The San Francisco call., 1896-02-11
CROSS FIRE FOR
MRS, COOPER
She Incurs Sharp Criticism
From a Woman
Suffragist.
MRS. HARLAND's CHARGE
The Church Scandal Complicated
by the Introduction of
Pooh-Bah.
THAT OBERLIN STORY DENIED.
The President of the College Says DR..
Brown Was Never a Party to
Scandal There.
THAT OBERLIN STORY DENIED.

|
| charging that DR.. Brown while student
| at Oberlin College was involved in scan
dal similar to the one which now sur
| rounds him is bitterly resented by that
| gentleman.
| The statement was made on what pur-
! ported to be reliable authority that Dr.
| Brown left college at the request of the
| faculty, the blackmail accompaniment be-
ing the only difference between the then
difficulty and the more recent charges
| made by Mrs. Davidson. Blackmail was
| not part of the Oberlin affair. AS soon
DR.. Brown read the story he immedi-
ately sent the following telegram:
| SAN FRANCISCO, Feb. 10, 1896.
PRESIDENT James A. Fddrchtld, Oberltn. Ohio:
Newspapers here accuse me of scandal at Ober-
lin. Answer thirty words at my expense
| c. o. BROWN.
| At 9 o'clock last night he received a re-
| ply, which tells it's own story:
| OBERLIN, Ohio, Feb. 10, 1896.
| Francisco, Cal: There is not the shadow of
| truth in the rumor of scandal connected with
your life at Oberlin. JAMES A. FArRCHILD.
| Nothing more infamous has yet been
attempted than this story published in an
my part while student at OberIin," said
| DIR. Brown. That sort of thing is con-
temptible. and but for the present diff
ticulties which entangle me l would not
| pay the least attention to it. The tele-
| gram of ex-president Fairchild must put
| the stamp of untruth on the whole state
| ment.
MIR. Fairchild was president of Oberlin
| College for thirty years, is an eminent
! scholar and is now at the head of the
theological department. Certainly he
would know if was guilty of any wrong
I dntr, t,ila ft,1a l.,
! ters of that character do not occur in
small town of 5000 people without every
/ body knowing it. | married in Oberlin
and two of my children were born there.
Last October my wife and | visited the
old home, and our reception was all that
stay at Rochester, the scene of the Bulle-
tins alleged ensation. This last charge
is so utterly groundless as to be devoid of
the usual anonymous letters.
Mrs. Hester A. Harland SAYS the state
ment recently made that Mrs. Cooper
| caused her dismissal or withdrawal from
the State Suffragists' Association is prac-
/ tically true in detail.
81 regret very much" she said when
! seen at the home of Mrs. Nellie Blinn, on
| Post street, yesterday. THAT my name has
| been drawn into this unfortunate affair.
| So long as it has, however, cheerfully
! give the facts as | know them. Mrs.
| Cooper is chairman OF the amendment
| campaign committee, a com mittee, by the
way, that was created by Miss Anthony
and others last year for the one purpose
of making Mrs. Cooper think that she was
| the supreme power in the movement. The
| State Suffragist Association, now twenty
| seven years old, could just as easily have
done all this, and in fact it was it's right.
But Mrs. Cooper was new convert and
| everybody knows that VIII ere she cannot
| lead she certainly will not follow.
INn1t L 10
| this campaign committee with full power
| to act as the occasion might demand. 1t
| was Mrs. Cooper's duty as chairman to
| inform the country press of my coming
and to generally boom the suffrage move
ment. this being the only way in which an
organizer could work rapidly and success
| fully. Well, started OH my mission, and
| to my surprise found that no one had
| heard of the movement except in a hazy
| sort of way, and knew absolutely nothing
| of the local organization. was compelled
| to make house to house canvass, and in
order to get notices of the suffragsts in the
papers was forced to introduce myself 10
| the different editors. l was very success
full in organizing, but it was slow work
so slow in fact that it was painfully
evident | could not cover the ffty-seven
counties by next November, and Mrs.
Cooper's ABSOLUTE neglect of the duties
assigned her caused this and I was not
long III finding it out.
| "Knowing that if l was not assisted
! through the press, the movement would
fall snort of expectations, and that /
| would be held responsible, I determined
to enter protest. I wrote to the pIesi-
dent OF the State Association stating the
case frankly and plainly. Mrs. Cooper
had not done her duty by the move
| ment, and did not hesitate to
say SO. This angered the committee
and the president beyond endurance. Mrs.
Sargent, by the way, is like putty in the
hands of Mrs. Cooper. In few Gays there
came reply to the effect that they would
permit no criticism of Mrs. Cooper or her
actions. This letter was evidently
! prompted by the chairman of the amend
ment campaign committee l replied to
this letter, asserting my right as member
of the association TO criticize any one
found not working In the interest of the
suffrage movement, yet who posed as q
great leader.
Il was not greatly surprised when a
| letter came to me, announcing the sudden
determination of the campaign committee
| to abandon the work in which / was en-
gagged. 1t was very plain to me that Mrs.
Cooper had brought this about, so rather
than submit further to that sort of thing
| Immediately rendered my resignation
Mrs. Cooper was right when she said / did
this, but she was careful to conceal the
conditions that brought it about. She was
not correct, however, when she said that 1
resigned because of i'll health l have not
been we'll for ten years, but / attended
faithfully to the duties imposed upon me.
and have letters from the State president
congratulating me on my brilliant work
| My resignation was forced by Mrs. Cooper.
and she knows it, but under The circum-
stances no one can blame her for attempts
ing to shield herself by concealing the
facts.
There are reasons why Mrs. Cooper
sought to do me harm, though to out
| siders they may seem mere trities. For
instance when Miss Shaw was here we
agreed to pay her $50 night for six
i lectures. Something happened so that
she did not deliver the lecture, but Mrs.
Cooper made a motion that it be
! paid her just the same. / fought the
proposition and saved the society $50.
/ 1 also had trouble with Miss Cooper,
! the Pooh-Rah of the association, over the
| appointment of an assistant in Santa Cruz
County. It happened that the lady was
| Objectionable to Miss Cooper and she took
1t upon herself to tell me so. replied
that if she would attend to her own busi-