The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1916-04-07
Congressional Union Keeps Sc
cret List of 200 Guests.
More Trouble for Kansas Fed
Grafton of Clubs.
TO BREAK UP GAIT DINNER
Most of Kansas Women Stolen
by Vernon Faction.
Rival Dinners To Be Held at
Same Time.

Members of the congressional union
have slipped one over on the Kansas
members of the National Suffrage as
ISOLATION. In the suffrage fight to
bring distinguished guests to the rival
dinners in Topeka next Wednesday,
the congressional union has kept I'M
der cover the names of the 200 wo-
men who are to meet Mrs. o. H. F.
Belmont and party. Now the crowd
which will entertain Mrs. Carrie Chap
man Gait is wroth.
Reports from the inner circles of ri
val suffrage organizations Indicate
that both factions are seeking to win
the spot light in the big suffrage show
in Topeka Wednesday. Each crowd
wants to outshine the other at the
Wednesday dinners. Now there is a re-
port current in Topeka to the erect
that the congressional union sought
to break up the approaching meeting
of the federation of women's clubs
which comes to Topeka Monday. Many
of the prominent club women coming
to Topeka for the meeting have been
invited into the Belmont camp. An
other faction of club women, sup
ported by the Kansas branch OF the
national suffrage association, will Of
fer Mrs. Carrie Chapman Gait as a
counter attraction.
Old Row Breaks Out.
All of the old feeling engendered in
rows between members of the Good
Government club and the Political
Science club is coming to the surface
in advance of the approaching meeting
for eastern suffrage leaders. Mrs. w.
A. Johnston Mrs. H. o. Garvey Mrs.
Dewitt c. Nellis Mrs. Lucia o. Case
Mrs. Festus Foster and Mrs. Cora
Wellhouse Billiard are among the wo-
men who will help to stage the Gait
dinner. They politely arranged to
give Mrs Gait dinner at the same
hour the congressional union enter
tanned Mrs. O. H. P. Belmont and
train load of eastern suffrage cele-
brities.
Were the congressional union work
ers peeved when they learned of the
Gait dinner? Talk confidentially for
five minutes with any member of the
union. But the congressional union is
even-almost some distance ahead. 1t
took the list of visiting club women
and invited most of them to the Bel
mont dinner.
When the dinner list for the Gait
reception was prepared. it was found
that the congressional union had
stolen most of the Kansas talent. Now
of women's clubs are beginning to
show feeling.
List Is Kept Secret.
"The congressional union is trying
to break up the meeting of the fed
Grafton" declared one excited club
woman today. "Why, we haven't so
much as seen list of the guests at
the Belmont luncheon. They are keep
ing it under cover, that's what they
are doing"
Among the women who will come
to Topeka next week for the fedora
ton meeting will be Mrs. ]. NJ Miller
of Council Grove, president of the
state federation. She will probably sit
with the women who entertain Mrs.
Gait. In fact it is not authoritatively
stated that Mrs. Miller has been in
vited to the Belmont reception.
There is a reason, too. Mrs. Miller
was a member of the resolutions COM
mittee at the Fourth district Repub-
lican convention. That committee sat
on Miss Vernon's resolution and re-
fused to recommend it for passage.
When friends of the Delaware woman
carried the fight to the floor, Mrs.
Miller sat in the rear of the hall and
did not come to the rescue of Miss
Vernon and her resolution. Possibly
that situation had something to do
with the efforts to arouse Kansas club
women and suffrage leaders concern
ing the rival receptions.
Mrs. Cats reception was not an
nounced until after plans had been
made to entertain Mrs. Belmont and
party, members of the congressional
union declare. So the congressional
union is willing to meet any rival or
ganization in an argument as to who
made the first move to break up the
oppOsition'S reception.