Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1908-11-03
s. ". Y. AUxIlIARIES SEPARATE
DISTRICT BODIES REFUSE TO
FAVOR DEPARTMENT.
National President General Ac
knowledges Error in Dealing
With Local Problem.

Mrs Elizabeth Mcnamara, president
general of the auXliaries TO the United
Spanish War Veterans. called to Wash
ington to adjust differences caused by
the organization of Il new auxiliary with
out recognizing the president of the DIS
trict of Columbia department. Mrs. Lizzie
W. CaIvcr. left for Boston yesterday.
A conference of the Mary a. Babcock,
the Edith X. Roosevelt and Ihe Admiral
Dewey auxiliaries was held at the Pyth-
ian Temple. The president general was
assisted by the department president.
Mrs CdiTer.
u,nt had been made because Of her non
rsCognition of the Dewey auxiliary. Mrs.
aIveI considered that the Office of de-
lartynent president had been ignored, and
because OF this the Dewey auxiliary could
!iUt be recorded in the District department
n legal manner.
The department president, Mrs. Calver,
held to her point that the department
president should be recognized and de-
clined to accept less than that for her
office.
Feeling that the national organization
had treated her unfairly and that the
office of department president was some
what supertluous under the circum-
stances, a meeting of the department was
called last August. BY majority vote of
those present the department was dis
banded
The national president then appointed
Mrs. Calver provisional president. This
honor Mrs. Calver declined to accept
The president general found, on arrival
here, that there had been good deal of
misunderstanding. Also the president
general found the national records much
at fault in not properly recording many
things that have transpired n tne Dis
trict organization.
Mrs. isabel Worrell Ball appeared as
for NIrs Stpr don't of hA
Edith X. Roosevelt Auxiliary, who was
unable to be present, and for Mrs. Calver,
department president. Mrs. Ball succeed
ed in getting before the conference the let
ter and a telegram of the president gen.
eral which showed that the department
president had acted exactly as advised
by the president general in the matter of
the organization of the Dewey Auxiliary,
and that the president general stated In
that letter that the department president
should have been recognized as the prop
er channel through which TO communicate
with the president general.
The president general declared frankly
that the department president mad not
been recognized; that it was through an
error of her own that this had happened.
and that she regretted that she had per-
mittedL ANY other action to be taken. 3
The president general then desired that
the members take a vote upon whether
they would become a provisional depart
ment or not. Mrs. Ball, who is the author
of the rules and regulations under WHICH
the organization is now working, objected
to such a vote, declaring there is no pro-
vision in the law of the organization, and
that neither the president general nor the
National Council was given plenary pow
ers under the constitution of the Spanish
War auxiliaries Hence there could be no
such thing as a provisional depart ment
Mrs. Anna NJ. Baden, Mrs. Springer,
Mrs. Harriet Scribner, Mrs. Christine
Walton Dunlap. Mrs. Buckley and many
others supported Mrs. Balls contention.
All stated they did not want department
of any kind
The president general then declared that
the three auXiliaries of the District would
hereafter be classed as detached auxil-
iaries, and would hereafter report direct
TO national headquarters-a decision
which was greeted with applause.
Mrs. Bal stated to the president gen.
eral after winning her point on the legal
action of the department president, Mrs.
Calver that that was all she had been
contending for. and she was perfectly sat
isfied with the ruling of the national pres
Ident general.