JM SUFFRRGISTS * DESECRATED FLAG Political Equality Club Considers Protest Made by Members of the i). a. e. ili At the meeting: of the Geneva PoIF tical Equality Club held last evening ill St. Peter's parish house, the evening im given over chiefly to business. Mrs. Charles S. Burrall presided an.? Miss Mary Peck, of Seneca Castle, chairman of the New Methods Committee, presented the outline of the plans for the. work of the spring season. It was decided to divide the city into districts and to make a canvass of the citizens to obtain their opinion on "equal suffrage." -A-letter was read from the Seneca Chapter. -Daughters of the American Revolution, in which they stated that they felt that the Geneva Political Equality Club (had desecrated the | t American 'flag by allowing an ardent suffragist to change the picture of "Betsy Ross," which was on exhibition in the 'Suffrage Booth, that is. painting llic stars on the flag yellow, which, interpreted, would mean that I the slates of the union, were for suf-1 frage. The D. A. If. memibers objected ! to ill is. • !No action was taken last evening by tlbe suffragists. CLUB DID TAKE ACTION. Suffragists Ssrtt Letter of Explanation to Incensed D. A. B. It was erroneously stated in yesterday's Times that the Gen'cva Political Equality Club at its meeting Tuesday night took no action, regarding the complain) <>¦' 1 li<> 1). A. R., tli;il. ! hr: suffragists Jmd doaocrated. the Amcri-I'.au flag by altering the color of the stars'on . a flag wiiich formed part of the decoration of |!io suffrage booth at McM'aste?'s candy store. The club drafted a letter of explanation at the meeting; Tuesday night which was sent-to th'e D. A. !;. in an endeavor to settle the. matter. The answer of the D. A. R. is now boii;g awaited by ihe suffragists. FUG IICIDEIT It ISKPUIIIED jMISiS MILLEE SENDS COEEESFON-j DENCE BETWEEN POLITICAL i EQUALITY CLUB AND THE D. A. R. To the Kditor of The Times, Sir,—The Public has been informed through your columns of the fact that the Seneca Chapter of the .Daughters of the American Revolution have made written charges against the Geneva Political 'Equality Club for "infringing upon the law" land "desecration" of the National flag. I herewith supply | the correspondence ¦ -between the two associations and because 1 a>i'. eon-vincoi that nil con<-erned wili wi.-'li to be iaformed in rcp.r,i-;l to the. point of: vieiv of the Polities! Kqnnlitv Club as well, i's to know i-lm i'ni-t:-: in the case,¦ I ;uk your generosity in viic matter of spa.ee. The l'rpTu-li nave ¦ a saying—, "To .understand nil is to forgive all." VC'aan i ail is uudorstuod concerning "Betsy ; up to date'-' voe believe that the verdict will be: "Nothing to forgive." The victory oi' "Votes for Women" I last November, in iho state of Wash-I ington was celebrated in Htifi'rnge circles throughout rhis country aud. abroad. One of the. nehible gatherings taxed tho cavvicity of Cooper Union jHall in Xmv Vork City. There thousands listened to tho best men and wo-I men orators, and were also excited to j j enthusiasm by the patriotic music of i i a brass band supplied by Mrs. O. II. j I'. Belmont. The climax of'that cele-! bration was the ceremony of placing I the fifth star on the suffrage flag. The ! suffragists . have for years used thi-i :flag at State and National conventions, jadding one golden star as each state j was won. The author of "The Battle | Hymn, of the Republic" Mrs. Julia "Ward Howe, and the most distinguished living nurse, Clara Barton, have made speeches from under it, upon our platform. At the mass meeting in. Cooper Union Miss Inez Milholland herself one of the younger .and most beautiful stars in the suffrage field, was chosen to act as principal in placing the new star representing the State of Washington on the flag. Thrilled with patriotism the whole assemblage rose and sang '' America'' to tiie accompaniment of the. brass band. Tho suffragists of 'Geneva lijade no public demonstration of rejoicing but in the privacy of many happy homes there were quiet expressions of joy. One of these domestic celebrations has been brought into unexpected, and what may prove prolonged, publicity by the zealous patriotism of the Seneca Liiapter o_ . nc Daughters of the American Revolution for surely the end is not yet. A few days after the vote was won in Washington, a well Known, member of the Geneva Political Equality Club found her husband (a commercial man, also a member of the club) busily at work over a colored print, the trade mark of his business firm. The print is called. "Making the emblem of personal libert}'" and represents an historical evt-nt—Betsy Ross in the act of sewing one of the original thirteen stars on the field of the first National ag. As only some of tho thirteen stars appeared in the print it was an easy matter for the deft and clever suffrage enthusiast to modify the field of the flag, by placing one gold star for Wy-oming, one for Idaho, one for Utah, Qne for Colorado and then the fifth and largest of all, for Washington, directly in the hnwd of Betsy who thus appears to be in t'he act of recording the victory of tho suffrage cause in the state of Washington. To change a. comnier-cial trademark into a decorative and | significant political poster was the work of but a few minutes. "Why, what a)re you doing?" asked Mrs. II. j "Oh, just _bnngi.ng Betsy up to date!" was jtlie reply. The poster was seat to Lochland, where it met with such warm appreciation from m'any patriotic jand discriminating persons thai- it seemed appropriate that the sphere of its usefulness should be en- : larged and consequently Betsy made he? first appearance in public, as an. honored guest at the January Political Equality ¦Club meeting at tlie President's House, Hobart College. Later, when Mr. and | Mrs. MeMuster donated a part of their j establishment .at 92 Seneca street for temporary headquarters of the club during a. few weeks previous to the Sylvia Pankhmst meeting "Betsy up to date'' was naturally placed ii: ovi-' don.ee .as a decorative poster illusi rating a recent political event of impor-ance in the progress of democracy. For more than a month after the date of the Pa.nk'hurst meeting ("Feb. 14th) . Betsy had continued her needlework on the Washington star in the quiet seclusion of Loehland when the folow- t ing'letter was received: "Seneca Chapter of Tho Daughters of the American Revolution—to Mrs. W. H. Partridge, Sec. of the 'Geneva Political Equality Club. "My Dear Mrs. Partridge, "At, the last, meeting of Tho Daugh- j terp of the American Revolution held in the National Guard Armory, March 17th, lfl.ll, the corresponding secretary was instructed to communicate with the secretary of the Geneva Political Equal- J ity Club and call their attention to the fact. that, in displaying their advertisement in Mr. McMaster's store durirn.! Miss Sylvin Panhurst's visit in Ge- | neva they infringed the law in defacing : the field of the American flag. The Daughters of The American Revolution regret having to mention, the niattei and trust the desecration will not be repeated. ! "GERTRUDE P. FAIRFAX, ! '' Corresponding Secretary. "Geneva, N. Y., March 18, >U." This letter was referred to the President of the Political Equality Club, who, after careful consideration., /prepared iu substance the following reply, which being duly discussed at a, meeting of the P. 10. Club held on March 28th, at the Parish House of St. Peter's Church was, on the motion of Mr. Henry Graves, adopted and the secretary instructed to ,«i>nd a copy to tho secretary of the Daughters of the American Revolution: "Mrs. Gertrude P. Fairfax, Corresponding secretary, Seneca. Chapter of the Daughters of The American Revolution, "My Dear Mrs. Fairfax, "Since the receipt of'your communication of March 18tli our city attorney, Mr. Wm. Smith O'Brien has been, consulted, concerning its statement that in displaying a certain colored print the Generva Political Equality Club had infringed upon the law. Mr. O'Brien has made a careful investigation of tha facts in the case including an examination of the picture in question. Ha has consulted both state aud federal statutes referring to the National flag and is of the opinion that in this case no infriuigmeut of the law has occurred. ' ¦ Will you kindly specify -which particular statute we have violated?" This letter was signed by Mrs. W. H. Partridge, Corresponding Secretary of the Geneva Political Equality Club. This is the story, up to date. ANNE FiITZHU'GH MILLER, President Political Equality Club. April 3, 1911.