The Lafayette gazette. [volume] (Lafayette, La.) 1893-1921, 1895-07-20
AND THE CHIC4
GO WOMEN'.S CT UB.
TimcS-DeInocrat.


The Chicago Tribune does not like what
The Times-Democrat has to say of the bad
taste of the Woman's Club of that city in
admitting negroes to membership. This
could not but be considered insult to the
other women's clubs of the country, to whom
the negro is offensive, especially as the lat
ter were induced short time ago to join a
federation of clubs, with Chicago as its
headquarters. 1t tells US that Chicago does
not care what the rest of the country likes
or dislikes. 1t loves the negroes, and pro-
poses to force them on the women of other
sections The Tribune says:
sit is not likely that the Woman's Club
of Chicago will be seriously disturbed by
the proposition of the I'D. that all South
ern women's clubs affiliated with the Chica-
go organization shall withdraw and cease
any further communications with it. The
Chicago club is big enough, old enough, rich
enough and smart enough to go alone if
every club in the South should cut its ac-
quaints nee. 1t is run not for the benefit OF
New Orlenns, but of Chicago, and it is a
power here. 1t will lose nothing by the
secession of Southern clubs, while the latter
will lose much. Meanwhile, if the women
of the Southern clubs decide to follow the
tbs advice and go out of the fede ration,
NJ s. Henrotin will probably show them the
do ,r with her customary, courtesy, and Mrs.
Coonley will bid them good-by at the front
gate in her most elegant manner"
Chicago taste is, as we have said, SO Pecu-
liar and always SO bad that one is sur
prised at anything it does. What we object
to is not the presence of a negro in the
Chicago Won,an's Club, for we rather ex-
pected it, but the attempt, through the fed
Grafton of clubs, to force other women, to
whom the negress is Objectionable, into
cial relations with her. This is peculiarly
Chicagoesque, and anywhere else would
be regarded gross breach of orGi-
nary politeness. The Chicago club has
the right to take in the whole Midway
Plaisancc, without regard to color char
acter, if it SO desires, but it has no right-at
least none in common deSency-to insult the
other members of the Women's Club FEEDER
alton by any act offensive to them. 1t seems
to have created itself the special patron of
the negro race, and to have organized
movement to force the negress into society
as an equal of the white. This is distasteful
to the white people of every other city in the
country, North as we'll as South. Even the
white Republicans of New York refused
only the other day to accept negro equality
in political clubs, and rejected a negro who
applied for Abundance to the Blaine Repub
lican Club of that city. This act has been
very generally approved by Republican
papers throughout the North, who suggest
that it is far better for the negroes to keep to
themselves and not obtrude where they arc
not wanted, but develop themselves on
other lines. Even in Chicago the negress is
by no means persona grata, aud there was
no little opposition to the udmittance of
blacks to the Chicago Woman's Club; but
the negromaniacs of that association forced
a negress down the throats of the unwilling
member, just as they now propose to force