Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1892-08-29
THE woMAN's RELIEF CORPS.
The Ladies' Committee Send Letter to the
National President.

! TIE COMMITTEE WILL 60 on WITH ALL The
ARRANoEMESrs 50 AS TO INSURE THE PRoPER
INCEPTION AND ENTERTAINMENT OF THE
coRps-soxE FONTS Misunderstood MADE
| PLAIN.
The ladies composing the citizens commit
tee, appointed to make suitable arrangements
for the reception and entertainment Of all or
CARNATIONS Of patriotic women who may visit
Washington during the G. A. r. encampment,
are considerably annoyed over the course mat
| tiers have taken in relation TO the reception Of
the woman's Relief Corps
The committee realizes that there will be
much work to do and that any neglect to pro-
vide well for the entertainment Of the visitors
charge Of inhospitiity. So, despite the present
attitude Of Mrs. Sue Pike Sanders national
president Of the W. R. c., due a.
! the committee believes to an entire miscon-
| ception, the citizens committee will go on
making the ample arrangements planned for
the reception and comfort of the body of which
Mrs. Sanders is president.
This was part Of the duties assigned the
committee by the citizens executive COM
mittee and the latter committee has given its
approval to the work Of the committee by
placing portion Of the G. A. r. fund at its
disposal
Today the ladies' committee sent to Mrs
Sanders the following letter:
WASHINGTON, d. c., Aug 90, 1892
Mrs. Sue Pike Sanders. President ". r. G.
Dear Madam: Your letter Of August ~ to the
chairman Of this committee is received. The
| omission OF all the essential facts in the case
you will kindly allow us to supply. True, they
are already well known to you, but the comfort
welfare and future usefulness Of many thou
sands OF women organized for patriotic pur-
poses require that the entire history should be
clearly stated in such form as to lead to Just
conclusions.
You say there can be no Misunderstanding
between you (referring to the chairman Of this
committee) and the national president Mrs.
Sanders), DIS she has never Withdrawn her ac-
ceptance of the courtesies rendered"
The correspondence on file between your
self Mrs. Sanders), the chairman OF this COM
mittee, and Mrs. Ida V. Hendricks develops the
following circumstances:
In October, 1891. at the request Of the Depart
ment of the Potomac or Its president, Mrs.
Hendricks, you assigned to that department (or
to herr the entire duty Of providing for all the
needs Of the W. r. C. convention and the COM
fort Of it's delegates.
March 81, 1892, you accepted all these hos
FATALITIES and courtesies from this ladies' COM
mittee of citizens Of Washington. and have
since declared and continue to declare that You
received them cordially and in good faith.
with full confidence that this committee would
fulfill every promise in the most pleasing and
acceptable manner
juno 4. 1892. Mrs. Ida V. Hendricks, president
of the Department of the Potomac. wrote to
her appointment in October ''by the
national president of the W. X. G. as her
representative to prepare luncheon, hire tables
chairs, dishes and silver, to prepare markers
for state delegations, to furnish ice, hire piano.
furnish post office and to take charge OF all
ant 20 ha
ton of the W. r. c."
June ~, 1892, YOU wrote to the chairman of
our committee, informing her Of the resolution
passed in October, that 1.-THE offer Of the De-
partment of the Potomac, W. Il. c., was ac-
cepted, that the department has the work
well in hand and there is every reason to
believe that the result will be entirely satisfae-
tory and that the Department of the Potomac
will not fall behind the departments that have
entertained the convention heretofore.
You further. in the same letter, declare ''any
reference of this subject TO the citizens COM
mittee Of gentlemen was unprecedented in law
or the usages OF her order" also that the
president of the W. II. G. cannot put into the
hands of the citizens committee duties which
properly belong to herself and the Department
of the Potomac, W. r. c.
Then, and only then, our ladies' committee
OF citizens, through our chairman, writes TO you
not withdrawing courtesies previously ex-
tended. but simply accepting the situation
your peculiar administration had forced upon
us.
Our chairman's letter to you of July % quotes
your own declarations to her as above, and
says:
The citizens committee having no desire to
interfere with the duties which properly belong
to the W. r. c. or to any department connected
Herewith. most cheerfuily withdraws from any
participation, direction or responsibility rela-
tive to the W. II. c. convention, and leaves the
entire matter in your hands.
10 leave n matter in your hands," at your
own express demand, is SO obviously different a
thing from withdrawing courtesies" as to
require no comment.
But scarcely had the above TRANSFERRED when
august 49, your representative, Mrs. Ida v
Hendricks, president Of the Department of the
Potomac. whom You confidently intrusted with
the entertainment of the tenth con-
vention Of the ". Il. c., and who
has the work well in hand" departs from
the example set by your distinguished
predecessors" and submits this entire subject
to the citizens committee of gentlemen. trans
mitting to these gentlemen your official letter
to her authorizing her to act for you, making a
requisition upon them for an appropriation
for expenses, and giving them an
itemized statement, including deco
| rations, flowers. music, luncheOns, mark
ers Tor state delegations, ice and ice boxes,
carriage hire, expenses Of officers one week
after convention" &C., &c, &C., amounting to
| set aside by that committee for the ladies' citi-
Zens' committee to entertain six organizations
of patriotic women during encampmcnt week.
True, our committee Of women had the gen
erous use Of all the agencies the hospitable peo-
pie Of Washington could place Mt our disposal,
and therefore, when requested by the citizens
committee to make our financial estimate to
them did not name a large amount.
The citizens committee Immediately referred
Mrs. Hendricks appeal to our committee '.for
consideration and report since she had based
the appeal on our alleged withdrawal Of cour-
tesies" to the W. R. c.. convention.
Our earnest care for the comfort and hos
pitable treatment Of the patriotic women who
| had been invited to the national capital led us
to observe carefully what preparations were
| really being made. Although living here
upon the ground, with every facility
for information, we could not discern, and can
not, even at this date, discern any preparations,
except through newspaper statements, beyond
the renting by Mrs. Hendricks Of an Office for
herself.
At the time her appeal was referred to us for
consideration we we're about to renew and pro-
ceeded to renew august 49, our tender of hos
FATALITIES and courtesies 10 the tenth convention
Of the W. R. G. through their national presi-
dent.
August % you reply, charging upon our