Theos-Talk Archives (November 2006 Message tt01050)

Throwing TS elections
  
Carlos,
    You wrote recently about Arundale 
running vs Arundale in the 30's for the 
Adyar TS presidencey.  I don't know about 
that, but in the 1952 elections, it 
seems very likely that Adyar used a 
technicality in the election rules to 
keep Ernest Wood off the ballot.  Only 
three in the final ballot are allowed 
from those receiving the most primary votes.  
Adyar ran 3 "in-house" canidates - one 
of which, Sidney Cook, didn't intend to 
serve, but was very popular.  Their three 
candidates got the most votes, Cook dropped 
out, leaving only 2 "in-house" candidates 
on the final ballot to be voted on, and 
thus effectively locking Ernest Wood off 
the ballot.  Very brotherly - eh!?  Sources 
from 1952 "Canadian Theosophists" below.
  
              - jake j.
   
  
ELECTION NEWS
     ("Canadian theosophist," Nov. 15, 1952)
  
On October 28th I received a cable from Headquarters notifying me that there would be two candidates only to be voted upon in the coming Presidential election, Mr. N. Sri Ram and Shrimati Rukmini Devi.  As Rule 10 calls for three candidates, I immediately cabled Adyar for an explanation and pointed out that Mr. Ernest Wood had been nominated by at least three National Societies.  A cabled reply stated that Mr. Sidney Cook had stood second among the three candidates receiving the highest number of nominations, and that he had exercised his right to withdraw.
 
  This seems a most extraordinary procedure.  If Mr. Cook did not intend being a candidate for the office, I should have thought that in fairness to the members he would have withdrawn earlier, thus permitting the National Societies to nominate an alternative candidate.  However, Mr. Cook's explanation of his withdrawal which has just reached me by airmail, is as follows:
 
  "No one can ever definitely foresee what the nominations may bring forth, and a willingness to bear the burdens of office may very well be modified by the availability, the willingness and the strongly expressed preference for some other nominee or nominees."
 
  "Not until the nominations were complete could my choice be made;  not until another was very substantially nominated could his decision be made;  not until I had his assurance that he would not withdraw have I felt free to do so."
 
  "To serve the Society I was willing to be its President if elected, but I serve the Society still better by withdrawing now that it is clear and certain to me that Mr. N. Sri Ram, whom I myself nominated, is available and willing to serve."
 
  Mr. Cook appears to be within his rights, and the nominations cannot now be re-opened because of his withdrawal.  Under the present rules it is too late to nominate another candidate in his place;  the rules do not provide that the candidate receiving the next highest number of nominations should replace the candidate who withdraws.  This incident is direct evidence that the present Rule 10 should be withdrawn and replaced by the former Rule, under which the nominee of any National Society would be voted upon by the members.
 
  As the situation now stands, Mr. Ernest Wood's name will not go before the electors, and the Society will not have the opportunity of learning how many members are in favor of a return to the original basis upon which the Society was founded.
 
  With respect to the two candidates upon whom the members are permitted to vote, I can only say that I am sure that both Shrimati Rukmini Devi and her brother, Mr. N. Sri Ram, are sincere in their desire to serve the cause of Theosophy in the high administrative office of President.  H.P.B. wrote in The Key to Theosophy that the future of the Society would depend almost entirely upon the degree of selflessness, earnestness, devotion, and last, but not least, on the amount of knowledge and wisdom possessed by those members on whom it will fall to carry on the work and to direct the Society.
 
  Both candidates are idealistic persons who have given years of service to the Society.  At the same time, we are of the opinion that both these candidates should place before the members, statements of their policies, etc., and for this reason we are cabling both and hope to have their replies in our next issue.
    
  General Secretary.
-----------
  
QUARTERLY MEETING
         (Feb 15, 1953, Canadian Theosophist, Vol. 33-12)
 
  The Quarterly Meeting of the Theosophical Society in Canada took place at 52 Isabella St., Toronto, on Sunday, January 11, with the following members in attendance: - Miss M. Hindsley, Dudley W.Barr, Charles M. Hale, George I. Kinman and the General Secretary.  Minutes of the last meeting were read and approved.  The Financial Statement read and moved by Col. Thomson was carried.  The Editor of the magazine Mr. Barr reported progress.  The General Secretary outlined the situation of the Presidential Election.  Arrangements were made for two scrutineers to be in attendance at Headquarters on Sunday, January 25, to count the ballots.  Rule 10 was then discussed as had been intimated in the magazine.  The general feeling was that in view of the elimination of our candidate Professor Ernest Wood from the ballot, as well as other factors, the Rule be amended in order to bring it into line with the democratic conditions existing today.  After lengthy discussion it was moved
 that the General Secretary as a member of the General Council present a Motion to that body providing for the deletion of Paragraph 2 of the present Rule 10, and also providing that the first sentence of Paragraph 3 be changed to read as follows, "The Recording Secretary shall communicate the list of all nominees to the General Secretaries, and to Lodges and Fellows-at-large attached to the Headquarters at Adyar."  This was duly seconded and carried.  The method of voting was then discussed and eventually it was decided that the General Secretary forward the following motion to the General Council that "The method of voting be by means of a single transferable vote;  that the voters number all candidates in the order of their choice commencing from number one upwards to the end of the list, and that the candidates be eliminated one by one from those receiving the least number of first choices and adding their second and subsequent choices to the remainder until such time
 as one candidate receives a definite majority."  This was duly seconded and carried with one member abstaining from voting.  Finally the General Secretary was requested to write a letter of appreciation to Prof. Ernest Wood thanking him for his willingness to stand for election whilst realizing that his chances of election were somewhat remote;  also that his candidature has at least focussed the attention of the members to the unsatisfactory nature of the voting system.  The next meeting was arranged for the second Sunday in April viz. the 12th.  The meeting then adjourned.
----------------
  
THE VOTING IN CANADA
         (CT, vol 33-12)
 
  The ballots cast by Canadian members in the election for the new President, were counted on Sunday, January 25.  Miss O. Olive and Mr. Arthur Hessian of Toronto Lodge acted as scrutineers.  The ballots were opened and counted in the presence of the General Secretary.  The results were:
 
for Mr. Sri Ram 104
 
for Mrs. Arundale 65
 
invalid ballots 16
 
  410 members were eligible to vote but 185 ballots only were sent in.  The invalid ballots included those on which the
members wrote `no' opposite the name of each candidate, those on which voters had written the name of Mr. Ernest
Wood and voted for him, and those which carried a note to the effect that the member was not voting as, he was not satisfied with the election procedure.
 
  Many members who did not exercise their prerogative of voting, expressed their disapproval of not having the opportunity of voting for Mr. Wood.  The ballots returned represented about 45% of those sent out.
    
  - E. L. Thomson, General Secretary.
----------------
  
<9. Arundale and C.J.
    Posted by: "carlosaveline" carlosaveline@terra.com.br 
cardosoaveline
    Date: Fri Nov 17, 2006 6:09 am ((PST))
  
<Friends, 
  <This is on behalf of Nov 17. 
  <Sometimes, clairvoyances clash. 
 
<In the 1930s, George Arundale ran for international president in the 
<Adyar TS and was able to win over his opponent Ernest Wood. The political 
fight was relatively strong......
----------------
   

 	
---------------------------------
Sponsored Link

Mortgage rates near 39yr lows. $420,000 Mortgage for $1,399/mo - Calculate new house payment

[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]