The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1905-05-13
They RESENT 1T.
Topeka Women Deny Statements
About Federation.
Say They Have Taken No Part
in Controversy.
NOSUFFRAGE QUESTION
Claim That 1t Doesn't EnterIntO
the Election.
Location Of the Candidates May
Be a Factor.

An article, published this week in the
Parsons Sun and copied in the State
Journal, relating to the approaching
election in the Kansas federation of
women's clubs which meets here next
week, has aroused considerable com
ment and some indignation among To-
peka club women. The article said that
AIRS. May BelleviIle Brown Of Salina,
candidate for the Office of president,
had been put in the race by the equal
suffrage wing of the federation which
wished to use the influence of the fed
GRAFTON in the suffrage cause, and ac-
cused Topeka women Of being back Of
the Salina Mrs. Browns candidacy.
The Topeka club women are incensed
at this because they say they have
been particular to take no part in the
campaigns Of the rival candidates for
president Of the federation, Mrs. Brown
OF Sal1na, and Mrs. Eustace NJ. Brown OF
Olathe, the present secretary of the
federation who has been brought out
by the Second district. The Topeka
women doubtless have their prefer
ences. and many Of the DELEGATES have
probably decided how they viii vote for
president but only one club, the West
Side Forestry club has instructed its
delegates. They are instructed for Mrs.
Brown of Salina. The president of the
a.
Johnston, named by the Parsons Sun
as the manager of Mrs. May Beueville
Browns candidacy.
The Sun said that Mrs. Johnston and
MRS. Laura M Johns of Salna had put
AIRS. Brown in the race. Mrs John
ston denies this, asserts that she is not
MRS. Browns manager and says she
has had no correspondence or other
communication with Mrs. Johns re-
garding the forthcoming federation
election.
A Topeka club woman, herself a
strong equal suffraglSt and a friend of
Mrs. May Belleville Brown said this
morning: As far as the talk about an
equal suffrage candidate is concerned,
what woman has ever been elected
president Of the federation who was not
an equal suffragist? We have had only
two presidents who were not avoWed
suffragists, and of these I am uncer-
tain as to the opinion of one, although
i do not remember that she ever ex-
pressed herself against giving woman
the ballot, and the other is, have rea-
son to know, although she may not be
ready to announce it, a convert to the
equal suffrage cause. Until this ar
Tlcle appeared in the Sun [ had never
heard the matter Of the federatiOn's in
uuence for suffrage, mentioned. and
have belonged to both the federation
and the state equal suffrage associa-
ton Tor years. 1 want to say, though
that the suffrage association is far from
needing the help of the federation.
Most of the members of the latter are
also members of the former and the
suffrage association is the larger or
ganization, having a paid membership
almost double that Of the federation.
The federation is a powerful organiza-
ton and the suffrage association would
not scOrn its assistance, but I am sure
that no attempt has been made by it to
control the officers of the federation in
order to help the suffrage cause"
Who instigated the Parsons Sun ar
ticle is a question which the Topeka
women are asking and the State Jour
nal is in receipt of the following COM
munication on this subject:
The Parsons sun says: Two years
ago at Wichita the Seventh district
machine, under the leadership of Mrs.
w. Y Morgan, of Hutchinson, elected
Mrs. Cora G. Lewis, of KinsIey, presi-
dent, and ran over the Topeka poll
tlcians in spite of their screams
Again it says: The election of Mrs
Brown, of Olathes who would carry
out the policy of Mrs. Lewis, it is
argued, would do much toward unit
ing these two factions Isn't that
1unny2 Does the Sun mean the policy
Of running over Topeka in spite of its
screams2 The Parsons Sun man
might be a veritable Paris with this
golden apple of discord did we but
take him seriously In whose interest
does he write? What is the animus
of the article any way? Does Mrs
Lewis on the eve of her visit to To-
peka want any trouble, either real or
imaginary, rev1Ved2 Does Mrs. Eus-
tace Brown, a candidate for the state
presidency. want to advertise the fact
that she has no original policy of her
Qwn, and win carry out a policy of
cunning over anybody Who would
imagine as capable a woman as Mrs
May BeleviIle Brown. of Salina,
would need a personal manager2 1T
is true that she would hardly find
more efficient one than Mrs w A.
Johnston if she needed one, but she
does not 1t seems that the real mo-
tive of the article after all was TO
abuse Topeka women. What have
they done to the Sun that it shines no
more for them? Now there are no
factions among the club women of
Topeka Their only solicitude for the
coming federation meeting has been
to show their guests a good time 1t