Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1903-09-22
Takes Up Fight in Spanish
Veterans Auxiliary.
MRS. LEWIS CHARGES
THE CASE OF MISS CLAY, LATE
NATIONAL TREASURER.
Fight Will Be Taken to National Body
at New Haven for
Settlement

Mrs Isabel worrell Ball, president of the
District Harry, Spanish War Veterans.
has returned from the west whore she has
been attending reunions OF Grand Army
and Spanish War Veterans. and taking a
rest at the same time. Mrs. Ball says that
the San Francisco encampment Is not
worthy of mention in the same breath with
that held IN Washington last year. She
says that there We're not above 10000
strangers landed In the state of California,
and that the number of veterans in line
was under 5000 They were only little
over an hour In passing given point The
hospitality extended was OF the generous
kind for which California is noted. but
the thirty-seventh national encampment
will not go down In history one of the
noted ones Mrs Ball declares
Mrs. Ball is now engaged in preparing a
vigorous defense of the District Auxiliary
against what she calls the attacks of the
national administration, of which Mrs.
Flora A. Lewis is the head.
Il have been tried, condemned, and. for
aught l know, hung" Mrs. Ball declares.
and l have not yet seen an official copy
of the charges upon which the national
president alleges to have suspended me.
demanded the charges, by mail. two weeks
ago l have received no reply to that de-
mand. l have demanded them by telephone
in the presence of witnesses. and there has
been no reply yet. Being notified by a
friend by wire that Tuesday last was the
last day on which answer could be made.
being then in Topeka. l appealed from the
decision of the national president by wire,
generally and specifically. and my case
is now out of the hands of the national ad-
ministration and must be tried In the ma
tional assembly. l presume that when
get to New Haven there will be power
enough in the national body to compel the
national president Mrs Flora A. Lewis
to recognize the rights of individual MEM
bers.
Il have been trouble-maker' many
times In organizations where the members
declined to obey the rules and regulations,
and undertook to arbitrarily get rid of peo-
pie whom they did not like. but l never
tackled as toushsa case of bad administra-
ton In my life Is lies before me now. !
have consulted eminent authority and am
advised that nothing that the national pres
ident has undertaken to do in this case has
been strictly legal. l anticipate no trouble
whatever In getting things Strengthened out
when the national ass emily gets hold of the
matter.
Case of Miss Clay.
II am not the only sinner it seems. Be
fore the national president. Mrs. Flora A.
Lewis. got ready to go after my official
scalp, which she waited till I was 5000
miles away to attempt, she concluded to
take that of her national treasurer, Miss
Cornelia Clay. daughter of General Cecil
ley. daughter of General Hawley, We're
the organizers of the Spanish War Aux
Hilary, and they are all but idolized by the
Spanish War Veterans. Two brighter, high
er-mnded, more patriotic and energetic
young women could not be found. Miss
Clay has been treasurer of the Mary
Washington Chapter d. A. r.. for many
terms. and until she positively declined to
serve again. and she the Hdfnstay OF
the Soldiers Rest Home in Washington
during the Spanish-American war, and has
tn hn h iph niJa
from eminent fnanciers in Washington for
the splendid manner IN which she handled
and accounted for funds amounting into
the thousands OF dollars during those siren
uous days.
Miss Clay found that not all the funds
collected by the national administration
had been turned over to her, and inquired
into the matter. She was told by the na-
tional president that 1t was her business TO
come when called and pay out money when
ordered. Miss Clay made a second demand
for these funds early in August, and her
reply was an order of suspension, signed
ny the national president, Mrs Flora. A.
Lewis. Miss Clay Immediately employed
counsel and is going to push matters TO
the very end through the courts. She has
appealed her case to the National Assembly
also, that the national president 40
longer has Jurisdiction over either Miss
Clay's case or my own
The matter in controversy between Miss
Clay and the national president Is of lorg
standing. Money was borrowed from tie
B2bcock Auxiliary to pay the expenses Of
Mrs. Lewis and several others to the ma
tional encampment in Detroit last year.
To pay this back the national president or
ganiZed a series of euchre parties and
dances. Invitations were sent out on ma
t.onal letter heads. signed by the national
president Mrs. Flora A. Lewis and ma
tiCGal secretary, Miss Agnes I. Little.
Miss Clay contends that instead of pay
ing over to her as national treasurer all the
receipts and letting her check the money
out on regularly prepared vouchers, she
gets what is left after the bills are paid
and is told to ask no questions.
Late Movements.
The latest phase OF the situation is the
resignation OF Mrs. Ellen Spencer Mussey
as judge advocate general
Miss Harriet Hawley. who is chairman of
the national council of administration is
said to have declined to preside over the
meetings of the council. II this is true
there can be no legal meeting of the council
under the rules. it is said, as there are only
IN Washington to make quorum If all at
tend. 1t Is also stated that Miss Hawley
has prepared set of charges against the
national president and her council, which
she VIII present q the national assembly.
Mrs. Fanny Il. Parker member of the
district council. has also noted an appeal
from the decision of the national president
In suspending her from her duties as a
member OF that body. AS the national as
sembly Will be in session but three DAYS
there will be but little time for considera-
ton OF anything but the appeals and
charges which the Washington contingent