The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1901-03-22
NORTH AGAINST SOUTH
ADMISSION OF COLORED CLUBS
INTO FEDERATION sTIIsS UP
FEELING
SECESSION rs THREATENED
Drift of Sentiment Among st. Paul
Club Women Favors the Ad-
mission OF ColOred
Delegates.

| district, which includes, ST, Paul and the
suburbs, met at the Central Presbyterian
church yesterday afternoon for the pur
| pose of strengthening local organization
I ana or discussing the question of admit
ting colored clubs into the general fed
er&tloh. MRS. A. T. Bigelow, vice presi-
dent OF the Fourth district. presided
About forty women were in attendance
In the matter of local organization
MIS-. BlgeloW stated that she thought it
would be well for the Fourth district to
resolve Itself into a working body with
It's own officers. As 1t is now the district
Is simply division and not legal body.
A closer organization would enable the
presiding officer to know the sentiment
| OF the dlHerent clubs in her district and
would aid the smaller clubs. On the mo-
ton of Mrs. Henry c. James. 1t was
decided that the Fourth district should
resolve itself into a committee subject
to the call of its chairman, who was the
vice president of the district, the COM
mittee to be known as the district auxil-
larry. Mrs. Henry Tuelle, of Newport was
appointed chairman of a committee to
draft bylaws.
Mrs. Lydia P. Williams, of Minneapolis.
president of the state federation open
ed the discussion concerning the admit
lance OF colored womens clubs to the
general federation. She stated that the
question had come up for the first time
at the recent biennial of the national
federation at Milwaukee, when there was
some discussion as to whether Mrs. Ruff
ran, who was the duly accredited dele
gate from the New Era (colored) club of
Boston, should be received The matter
was finally tabled, and Mrs. Ruffan took
her seat as a delegate, but much I'M
pleasant feeling had been aroused over
the matter, and Mrs. Williams stated that
the question would have to be settled def
initely one way or the other. She said
1T was understood that, should colored
clubs be admitted to the general fedora
t1on the Southern clubs would seeds
Georgia and Massac lausetts represented
the extremists in the question. Georgia
had prepared a set of resolutions which,
If passed as an amendment to the con-
stitution, would completely shut out COL
ored women from the federation Mas
sachusetts had prepared resolutions of it's
own, in which women of any Color what
soever might enter the federation pro-
vided they were satisfactory otherwise.
LET STATE SETTLE IT.
After she had presented the question,
Mrs Williams read an amendment to the
constitution which she had prepared her
self, and which, if it were adopted by
the general federation, would, she
ment provides for the appointment by the
state federation of two women from diff
ferent sections of the state, who, with
the secretary of the general federation,
shall constitute a committee on member
ship for that state. All organizations de-
string to join the general federation shall
make application to the state committee,
and ali applications receiving the ap-
prevail of the state committee shall be
Ill
rectors Of the general federation.
A lively discussion followed the read
ing of the amendment. Mrs. C. P. Noyes
stated emphatically that she was not in
favor of any discrimination of color. She
understood the purpose of the federation
was to raise all women. Previous to the
Civil war, the South by it's threats of
secession, held the North powerless for
twenty years, but the struggle came at
last, and the South no longer had the
right to dictate. She did not believe that
the South should dictate to the North
in. this matter. The hearty applause that
followed Mrs Noyes protest evidenced
the sentiment of the meeting.
Mrs James did not think the aim of
the federation quite so utopian. 1t de-
sired to aid it's own members, not all
women, she said The colored women
didn't need the federation, and were able
c. Squires thought that if the Southern
women hadn't advanced far enough to
allow each state the liberty of deciding
for itself i'll the matter, the federation
could get along without the Southern
women Mrs. James said she had talked
| with number of Southern delegates at
the biennial, and the general sentiment
seemed to be that colored women should
not be allowed in the federation. For her
own part she thought that the preiudices
of the Southern women should be re-
spected These women had done a noble
work in the South in aiding their poorer
white sisters and even. in uplifting the
colored people. The meeting adjourned
without any action being taken Fred
erick L. McGhee, the colored attorney,
and Mrs. F. Turner, who is prominent
in colored club work., were present at
the meeting, but took ao part in the dis
cussion.