Omaha daily bee., 1902-04-06

conferees decided that the compromise
resolution did not exactly suit them, and
so proposed this amendment:
The executive board Of each state fedora
tion shall constitute the membership com
mittee for the General Federation in that
state. shall receive all applications of indi-
vidual clubs for membership in the General
Federation from that state, and shall decide
upon their admission. Each state fedora
ton shall be free to make its own member
ship rules, except that no sectarian or po-
litical test shall be required
This sharply draws the issue. Georgia
proposes that each state federation may
control it's own membership, and the Gen
eral Federation shall retain control of its
membership. Massachusetts proposes that
the state federation shall control both Its
own and the General Federation member
ship. While Georgia abated the word
white in its original resolution 1t did
so as explained in an individual note:
The Georgia Federation, in doing, this,
this plan bids fair to be solved fairly and
satisfactorily to all parties, and in all
issues of the matter as well as in the inn
portant question of representation at the
Biennial, SO vital to the southern clubs, the
safe in trusting that the fairness and cour;
tesy of the club women of the country Will
obviate the possibility of q contingency
leave the. national organization. member
ship in which they value most highly.
When the Massachusetts, amendment to
the compromise was submitted to Georgia
It was rejected. As a matter of fact. It
met practically the same fate in Massachu-
sets. The executive board of the Massa-
chusetts Federation called the Board OF
Presidents together, and this body, by a
vote OF go to 10, rejected the amendment
and endorsed the compromise. Then the
executive committee decided that the Board
Of Presidents had not the power and re-
verted to its original plan, demanding reor-
ganization of the General Federation, with
the state as the unit.
This is the situation: Georgia Is willing
that state declarations shall admit colored
clubs, but asks that the General Fedora
ton be allowed to Judge of its W mem
bership. Massachusetts asks, first, that
state declarations be made the basis Of
membership in the General Federation;
second, that state declarations may send
colored women to the General Federation.
AS all this debate has arisen since the
last biennial, and the proposals have been
made since the meeting of most Of the state
declarations, a general discussion by the
women has been impossible. In fact. a
great many club women are still In the
dark as to the exact conditions and mean
ing Of the proposals. In order to obtain
light on the question, the Woman's Club
editor OF The Bee has correspondent with
the executive officers Of the several state
declarations during the last month to ascer-
tain the position of the several states on
the questions involved. The appended
symposium is made up from the answers
received to letters Of inquiry.
ARKANSAS-The Arkansas Federation In
cludes no colored clubs and at It's last an
nual meetiSgr resolutions were adopted IA
voring the admission to the General Fedora
ton Of women's Clubs Of white women only.
The federation has never favored the re-
organization plan. but will now support the
substitute amendment drawn up by the re-
cent conference committee, believing that
the admission Of colored clubs would only
disrupt the General Federation of Women's
Clubs, IL will support any plausible measure
that will keep it intact"
CoLoRADolThe Colorado Federation in
cludes one club of colored women, but, as
the sentiment of the state is divided. no
action has ever been taken regarding the
admission of colored clubs to the General
u VI % CAADos 1HN ~
orado Federation is opposed to reorganlza-
tion.
DELAwARE-The Delaware Federation
includes no colored clubs and at a meeting
Of the state executive committee. held March
II, the Orange resolutions" were endorsed,
which ask that no change be made in the
constitution OF bylaws of the General Fed
Grafton of Women's Clubs at present, also
that no subject referring to race or color
be discussed at the Los Angeles biennial.
So far as Delaware is concerned reorganiZa-
tion would not affect its clubs one way or
the other, as all the clubs of the state be-
long to the General Federation through the
state federation. after hearing the dis
cussion at Milwaukee, reorganization
seemed unfair to the individual clubs in
the large states, and the entire delegation
voted against it. In regard to the senti-
ment Of the state. 1t would be safe to say
that 1t would be with Georgia rather than
with Massachusetts, is the language OF
the president
FLoRIDA-The Florida Federation in
cludes no colored clubs and at its annual
meeting held in Crescent City, January 90
80, 1902, the following resolution was
passed:
Resolved, That the Florida State Fedora
tion of Women's Clubs ~disapproves OF the
admission of individual or federated clubs
of colored women into the General Fedora
ton OF Women's Clubs.
GEORGIA-Mrs. ]. Lindsay Johnson
states the attitude OF the Georgia women
in the following letter:
ATLANTA. Ga, March Ito the Edi-
tor of The Bee: The inclosed letter re-
ceived from our state president, Mrs. A D.
Granger. AS / was the former president
and represented the south on the reorgani-
zation committee she thought l would Civ