ect:

ST. Louis, _December 17, 1903._

MADAM: By direction of the Commission I am authorized to
acknowledge receipt of your resolution recommending that the
Commission suspend the rule restricting the membership of the
board of lady managers, to the end that an appointment may be
made of a representative from the city of St. Louis. In reply
thereto you are informed that the rule referred to can not be
suspended, save by the joint action of this Commission and the
Exposition Company. The Commission feels indisposed to initiate
any movement looking to its suspension. If requested by the
Exposition Company to suspend the rule for the purpose of naming
some lady residing in St. Louis, recommended by the Exposition
Company, the Commission would probably, by unanimous consent,
suspend the rule for that purpose.

Very respectfully,
THOMAS H. CARTER, _President._

MRS. DANIEL MANNING,
_President Board Lady Managers._

As no decision could be reached by the executive committee of the
Exposition Company in regard to a choice of representative from the city
of St. Louis on the board of lady managers, the board felt the necessity
of selecting a president from its existing membership, and at the next
session, on December 16, 1903, again held in the Administration
Building, Mrs. John M. Holcombe moved that "we proceed at once to elect
a president of this board."

Mrs. Buchwalter, the chairman, stated that it was in order to proceed
with the election of a president of the board, and asked for
nominations. Miss Helen M. Gould spoke as follows:

I would like to nominate Mrs. Daniel Manning for this office.
Mrs. Manning has had large experience in matters of this kind as
head of the Daughters of the American Revolution, having resided
in Washington as the wife of one of the members of Mr.
Cleveland's cabinet, and in representing our country abroad,
having been one of our representatives at the Paris Exposition.
I understand that Mrs. Manning is one of two women from this
country who received the decoration from the French Government,
and I take pleasure in nominating her for the office of
president of this board. This nomination was seconded by several
members, and, as no other nominations were made, the tellers
announced the result of the vote: For Mrs. Manning, 13 votes:
one blank, Mrs. Manning not voti