The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1917-04-13
WOMEN IN TEARS
Topeka Club Members, Moth
erS, Overcome With Emotion.
War Meeting Ended in a Pledge
to the President.
LEAVE IT TO WASHINGTON
Good Government Women De-
eide Country Will Be Safe.
Looked for a While as Tho They
Would Change Plans.

The regular meeting of the Good
Government club Thursday afternoon
presented a new program, owing to
the war situation. The audience
room was crowded with women in
terested in the subject. Mrs. F. p.
Lindsay, president of the club, made
a short opening address in which she
said: II know that every woman here
has been fervently hoping that our
young men might be spared while our
nation still lived honorably and credit
ably. Every mother has been stirred
1 suppose. as l have been. While our
feeling of loyalty to the country seems
to be uppermost, we cherish our own.
That is a God given feeling, and 1t IS
right that we should possess It. NO
mother need be ashamed that she
wishes to save the life of her SON..
At this point Mrs. Lindsay was so
overcome by her emotions that she
could go no farther. More than one
woman in the meeting broke down
while she spoke.
Mrs. ]. D. Mcfarland was on the
program to speak on moral conditions
surrounding military camps. She told
of the vices that often go with army
life and suggested that a resolution
be presented to the governor and the
adjutant general, asking that the
camps for this state be kept moral
T. u, and Mrs. Lindsay spoke in favor
of such a resolution. Mrs. c. 1. Mar
tin, wife of the adjutant general, eX-
planned that part of the camp ar
fairs was under federal control, and
that a resolution presented to the state
authorities, should be duplicated by
one presented to the federal author
tiles, tho the congressman. Mrs. Lee
Monroe suggested that the framing of
the resolution be left to a committee
tN he nv he of
The club. letter will be
sent by the club, commencing the
bill regarding mobilization camps, in
troduced by Ed Little of Kansas City.
They Talk CONSUMPTION.
| The subject of CONSUMPTION was dis
cussed, and Mrs. Lindsay referred to
| a respite of thirty days that was to be
allowed, thus "averting for the time,
at least, the national crime of con-
scription." Mrs. Frank Organ spoke
to the subject, quoting the words of
Governor Capper against the plan of
CONSUMPTION. Mrs Lindsay went on
| to say that from what she had read
of speeches before the Chamber of
! Commerce, it would seem that Amer
| ica's best part would be in the feed
| ing and clothing of devastated nations.
| The governments refusal to take a
| regiment of Indians and boys from the
Hutchinson reformatory as soldiers,
was discussed. Mrs Emma Sells Mar
| snail said that anyone who had dealt
with inmates of institutions of cor
rection knew that those inmates were
| mostly sub-normal and would not like
| ly be good soldiers or fit associates
for the better class of men who went
| into the service. Mrs. Main took is
sue with that question in this way:
Il think the men of the reformatories
and the penitentiaries should be ac-
cepted. Many of these men are MUIR
derers, and that is about what is need
| ed in an army. Why not turn them
loose to kill to their hearts content ?''
| Mrs. Monroe gave it as her opinion
that many of the men in the refor-
| matory and prisons came of fightine
stock, and that it would be wise plar
to let them earn their paroles by army
service. A resolution to that effect
Will be drawn up by committee.
| Stand Behind President.
Mrs. r. F. DeArmond spoke against
the plan of universal military serv.
ice; Mrs. Cyrus Guthrie spoke in ia.
vor of a plan to shut down the brew.
erles and use the grain for food; Mrs
supple spoke for voluntary contribu.
lions TO the war fund by rich people
Mrs. Monroe, at the close of the pro.
| gram, proposed a resolution of LOYALTY
by which the club should pledge itself
to stand faithfully by the president
ana congress in the NOV for war ano
| " III set persondI IeeIngS and prefer
| ences- She prefaced her resolution
with an address in which she explain.
ed how little the ordinary observers OF
public affairs could know of the ne.
cessity for war, compared with the in.
innate and inside information pos
sessed by the authorities at Washing.
ton she made plea that the womer
give their cooperation and support
in every way possible. to the action OF
their chosen representatives. Mrs
Marshall seconded the motion for the
adoption of the resolution, and it wa,
passed.
The club expects to organize for Red
| Cross nrl< int he