The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1916-01-28
Topeka Club Women Receive a
Wire From TumuIty.
Declines Their Request for
Interview With President.
HE HAS NO Time FOR THEM
Commercial Club Committee
Expresses Its Indignation
Over This Attempt to "SmOke
Out" the Visitor.

A telegram received late this after
noon by Mrs Lila Day Monroe, chair
man of the Congressional Union of
Kansas, from Secretary Tumulty at
Washington puts a damper on the at
tempt made this morning by the gov
ernor's paper to switch interest from
Preparedness" to Woman Suffrage,
during the presidents visit. Mr.. Tu-
multy's telegram stated clearly that
any attempt TO get the president to
give interviews on this subject during
mis- brief visit would end in failure.
telegram signed by q number of
heads of female organizations had
been dispatched last evening asking
for five minute interviews from the
president while here on the suffrage
question. Secretary Tumulty's answer
follows:
Telegram received. President
regrets that the crowded condition
Of Topeka program will not per-
nit of the arrangements you sug
gest.''
They Resent Ii.
The effort to embarrass Mr.. Wilson
politically. through the medium of GER
tain female organizations who have
requested him to express his views on
woman suffrage, was frOwned upon
today noon at a meeting at the Com
mercial Club, of the local executive
committee in charge of the president s
entertainment. Absolutely no effort
will be made by the club to aid in the
attempt to get President Wilson to eX-
press his views on this subject during
his visit in Topeka.
Republicans and Democrats alike on
the committee expressed their disap-
prevail of this attempt to make POI
litical capital of the presidents visit.
For time it was proposed to dispatch
a telegram to Secretary Tumulty adj
vising him that the Commercial cluD
and it's executive committee had moth
ing and would have nothing whatever
TO do with this attempt at political
embarrassment and were endeavOring
to make the visit absolutely non
partisan. Finally, it was agreed to
take no official notice of the effort at
political embarrassment during the
nonpartisan visit.
Women Don't Like 1t.
Nor did the women look with favor
upon the attempt to make politics out
of their telegram to the president. Mrs.
Lila Day Monroe, chairman of the
Congressional Union of Kansas, and
one of the authors of the telegram, de-
MED that there had been any attempt
made to smoke" the president out
and divert public attention from the
preparedness platform.
We don't wish to smoke the presi-
dent OUT said Mrs. Monroe In
sending that telegram we merely
wished 20 follow plan being carried
out by female organizations through
out the country to impress upon the
president the fact that the suffra gists
have not forgotten their cause"
Undignified, They Say.
'Oh, my, smoke the president out
I What an undignified expression. We
women don't expect to try to smoke
any one out. 1t is ridiculous"
| 1t was very indignant woman who
made these remarks today relative to
the impression created that the wo-
men of the W. C. T. U. are going to
try to ''smoke the president out" or
the suffrage question when he reaches
Topeka February ,. The woman was
Mrs. Lillian Mitchner, president OF
the W. c. T. L.
We have no idea of trying tC
smoke the president OUT she con
! tinued. Il consider that a very un-
dignified position for the women tc
take. We have no idea of trying tc
make it unpleasant for the president
Women's Telegram.
| The heads of female organization
sent to Washington last evening tn,
following telegram:
President Woodrow Wilson, Wash
ington, D. c.
Upon the occasion of your visit
to Topeka on Wednesday, Feb
ruary ,. number of women
voters of Kansas desire a five