Evening star., 1925-03-20
ALL DISTRICT j. D. c.
BODIES SUSPENDED
FOR 2-YEAR FIGHT
National President General
Serves Notice Upon 13
Washington Chapters.
SPLIT OVER ELECTION
BRINGS DRASTIC ORDER
Six Had Walked Out, Charging H.
legalities in Balloting-Future
Course of Members in Doubt.

SOul sc VI nEluUETS In UOuOL,
The entire District of Columbia di-
vision of the United Daughters OF the
Confederacy has been suspended from
the national Organization as a re-
suit of the failure of the Is local
chapters to settle the bitter inter
necine row that has ragged among
them for nearly two years
Notice of this drastic action, taken
by the executive board of the national
organization, was received here to-
day in a terse communication from
Mrs. Frank Harold of Americus. Ga,
president general of the United
Daughters of the Confederacy, which
set forth the final decision as follows:
The District of Columbia division
! of the United Daughters of the Con-
federacy not having complied with
the decision of the executive board of
the general organization within so
days from date of notifca ton of said
decision, is suspended from all rights
! and privileges granted by the United
Daughters of the Confederacy in ac-
cordance with the provisions of
Article 6. section 3, of the bylaws OF
the general organization.
Notice Comes Like Bomb.
Like bombshel the brief notice,
unembellished by any further ex-
planation, fell upon Washington
leaders of the society almost from a
clear sky. In the opinion of many
/ of1cers here, 1t completely sewers all
| connection Of the local chapters with
/ the national organization and there
! is a question in the mind of some
whether even those bodies can con-
! tinue to function as units of the
! United Daughters of the Confederacy
while the suspension is in force.
The foundation for the ruling.
which was formally approved by Mrs.
| Harold, the president general, and
most of the national officers. was laid
| in November, 1928, when delegates TO
! the District of Columbia convention
/ split over the choice of a president
| general for this division and cut the
! society into two factions that have
bitterly opposed every movement
made by each other ever since.
Puzzled by Action.
A copy of the order was sent by
registered mail to Mrs. Albion VIII
| kins Tuck, who was elected president
| general Of the local chapters by one
| of the factions in an uproarious CEN
vention here last December; Mrs.
! Drury Conway Ludlow, leader of the
| other faction, and Mrs. w. S Hut
/ ton, who was drawn into the fracas
] when she was ordered to preside over
| the December meeting.
Mrs. Tuck, who has been carrying
! out the duties of president general
here since her hotly contested cleo
| tion in December, is frankly at a loss
| to know what to do. She indicated
! that she would first seek some fur
! ther explanation OF the statement
that the division had not compiled
with the decision of the executive
board and then probably call a meet
ing of present officers, with the hope
| of finding some solution to the di-
lemma.
Mrs. Ludlow declared that she and
her followers regarded the decision
as vindication of their stand and
would do nothing, accusing the other
side of having done most of the ar
guing, anyhow. On the other hand,
Mrs. Tuck asserted that it was Mrs.
Ludlow's faction that had done all
| of the talking" and caused the sus-
lpension. Mrs. Hutton remained dip
lomatically uncommunicative. adding
nothing to depreciation of the situa-
tion.
Six Chapters Walked Out.
When the District of Columbia
chapters met in annual convention at
the Confederate Soldiers Home, on
| Vermont avenue, in November, 1923,
Mrs. Hutton was the presiding pres
idenr general, and both Mrs. Ludlow
and Mrs. Tuck were candidates to
succeed her 1t proved TO be the
warmest meeting ever held by the So
ciety here, eclipsed only by the spe-
cial convention that was convened
later, last December.
After a bitter fight six chapters
Stonewan Jackson, headed by Mrs.
Benjamin Soule Gantz; Southern Cross.
by Mrs. Harvey Ball; Dixie, by Mrs.
Frank Eliot; Alexander r. Lawton, by
| Mrs. Georgia Lawton Morgan; JET
ferson Davis, by Miss F. Hunter
Weeks, and Hillary Herbert, by Mrs.
Rose Mulcare-walked out en- masse,
charging the other delegates of ille-
galities in the balloting and nomina-
tions.
Hold own Election.
These chapters met elsewhere and
proceeded to formally elect Mrs. Lud-
low and an entire ticket for the Dis
trict of Columbia division. In the
meantime the other chapters that had
! remained in the convention selected
complete and the fight was carried
before the next convention of the ma
tional organization. The decision
| was regarded by some as partial
victory for Mrs Tuck's ticket.
The executive board temporarily
recognized the de facto" officers, led
by Mrs. Tuck, but ordered another
convention to be convened here with
in 80 days, with the officers of 1922
presiding in their entirety and the
dificulties ironed out to the mutual
satisfaction of the District chapters
and the national organization. The
convention was convened, with Mrs
Hutton presiding.
Even before the Lords Prayer and
the opening hymn had been started
the battle opened Under pleas from
Mrs. Hutton much of the business
was finally transacted, but before the
special convention had ended po-
llicewoman was summoned 10 main
tain order and some official made
what was termed a blunder in dis
patching a colored officer to the Con-
federate Soldiers Home.
Charges Fly Thtckly.
Contested every step of the way
by the same chapters that had walk
ed out before, the other delegates
procaeded to nominate and elect Mrs