The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1905-12-08
SPLIT Difference
Women Vote to Increase Per
Capita Tax.
Would Have Federation Dues
Fifty Cents.
CHANGES APPROVED.
Other Measures Receive Endorse
ment of Central Organization.
A Nominating Committee Select
ed With Difficulty.
HANGES APPROVED.

All the proposed amendments to the
constitution of the city federation of
women's clubs, except the one providing
for an increase of the per capita dues
from twenty cents to one dollar
annually, were adopted at the business
meeting of the federation held yester-
day afternoon at Unity church. In
place Of the proposed dollar tax the
federation voted q tax of fifty cents,
doubling the present dues. The other
amendments change the time of the an
nuaI election from April to December
and provide for the election of a stand
ing nominating committee. The pro-
posed clause provided for the appoint
ment of this committee by the president
but an amendment was offered to make
the committee elective and the substitu-
ton was accepted.
Briefly described, a business meeting
of the fedora ton consists of a good deal
of squabbling over questions of parIia-
mentary usage, and the election to
office of a lot of women who arise one
by one and decline the honor. 1t used
to be said that the Topeka club women
were crazy for office. If this was ever
true they have gotten bravely over 1t.
The greatest difficulty which the led
Grafton meets is in getting women to
accept its offices. 1t is a case OF the
job seeking the woman all the time and
in nine cases out of ten the woman re-
fuses to accept the honor thrust upon
her. Following the vote on the amend
ments yesterday the federation moved
to the election Of the nominating com
mittee which will furnish a list of nom
inees for the offices to be voted upon at
an adjourned meeting which will be held
the first week in January. Ten or twelve
names were presented and from these
Mrs. Margaret Hill McCarter, Mrs. w
A. Johnston and Mrs. A. H. Horton
were elected, but Mrs. McCarter and
Mrs. Horton refused to serve and Mrs.
Jonathan Thomas and Mrs. Lila Day
Monroe were selected in their places.
Mrs. Thomas accepted the position IN
der protest, but Mrs. Lila Day Monroe
declared that there was no provision in
the nominating committee amendment
for either death OF resignation and the
federation carried a motion to adjourn
in the face of Mrs. Thomas protesta-
lions.
The vote on the amendments
brought out a good bit of argument
and discussion and it was plainly to
be seen that most of the club sisters
were madden than hornets. Mrs.
! Clement Smith, the president, who was
/ in the chair, had perfectly lovely
time Strengthening out the misunder-
standings, and refereeing the mills
The sunshine prize is certainly coming
/ to Mrs. Smith for with every other
woman at the meeting more or less
| disturbed she retained her usual sweet
| serenity and perfect equanimity, held
her post and poured oil on the trou-
bled waters. There was lots of mis-
understanding as to the questions and
half the time the delegates didn'
know what they were voting for.
After the nominating committee
amendment had been carried one wo-
man rose to discuss 1t and was half
through a spirited argument against
it before she could be made to under
stand that she was out of order. AS a
matter of fact, however, the whole
meeting was out of order. The half
dozen women who do all the talk
ing at the federation, always, were on
their feet at the same time arguing
for or against, and the rest of the
delegates who are afraid to speak
aloud were muttering and mumbling
to one another in their seats. Nobody
seemed to listen to any one else al
though now and then a favorite
speaker was applauded vigorously,
probably from habit Two or three
times the federation grabbed the
amendment and ran away from the
original motion in spite of the presi-