and some unaccredited visitors. This conference was called to find out and agree upon humane and reasonable methods upon which the civilized nations might agree for the treatment of the unfortunate and helpless victims of war; and a series of resolutions looking to this object, and providing the methods by which they should be carried out, were adopted. These resolutions are the basis of the Red Cross treaty of August 22, 1864, and provided, among other things, that there shall be in every country that comes into the treaty a national committee to act in times of emergency with whatever arm of the Government may need its services; and the red cross on the white ground was adopted as the sacred international insignia of the humane work. The United States gave its adherence to this treaty March 1, 1882, being the thirty-second country to come into its provisions; and since then 11 more countries have accepted the treaty, making in all 43 countries who have become parties to it. While originally formed to give its aid in times of war, through the efforts of Miss Clara Barton, there has been added an article enlarging the work of the Red Cross to all cases of national emergency and disaster, known in foreign countries as the "American amendment," and in accordance with this article this country has already, under the leadership of this same woman, given its aid to Russia at the time of the famine in 1892, to Armenia and Turkey in 1896, and to the sufferers in Cuba in 1897, 1898, and 1899. In our country the Red Cross has led in ameliorating and relieving the sufferings arising from the fires in Michigan in 1881; the Mississippi floods in 1882 and 1883; the Mississippi cyclone of 1883; the Ohio and Mississippi floods of 1884; the Charleston earthquake of 1886; the Mount Vernon, Ill., cyclone of 1888; the Florida yellow-feyer epidemic of 1888; the Johnstown disaster of 1889; the Pomeroy, Iowa, cyclone of 1893; and the South Carolina Islands hurricane of 1893 and 1894. The work done by the Red Cross in the late Spanish-American war in Cuba and in the hospitals and camps in the United States exceeded in its extent all its previous records, and in its benefactories included officers and men, friend and foe alike. This is in brief the history of the Red Cross in the United States. All meetings of the international conferences of the Red Cross have recommended to the governments concerned the importance of the protection of the Red Cross as the sacred insignia of this humane work, and also urged the necessity for the incorporation of their National Red Cross committees. In pursuance of this recommendation every signatory country except ours has so protected its National Red Cross, most of them with measures much stronger than those embraced in the accompanying bill. The bill is, therefore, favorably reported with amendments noted with the recommendation that it pass. REPORT TO ACCOMPANY S. 2931, FIFTY-SIXTH CONGRESS, FIRST SESSION 56TH CONGRESS HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 1st Session { REPORT No. 758 AMERICAN NATIONAL RED CROSS MARCH 23, 1900.-Referred to the House Calendar and ordered to be printed Mr. GILLETT, of Massachusetts, from the Committee on Foreign Affairs, submitted the following REPORT [To accompany S. 2931] The Committee on Foreign Affairs, to which was referred the bill (S. 2931) to incorporate the American National Red Cross and to protect its insignia, having considered the same and added certain amendments, which are appended hereto, beg leave to submit the following report, with the recommendation that the bill as amended do pass. The accompanying bill is one which has in different forms, but all having the same general purpose, been favorably reported to both Houses of Congress, but failed to receive consideration, and has once passed both Houses, reaching the President too late to become a law. The importance and magnitude of the work of the American National Red Cross for the past sixteen years is such as entitles it to recognition and its work and insignia to the protection of the Government, which it is organized to serve in cases of national calamity or emergency. The work of the Red Cross in the different civilized countries of the world is carried out under a compound treaty between fortythree of the civilized nations. It was the outcome of a conference which convened in Geneva, Switzerland, October 26, 1863, at which fourteen governments were represented by delegates, and there were also present five members of the Geneva committee, six delegates of different associations, and some unaccredited visitors. Its object was to find out and agree upon humane and reasonable methods for the 292 |