JM SUFFRRGISTS      *
DESECRATED FLAG
Political Equality Club Considers Protest Made by Members  of the
i). a. e.             ili
At the meeting: of the Geneva PoIF tical Equality Club held last evening ill St. Peter's parish house, the evening im given over chiefly to business. Mrs. Charles S. Burrall presided an.? Miss Mary Peck, of Seneca Castle, chairman of the New Methods Committee, presented the outline of the plans for the. work of the spring season. It was decided to divide the city into districts and to make a canvass of the citizens to obtain their opinion on "equal   suffrage."
-A-letter   was   read  from the  Seneca Chapter. -Daughters    of    the American Revolution,  in   which  they stated that they  felt  that    the    Geneva  Political Equality  Club    (had     desecrated     the | t American 'flag  by allowing  an   ardent suffragist   to   change    the     picture   of "Betsy  Ross,"   which  was   on   exhibition    in   the   'Suffrage   Booth,   that   is. painting  llic   stars  on   the flag yellow, which,   interpreted,   would  mean    that I the  slates  of  the union,  were  for  suf-1 frage.    The D. A. If. memibers objected ! to   ill is.    !No   action   was   taken   last evening by tlbe  suffragists.
CLUB DID TAKE ACTION.
Suffragists Ssrtt Letter of Explanation to Incensed D. A. B.
It was erroneously stated in yesterday's Times that the Gen'cva Political Equality Club at its meeting Tuesday night took no action, regarding the complain) <>' 1 li<> 1). A. R., tli;il. ! hr: suffragists Jmd doaocrated. the Amcri-I'.au flag by altering the color of the stars'on . a flag wiiich formed part of the decoration of |!io suffrage booth at McM'aste?'s candy store. The club drafted a letter of explanation at the meeting; Tuesday night which was sent-to th'e D. A. !;. in an endeavor to settle the. matter. The answer of the D. A. R. is now boii;g awaited by ihe suffragists.
FUG IICIDEIT It ISKPUIIIED
jMISiS MILLEE SENDS COEEESFON-j    DENCE  BETWEEN    POLITICAL i         EQUALITY CLUB AND THE D. A. R.
To the  Kditor of The Times,
Sir,The Public has been informed through your columns of the fact that the Seneca Chapter of the .Daughters of the American Revolution have made written charges against the Geneva Political 'Equality Club for "infringing upon the law" land "desecration" of the National flag. I herewith supply | the correspondence  -between the two associations and because 1 a>i'. eon-vincoi that nil con<-erned wili wi.-'li to be iaformed in rcp.r,i-;l to the. point of: vieiv of the Polities! Kqnnlitv Club as well, i's to know i-lm i'ni-t:-: in the case, I ;uk your generosity in viic matter of spa.ee.
The l'rpTu-li nave  a saying, "To .understand nil is to forgive all." VC'aan i ail is uudorstuod concerning "Betsy ; up to date'-' voe believe that the verdict will  be:  "Nothing to forgive."
The victory oi' "Votes for Women" I last  November,  in   iho  state  of  Wash-I ington   was  celebrated   in  Htifi'rnge  circles   throughout   rhis       country       aud. abroad.    One of the. nehible gatherings taxed   tho   cavvicity   of   Cooper   Union jHall  in   Xmv   Vork   City.   There  thousands listened to tho best men and wo-I men orators, and were also  excited to j j enthusiasm by  the  patriotic  music  of i i a brass  band  supplied   by  Mrs.   O.  II. j I'. Belmont.    The climax of'that cele-! bration   was  the   ceremony   of   placing I the fifth star on the suffrage flag.   The ! suffragists . have   for   years   used   thi-i :flag at State and National conventions, jadding  one golden  star  as   each   state j was won.    The author of "The Battle | Hymn,   of   the   Republic"   Mrs.   Julia "Ward Howe, and the most distinguished living nurse, Clara Barton, have made speeches from  under it, upon our platform.    At the mass meeting in. Cooper Union     Miss   Inez   Milholland   herself one of the younger .and most beautiful stars in the suffrage field, was chosen to act as principal in placing the new star   representing   the   State   of  Washington  on the flag.    Thrilled with patriotism the whole assemblage rose and sang '' America'' to tiie accompaniment of the. brass band.    Tho  suffragists  of 'Geneva lijade  no  public  demonstration of rejoicing but in the privacy of many happy homes there  were  quiet  expressions   of  joy.     One   of  these   domestic celebrations has been brought into unexpected,   and   what   may  prove   prolonged,   publicity   by   the   zealous   patriotism of the  Seneca  Liiapter o_   . nc Daughters of the American Revolution for surely the end is  not yet.
A few days after the vote was won in Washington, a well Known, member of the Geneva Political Equality Club found her husband (a commercial man, also a member of the club) busily at work over a colored print, the trade mark of his business firm. The print is called. "Making the emblem of personal libert}'" and represents an historical evt-ntBetsy Ross in the act of sewing one of the original thirteen stars on the field of the first National ag. As only some of tho thirteen stars appeared in the print it was an easy matter for the deft and clever suffrage enthusiast to modify the field of the flag, by placing one gold star for Wy-oming, one for Idaho, one for Utah, Qne for Colorado and then the fifth and largest of all, for Washington, directly in the hnwd of Betsy who thus appears to be in t'he act of recording the victory of tho suffrage cause in the state of Washington. To change a. comnier-cial trademark into a decorative and | significant political poster was the work   of  but   a  few  minutes.
"Why, what a)re you doing?" asked Mrs. II.                                                  j
"Oh, just _bnngi.ng Betsy up to date!" was jtlie reply. The poster was seat to Lochland, where it met with such warm appreciation from m'any patriotic jand discriminating persons thai- it seemed appropriate that the sphere of its usefulness should be en- : larged and consequently Betsy made he? first appearance in public, as an. honored guest at the January Political Equality Club meeting at tlie President's House, Hobart College. Later, when Mr. and | Mrs. MeMuster donated a part of their j establishment .at 92 Seneca street for temporary headquarters of the club during a. few weeks previous to the Sylvia  Pankhmst   meeting  "Betsy  up
to  date''  was  naturally  placed   ii:   ovi-' don.ee .as  a decorative poster  illusi rating a recent political  event  of  impor-ance in the progress of democracy.   For more  than  a month  after the  date  of the  Pa.nk'hurst   meeting     ("Feb.     14th) . Betsy had continued her needlework on the   Washington   star   in   the   quiet   seclusion   of   Loehland   when   the   folow- t ing'letter was received:
"Seneca Chapter of Tho Daughters of the American Revolutionto Mrs. W. H. Partridge, Sec. of the 'Geneva Political   Equality  Club.
"My Dear Mrs. Partridge,
"At, the last, meeting of Tho Daugh- j terp  of  the   American  Revolution   held in  the National  Guard Armory, March 17th, lfl.ll, the corresponding secretary was instructed to communicate with the secretary of the Geneva Political Equal- J ity Club and call their attention to the fact. that, in displaying their advertisement  in   Mr.  McMaster's store   durirn.! Miss   Sylvin   Panhurst's   visit   in   Ge- |
neva they infringed the law in defacing : the field of the American flag. The Daughters of The American Revolution regret having to mention, the niattei and trust the desecration will not be repeated.
!         "GERTRUDE   P.   FAIRFAX, !                '' Corresponding   Secretary.
"Geneva, N. Y., March 18, >U."
This letter was referred to the President of the Political Equality Club, who, after careful consideration., /prepared iu substance the following reply, which being duly discussed at a, meeting of the P. 10. Club held on March 28th, at the Parish House of St. Peter's Church was, on the motion of Mr. Henry Graves, adopted and the secretary instructed to ,i>nd a copy to tho secretary of the Daughters of the American Revolution:
"Mrs. Gertrude P. Fairfax, Corresponding secretary, Seneca. Chapter of the Daughters of The American Revolution,
"My Dear Mrs. Fairfax,
"Since the receipt of'your communication of March 18tli our city attorney, Mr. Wm. Smith O'Brien has been, consulted, concerning its statement that in displaying a certain colored print the Generva Political Equality Club had infringed upon the law. Mr. O'Brien has made a careful investigation of tha facts in the case including an examination of the picture in question. Ha has consulted both state aud federal statutes referring to the National flag and is of the opinion that in this case no infriuigmeut of the law has occurred.
'  Will you kindly specify -which particular statute we have violated?"
This letter was signed by Mrs. W. H. Partridge, Corresponding Secretary of the Geneva Political Equality Club.
This is the story, up to date. ANNE FiITZHU'GH MILLER,
President Political Equality Club.
April 3, 1911.