The National tribune., 1883-05-31
just and impartial Government should
recognize their claims upon it for aid and
sunnort
The Union of womans Au1iliaries.

The Union of Womans AuxiIiaries.
Now that Commander-in-C Chief Wander
WORT has invited the representatives of
Ladies' Relief Corps and Auxiliary Societies
to meet at Denver during the coming
National Encampment and perfect national
organization, it is of the first importance to
have full and frank interchange of opinions
as to what should constitute the basis of the
proposed union. While the societies all
have the same general object in view, their
methods of organization are by no means
the same, and before any consolidation can
be effected it will be necessary to find some
practical way of harmonizing their differ
ences. Of these differences the most serious
are those touching the limitation of mem
bership and the use of ritual. The New
England Auxiliaries, we believe only admit
the immediate relatives of soldiers to mem
bership, and have recourse to secret work in
the conduct of their meetings, whereas the
Western Societies admit all loyal women
to membership and simply follow the
ordinary rules of parliamentary procedure
in their deliberations. Whether differences
so radical in their nature can be reconciled
is the problem to be solved by the proposed
conference at Denver, and in order that it
may receive intelligent consideration, it is
of the first Importance, as we have said,
to have a full and frank interchange of
opinions on the subject prior to the event.
For the purpose of bringing about such a
comparison of views THE TRIBUNE cordially
offers the use of its columns, and, in order
that the discussion may be directed to the
vital points at issue, invites attention to the
following questions:
First. Do you favor National Association
for the extension and perfection of woman's
work in the G. A. R.?
Second. Would you confne the member
ship in individual societies to the mothers,
wives, sisters and daughters of soldiers, or
would you allow all loyal women to become
members?
Third. Would you make the Society a
secret organization with ceremonies of ini-
tiation and ritual, or would you have the
meetings conducted openly, according to the
rules governing parliamentary bodies?
Fourth. In case of a failure to agree on
this question, would you favor the organi-
cation of a National Society under consti-
tuition that would allow individual societies
to accept or reject secret work at their
discretion?
Fifth. Will your Society be represented at
the Denver Encampment?
These questions embrace, we believe, all
the points that are likely to be the subject
of controversy at the conference which
Commander-in-C Chief Fandervoort has in
yited the representatives of Women's Aux
iliaries to hold at Denver and we shall be
happy to print any replies which the mem
bers of these societies may be pleased to make
to them. 1t is evident that there is great
need of such union as is contemplated,
but to be permanent and effeetual it must be
established on broad and liberal basis
Our own opinion is that the simple and expe-
ditious plan of organization in vogue among
the Western Auxiliaries is the one best
calculated to insure the rapid extension of
National Order, but no plan should be
adopted that would deprive it of the CO.
operation of the Societies already estab-
lished.
AS is intimated in our fourth interroga-
tory, it may be possible to frame constitu-
ton so elastic as to leave the question of
accepting or rejecting secret work to the
discretion of the individual Societies. but
in any event it seems to us essential that all
loyal women should be eligible to member
ship. TO limit admission in the National
Order to the actual kin of soldiers would be
to materially lessen its possibilities of use
fulness and reduce its chances of success.