New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1898-02-06
HOW 1T ALL HAPPENED.
MRS. THEODORE sUTRO TELLS THE
WHOLE STORY FROM THE
BEGINNING.
THE SECRET OF THD GREAT DIsCoRp ~ TfiB
NATIONAL CONVENTION or THE Fedora
TON OF woMEN's MUSICAL CLUBS.

she had been attending the HrSt Nauondi CoHN'"-
ton OF the Federation OF Women's Musical CLUBS
on Saturday evening a week ago. and since theh
she has been enjoying she says the first real rest
She has had in many months. She received IT'D
une reporter yesterday morning. and In answer 10
the question which IS now the lips OF every
cubwoman How dd II all happen she said;
IL will be glad TO tell YOU about IT, None OF my
friends understand II. and am pleased to have an
opportunity OF explaining It 10 them am con-
s.antly getting letters from them asking what II
means and expressing their entire inability to UNI
dersand It. Here are a few that nave just come
| wish you would read them"
Mrs Sutro picked out three or four letters from
a little heap that lay on the table before her-each
with the contents duly noted on the envelope-and
gave them to the reporter. one was from Mrs NJ.
Townsend Allen a sister Of Mrs. y. Coe Stewart,
president of the Cleveland Soross, and after ex-
planning that the writer had failed TO respond to
request for a paper at tho convention because she
had misunderstood the date. the letter went on 10
say:
Under the circumstances / am glad made the
mistake: for | certainly do not care 10 contribute
anything to n society which acted so dscourteously
TO YOU. its founder and promoter. / remember your
conversation with Mrs. Stewart and myself about
the deslrablty OF having Mrs Thomas for presiI
dent and know that you meant 10 honor her ana
the club How she could have taken anront passes
my comprehension, BY this time you must nave nave
Is nothing to wOmans inhumanity to woman, FER
FORTS Won nave made To- gain recognition for women
in the world OF music to express my sincere sym
pathy with you.
Miss Ada T. Douglas. conductor of the Ladies'
Choral Society Of Newark, wrote: II can't help
expressing my great regret and disappointment that
you are not plotting the new ship; | think they
have made a serious mistake" Mrs. Henry n.
Porter, of Chicago. said: There must have been
some unseen influence around felt IT in the air
that YOU would not be elected-and regretted so
much that YOU should not have been repaid for all
your hard and dsinterested work; for and all your
friends know that ,reat work was accomplished
Mrs Donald Mclean, regent Of the New-fork city
Chapter of the Daughters OF the American Revo-
luton said: you have the sympathy of all your
friends. and the way in which you have taken your
defeat has endeared you more than ever TO them
Now / will tell you the entire story from the
beginning. II you have patience to listen to It, SAID
Mrs Sutro when the reporter handed back the let
ter" and will show you the proofs as go along
| have them all here" pointing to the documents
on the table, "and don't want you to take my
word alone for anything in this important matter.
ITO begin with. here is "A programme OF the con-
yeation of the womans department or the MUSIC
Teachers National Association. showing mat the
meeting at which the federation was formed was
called by the woman's department. OF winch am
president and founder. Others now wish TO be con-
sidered the founders OF the federation, and Mrs.
Thomas even boasts that 1t grew out OF the one
she and Mrs Uhl tried to form in Chicago four
wears ago As soon as ! went to the country
after the convention began to receive clippings
from papers all over the country about Mrs starr
and Mrs. Dorr. ascribng to them almost all inc
credit for forming the federation and saying that
one of them would be the next president. here are
some of the clippings; you can look at them Tor
vourself one is from a Nebraska paper you see
and another from Virginia.
As early az the day after the organization or the
federation when a meeting was held at the Irahd
Central Palace felt that some Of my colleagues were
so self assertve that l could not Work mar
moniously with them and wanted TO resign then.
hut was not allowed 10 do so. My committee said
they did not want the attempt to fail. as former
one had done. and that as had been so success
full With the Music Teachers National Association
convention would oe sure TO succeed with the led-
Grafton.
AT this meeting Mrs Theodore Thomas was
anno,nted chairman OF the Executive Committee.
a place which many would consider more important
than that Of president. I was putting everything
into her hands, you see. my idea being 10 put
things In good hands and then retire myself Mrs'
Thomas's acceptance was vouched Tor by hef SIS
ters Miss Amy Fay and Mrs. Fay Pierce and
naturally supposed that the secretary Miss r.
Marion RaIston OF st. Louis would know enough
OF parliamentary law TO notify her OF what had
been done.
Regarding the action OF her sisters, Mrs THOMAS
saws in this letter which she wrote to me just be-
fore | went TO Chicago: The mere FAC; that they
thought I would accept gave no authority for the
use of my name And further on she states that
she is NOT used 10 being made a catspaw
"Our next meeting was held in September at the
home of Mira. James 5. Peterson No. 22S West
Forty-fourth-st. Here we adopted circular 10 De
sent TO tho whole country and on II was Mrs
Thomas's name II she (Mrs. Thomas) had refused
the office then the secretary had not notified MS or
the fact and naturally supposed That she hhd ac-
ceptcd To pay for the printing and mailing Of this
circular each Of us subscribed s.. Four paid the
amount making S. and this was all the money the
federation ever had before the convention. Every
thing else that spent In tho work came out OF MY
own pocket and / have paid out as much as 20 az
one time for stamps. The convention voted 10 re-
,mburse the secretary for her outlay but no return
was made, to me- although l shall insist that Styles
& Cash's bill for printing fourteen hundred cir
cuiar letters be paid. proof that this was not
unofficial as the secretary called 1t In her Board
notices regarding the fraudulent use of Mrs.
Thomas's name.
But TO come back to the meeting again ten
dered my resignation. What happened then you
can see from this copy of the minutes of the
meeting The original was laid the table at
Chicago, the convention having refused TO ac-
cept it
The section OF the manuscript referring TO Mrs
Sutro's resignation reads follows
s1iro rose se and said that before the meeting adj
journed she begged to tender her RESIGNATION as
The step she taking had received her full con-
sheraton and. although she greatly appreciated
the honor conferred upon her by the represent
social and other duties would prevent her
devoting sufficient time TO this work, She
clared the acting president. The meeting unan.-
nously declined 10 accept Mrs. Sutro's res!gna-
ton. Miss Rosalie Balmer Smith said that II Mrs
Sutro resigned she would do the same. and Miss
Ralston, Mrs. Virgie. Mrs Peterson and Mrs. Mcr-
rick expressed the Intention Mrs Sutro
was thus forced to reconsider her resignation.
ing that the result would be disastrous to the
establishment OF National federation The ladies'
suggested TO Mrs. Sutro that she would at least
preside the first meeting or the federation, and
Mrs. Sutro graciously consented.
Il made one more attempt 10 resign said Mrs.
Sutro "and again | not allowed 10. Every
member OF my committee wrote TO protest against
my doing so. except Mrs. Peterson who suggested
as YOU can see by this letter that little judicous