The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1914-05-11
WAR OF WOMEN
Good Government Club Meeting
for May IA.
May Disrupt Club or Rewrfte
Constitution.

ercises its authority and postpones
meeting, the Good Government club
will this month determine whether
the club shall become a private organ
ization and retire from active politics.
or whether it shall open its doors to
candidates for membership and block
the action of the executive board In
rejecting candidates on the motion OF
individual members Of the board
There is a lively time in store for the
Good Government club members
when the internal troubles Of the or
ganization are settled. 1t has been
stated that an effort will be made to
postpone the meeting another month
and that members will seek to refuse
admittance to newspaper reporters.
That the constitution of the club
may be torn to pieces and rewritten is
one of the probabilities now facing
the organization. Under an authority
that does not seem to appear in the
constitution the.executive committee
has rejected candidates for member
ship to the club, issued statements to
newspapers regarding the clubs
stand on public questions and made
recommendations to the city commits
sioners without first securing the ap-
prevail of the club membership. IN
der the constitution. it is claimed by
the Doster-Wright- Roby forces that
the Monroe-McFarland crowd have
exceeded their authority and that the
rejection of candidates for member
ship was q direct violation of the in
tent and purpose of the club.
But there is one question that is
causing trouble. The club has an
executive board" Such body is not
mentioned in the clubs constitution.
Yet the bylaws of the organization
give to the executive board the right
to postpone regular meetings and to
censor names Of candidates for men,
bership. UnCer that section of the
roe-McFarland faction have used
blackball methods and limited the
membership of the club to their own
following. 1t was to abolish the pow
err assumed by the executive board
that the fight was started by the Dos
ter-Wright crowd.
Originally the club was a private
organization. During the 1912 suf-
frage campaign the club needed funds
and by a vote of it's membership,
opened it's doors to the public. Cam
paign funds were scarce and any one
with the fifty cents for membership
found little trouble in entering into
fun membership. Life memberships
were offered at SO. In 1918 the
membership of the club was more
than 500. A report read at a meeting
q few weeks ago showed that the
membership had dropped to about
sixty. The lid had been put on after
the passage Of the suffrage amend
ment and the club returned to private
life with assumption of power to rem
resent the women of all classes in To-
peka. At least that is the rather
broad and fearless charge made by
the antl-administration crowd who
seek to change a few Of the present
constitutional provisions.
The fight rtod Sor,n vvon1-.
when the executive board failed to
report the name of a candidate for
membership. Mrs. Xina Cowles
Wright started the trouble. She Of
fered an amendment providing that
names of candidates should he an
open meeting and voted upon by the
full membership in attendance. Upon
receipt OF q two-thirds vote, the can
didate was elected. Mrs. Lila Day
Monroe, tho club parliamentarian. was
called upon for authority. Seemingly
the clubs constitution makes no pro-
vision for a parliamentarian, but Mrs
Monroe ruled that the amendment
should lie over under the rules for 90
days. And Mrs. Monroe's ruling wa.
the last and final werd on the cues
ton.
At the April meeting. Mrs. Frank
Doster sought to amend Mrs. Wright's
amendment. Her amendment provid.
ed that the executive board should
Lave no power or authority other thar
to recommend measures for the clubs
consideration and that each such rec.
ommendation should be adopted by 8
majority vote of the paid-up mem.
bership before becoming final. Mrs
Monroe. as parliamentarian. ruled thai
amendment to the Wright amendment
was not germanc to the question Ind
would lie over under the rules. The
Wright amendment was voted down
And that is the situation before thu
club. The passage of the Doste1
amendment means that the doors OF
the club will be opened to the womer
of Topeka who desire to participate
and that the wings of the executive
board will be clipped as affecting tn.
rejection Of members or making O.