The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1901-09-29

The Woman's Era club, Of Boston, will
send Mrs. Ruff1n to again represent it
at the biennial of the general federation
to be held next April in San Francisco.
Mrs. Ruffin was elected a delegate at d
recent meeting Of the Era club. Colored
club women all over the country are
anxious that this "Ruff1n case" as it
is called, be made a test case, and no
colored club will make any effort to join
the general federation until the Ruffin
case is taken up.
For the Stay-at-home club women and
in view of the fact that the color Ques-
ton has now become a local one, re-
view of this so-called Ruttin case may
not come arniss The Womans Era CLUB,
composed of colored women, was organiz-
ed in Boston, Mass, for the purpose OF
advancing the interests of women gen
orally. but of colored women particularly.
1t sought to spread the club movement
among colored women and to that END
called together in Boston the first con-
vention of colored wmen ever held in
America. This convention ultimately re-
suited in the National Federation of Col
cred Women's Clubs. Later the Era
club became a member of the Massa-
chusetts State Federation, and worked
tremendously with that body. Mrs. Anna
d. West, state chairman of correspond
6UC0 LOT
an invitation to the Era club to join the
general federation. The club went through
the prescribed form in making it's appIi-
cation for membership into the general
federation; copy of It's constitution was
forwarded to Mrs. Lowe, president Of the
general federation, with application FOR
admission into the federation. In the con-
stitution Of the Era club no mention is
made of color but among its objects is
<rixra ,lr AIOx
of our people," etc. Mrs. Lowe -fmme-
diately answered, stating that a cert1t1-
cate of membership had been sent to
the club. The Era club forwarded the
dues, received a receipt and a certificate
of membership, and in addition to this
Mrs. West, OF the Massachusetts state
Federation, received a ratification of the
action of the president, Mrs. Lowe. Be
ing a member, as 1t was supposed, of
the general federation, the club met ana
voted to send it's president. Mrs. Rdtttn,
to represent it at the coming biennial
in Milwaukee Mrs. Ruffin was also
elected delegate by the Massachusetts
State Federation and an alternate from
the N f. w. Press association. Prior
to this time there had been no discussion
of the color question in the general fed
Grafton. nor was there any color line In
it's constitution. When Mrs. Rutfin in
company with the Massachusetts dele
cation, arrived in Milwaukee, a notitica-
ton was received that the executive
board of the general federation had met
and had declined to receive an. appl1ca-
ton for membership from the Woman S
Era club. Mrs. Ruffin was informed that
she could not enter the convention repre-
senting "colored club but would be
received as a delegate from a white
club. Mrs. Ruffin refused to accept a
seat on such terms. After the adjourn
ment of the biennial, which did not dis
| cuss the color question, the dues PAID
into the federation by the Womans Era
club were returned to Mrs. Ruiiin.
! The Woman's Era clubs action In again
appointing Mrs. Ruffin to represent the
| club at the biennial of the general fed
GRAFTON next April is based on the club s
| contention that inasmuch as it was adj
mitted to the general federation by Its
/ president, Mrs. Lowe, and that that adj
! mission was ratified by the board 1t is a
/ member of the general federation. To
! quote a manifesto recently issued by the
! Era club: THE first question before the
board of the general federation, and be-
fore the country, is not whether colored
/ clubs shall be admitted to the federation