The National tribune., 1906-05-03

The organization is now 10 years old,
and has had a number OF Presidents
General, but never one that could hold
it down to business as did Mrs. Donald
Mclean in the Continental Congress
just closed, and which was the 18th.
II am the only President-General
who has ever known what it was to sit
under the galleries" Mrs. Mclean said
when she went upon the platform TO
acknowledge the plaudits and clamor-
Gus enthusiasm of the Congress just
after her election one year ago. HaV-
ing known what it was TO sit there, the
President-General knew how to eXer-
else authority over a Congress where
most of the delegates sat under the
galleries. From the opening moment
of the Congress through the week until
the beginning of the last six hours of
its existence there was not a ripple to
disturb the placidity of the delibera ions
of one of the most magniiicently dressed
lot of women who ever gathered in q
legislative capacity. 1t took but three
seconds to raise a simeon of i'll temper
and spite, and seven minutes brought
the disgraceful scene to q close. But in !
that time one of the founders of thel
Society, Miss Mary Desha, had let herl
temper get away with her, and in3ul e
it to say things that she must regret
fol the rest of her life, whether she
says so or not, and the Society found
It's census OF OIllceFS uepleleu Dy one
Recording Secretary-General. 1t is a Il
thousand pities that an ambitious wo-
man who has had about all the honor
that the organization can bring her
should have permitted her biased opin-
ions to mar an otherwise perfect Con-
greSs.
Miss Desha's Course.
That Miss Desha was in the wrong
was shown by the unanimous vote of
the Congress, in which the President
Generals rulings were triumphantly
vindicated. In attendance in the gal
leries during the episode We're several
eminent parliamentarians. and they de-
clared that Mrs. McLean's rulings on
the subject in hand we're correct. She
was also supported by Mrs. Emma *.
Fox, the consulting parliamentarian OIL
the Congress. Mrs. Fox said TO me that
she herself could not have ruled other
wise, acting under Roberts's Rules Of
Order The whole disturbance grew cut
of the self-pride of two strong-willed,
stubborn women, Miss Mary DeSha,
standing for States Rights" as she
magnifcently declared, and Mrs. Walter
Harvey Weed, who has been carrying
on a determined war against Mrs. Nc
Lean, because she as PreSident-Generall
did not at all times recognize the i'm
periouS edictS of the lady from Mon
tana' exactly as that lady desired. But
back of the Montana matter was an
oyerweening desire to inaugurate
campaign for a third term for Mrs
Fairbanks, wife of the Vice President
The Montana matter would have been
a very small affair but for the DISPOSE
ton of Mrs. Weed TO keep up a fight
which she must have known she would
lose in the end. The confirmation of
Mrs. Weeds election as Vice State Re-
gent for Montana was held up in the
al
TO look into. After investigation the
National Board of Administration ac-
cepted the credentials, and Mrs. Weed
was declared legally elected State Vice
Regent. Mrs. Weed was not satisfied
with this, and Immediately began letter
writing, and so did Miss Desha. In a
very short time they had the National
Board mighty near in Mysteries over the
situation. Montana was rent and torn
with strife, and it was the determina
tion of the two ladies to pitch the whole
business into the Congress.
Miss Desha wrote d letter to Montana
that was not exactly the kind of a letter
a lady seeking peace and harmony
would have written. She stated in be-
ginning, that she could not use her
office as Corresponding Secretary Cen |
eral TO further the ambitions of Mrs. !
Weed, but that as a founder and de- /
voted worker in the National Society
she had rights, and then she proceeded /
to do up the President General and the I
National Board of Administration in
fine shape, and make plea that Mon
tana rise up in its might and "smite
the traitor from her DOORS" or words !
10 that effect, meaning, of course. TO
support Mrs. Weeds contention against
Mrs. McLean's rulings. Mrs. Mclean /
ruled that as Mrs. Weed was already
recognized on the Board, there was no I
further N take ATrS Waad
wanted everything recorded against
her wiped out. She failed.
1t took an amendment to the Consti- /.
tuition to get rid of Mrs. Weed, Of Mon /
tana. who had not been a resident of
the State for six years, as shown by
Noluminous documents brought from
that State by Mrs. Ella Knowles Has
kell Regent Of Silver Bow Chapter. Of
which Mrs. Weed is a member, but
finally the Congress succeeded in elm /
mating the Montana matter by accept I!
ing Mrs. Haskell's amendment, making
actual residence in a State necessary
to election as Vice Regent of it.
Wheels Within Wheels.
There are wheels within wheels, how
ever. There was a big dinner at the
home of the Vice President of the
United States on Sunday evening pre-
ceding the Congress of the d. A. r. {
AT the table, among the other guests. I
was Mrs. Weed, who is to manage Mrs. |
Eairbanks's campaign, so she stated to
a reporter. The Vice President gave
a toast to Mrs. Weed, in which she
drank Ito the conquering hero The
Vice President did not rea,jze that there
might be politics in the toast, but there
was. IL was too good a thing 90 keep,
and, of course, it got directly TO Mrs /
Haskell, of Montana. Mrs. Haskell is a
Republican Of the deepest dye, speak /
ef of renoWn in the West. and was q
delegate TO the County Republican Con-
vention, then to the State Republican
Convention, then to the National Re-
publican Convention I'm which President
Roosevelt and Vice President Fairbanks J
were nominated. Mrs. Haskell does not
sCruplc TO say that Mrs. Weed has not
altogether played the part Of a lady
in the Montana mater. and brought
with her a suitcase fun of documents
TO prove her statements. Mrs Haskell
has gone back to Montana, and if Vice
President Fairbanks gets the nomina-
ton for the Presidency, he will get il
without Montana's help, if Mrs. Has
kells influence counts for anything
While the pretty little white marble
palace which the Daughters call Con-
tinental Memorial Hall is not yet fn-
ished, il was in good shape for the
Congress, with the permanent chairs of
green leather and cherry wood put in
and the walls hung with green The
acoustic properties Of the hall are very
bad. Whether they will be bettered or
not remains to be seen The haIl is not