The National tribune. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1877-1917, 1895-10-17
STATUS OF THE CLARK CASE



The publication of a card By Ada +. Clark,
of Ohio. in the columns of THE NATIONAL
TRIBUNE of Oct. TO- without explanatory CON-
ments, has led to very proper indignation upon
the part of the National officers OF the Womans
Relief Corps, whose honor and integrity was
therein assailed. as well as the authenticity OF
THE NATIONAL TRIBUNE report OF the Louis-
willie Convention. Although the policy OF The
NATIONAL TRIBUNE has been 70 give as little
attention as possible to this troublesome case
and to continue to hold the Relief Corps col
umns sacred to the PRONUNCIATION Of tho pure
principles of the Order-Fraternity Charity
and Loyalty. practically applied. yet 1t now
becomes necessary to state the true status of the
case, in justice to the National officers and the
benefit of all concerned
In doing this references are made TO the Ma
tional officers of the Woman's Relief Corps, past
and present; to the officers OF the Department
of Ohio, past and present; to the files of the
Louisville newspapers, particularly the Times,
Commercial and ourier-Journdt; to Past Com
mander-in- Chief 4. G. Lawler and Com
mander-in- Chief i. N. Walker and Past Judge
Advocate General Matt Ii. Ellis, who defended
the Relief Corps in the Clark injunction case.
Columns daily were given by the Louisville
papers to the Clark injunction case, and the
issues of the Coarier-J0urnal for Friday, Satur-
day and Sunday, Sept Is, Ii and 10 were par
tcularly full and to the point.
To condense and reiterate. Against the state
ment of Ada f. Clark made in her published
card that she is not q suspended memb Der of the
Woman's Relief Corps, stands the verdict OF the
CouEt of Inquiry, held at Canton. o.. May. 1892,
which tried her on two charges, disooedlence
OF Rules and Regulations and conduct prejudl-
cial to good order and discipline, In that whlle
serving as Department President OF Ohio she
published advertisements in the hy-leayes OF
the roster of Ohio Convention, collecting and
Withholding the money.
The Court, ordered by National President
Sue A. p Sanders was as follows: Annie Wit
tenmysr, President; Helen s. Morrison, Judge
Advocate; their associates being Sarah G. Mink,
of New York; Jennie +. Myerhof, of Indiana;
Ella Cobean, of Illinois, and Abbie Flsgg, of
Michigan. Mrs. Clark was found guilty, and
sentenced to pay over tho money in question
and serve a term of five years suspension.
Mrs. Clark appealed to National Convention,
which met the September following at Wash
ington, to set aside the verdict guilty az
charged" and restore her to mem bersbip with
out penalties. Convention refused to set aside
the verdict; but upon condition that Mrs.
Clark would pay back the money and come
under the rules of the Order, the sentence of
suspension was, condtionally, lifted. Mrs.
Clark refusing to carry out her part of the con-
tract, it was declared null and void by Margaret
Ray Wilkins, National President, and her de-
cision was sustained by rising vote OF the
Indianapolis Convention. Mrs. Clark, having
seated herself in that body was elected.
Subsequent efforts were made to have Ma
tional Presidents Sarah e. Mink and Emma K.
Wallace reopen the case. Failing in this Mrs.
Clark went before the District Court at Louis.
vile and got out an injunction against all
officers of the W.R.C., National, State and local,
forbidding them to proceed with business I'M
less she was relieved Of the terms of suspen-
sion.
There was great Indignation over the in
junction the part of the Louisville people.
as well as their visitors, but it was explained
that Judge Edwards, who granted the injunc-
ton. was sick, body and mind, and that he had
acted upon the supposition that Mrs. Clark
bad property rights in the Woman's Relief
Corps, as had been stated to him.
The hearing was before Judge Touey the
following day and lasted four hours, and his de-
cision has already appeared in The NATIosAL
tribune, refusing to make the injunction per-
manent, and holding that neither Mrs. Clark
nor any other member of the Relief Corps had
property rights in the Order.
Thus, after 80 hours delay, at an expense Of
hundreds of dollars to the Order, the Woman's
Relief Corps, restrained by Adah F. Clark,
suspended member, was enabled to resume busi-
ness. When National President Emma K. Wal
lace entered Convention, accompanied by Judge
Ellis. who had been detailed by Commander-in-
Chief Lawler to assist the defense, the entire
\,
rose to their feet with cheers and waving OF
handkerchief. When the result was announced
all united i'll singing Praise God from whom
all blessings fow."
Not content with the decision Of the Court,
and taking advantage of the fact that the Wo-
mans Relief Corps is not an incorporated body,
and that service had only been taken upon the
National officers as individuals Mrs. Clark
waited until the new officers were elected
and installed and, under an amended petition,
got service on them, and the case is again be-
fore the District Court at Louisville.
The Louisville COurier-J0ur1laL of Sept. 10.
in the official report of the Convention, says:
by vote of Convention the proceedings of the
Court in the case of Ada +. Clark vs. The Wo-
mans Relief Corps will be embodied in the
minutes of the 18th National Convention"
Further: by action of National CoDven-
ton the incoming National officers were en-
powered to take such action as they deemed ad-
visable toward recovering damages from Ada
+. Clark Tor expenses incurred while the re-
straining erder was in force"
The COurier-JouJRdt also has the following as
a part OF the authorized report:
"Commander-n-ChiefW Walker addressed the
Convention, and with feeling pledged the
hearty support of the Grand Army of the Re-
public the coming year. Past COMMANDMENTS
Chief Capt. Jack Adams congratulated the
Woman's Relief Corps upon the manner in
which they had conducted themselves, as no
said, during the indignitie. which had been
put upon them during the past two days."
Now, as ever. The NATIONAL TRIBUNE
stands by the Woman's Relief Corps and its
officers i'm its efforts to enforce discipline and
protect the Order against all insurrectionary
and obnoxious persons Thousands of dollars
have already been spent in their efforts to
force law in the Clark case but in question
of integrity money is without consideration.
National President LiZabeth A. Turner and
her associates will be sustained by the entire
Relief Corps, backed by the Grand Army of
the Republic, in the contest now going on.