The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1900-03-25
THE CAUSE OF WOMAN.
A BRIEF CONsIDERA iron OF MRS.
ROsyIIER JOHNSON's sTATEMEAI.

rsr,rip Parts of II Discussed and Denied
Mis-. Mary ". wilkins and MADAME
Duud.t rs Anti-SunTagists- Anti-lmper-
inli.,s aud Anti-Sunrmgiats- IRAN
chiss Given to women IN west A"''r"''"'
Many letters havs bscn received asking why
Ih,ys no, taken up the statement recently issued
nv Mr., R,ssi,-r johnson and sent 10 the yaiio N
sswsp.pels Of ,hs country. The sta rmentrefrrrcd
n contain, moro than a dozen allegations,
s,cry ono Of which has been d~isproved by tho
sufrags advocates again and again. To take
them up scrtadm and proiuSe tho proof r-ceSsn-y
N make an argument OF any valve, would require
several times the space at my aud would
BE-, t. 49, the printer = vern ,culat dead stun
The DID objections and ans wers have been h.'hed
and r.hnshed until tho public IL thoroughly tired
Of tL"m II seems n vAst" OF time 10 continue
thls process when thu current events O.! every
day are full Of fresh. new argument, and furnish
On object lesson worth any amount OF ha rkneyed
and wornou, theories Why consume ink and
paper to answer Mrs Johnson's individual state
ment 10 the efsc, that none OF the privileges
which women enjoy today are due 20 'he suf-
frssc movement" and that "the I-oyr-ss Of thu
States where women have the franchise "a be-
hind .ha, Of other States" Take, for instance,
this paragraph
The %suiftag. movenent Ia to day allied with co
education n, against wNHals higher education IN
eole yes Of her own. with 'isins' a. against tried pr!n.
aples, with prohibition as AGAINST temperance, with
NoIinonism ~ az aims = glration ot.Chutch and state.
with socialism as against representa- " sovcrnDeut.
with radical labor movements as against the best
organin 1 and unor .la.zed Efforts Of wage earning
men and women. with 'ccNron.c Independence and
shr co operative hou sohold, as against family life and
home"
The principal answer u DO made 20 the assertions
= TO say tnat they are not true. The National
And Stats Suffrage assoc .tUnE Lever have
stood for any one OF the enumcTa'sd
above, nor have the ladies' In til cause. Indlsid'
uals who advocate one or more Of them may beiieNe
In the franchise for women, Tut the suffrage party,
Il ve may Use that word, never has been allied
with a Single one OF them Elizabeth CGdy Stan
toms two daughters were etuoa,ed al ' assar.
May Wright Sewall, q suffrage leader, is principal
OF a cele bra ed girls LussiCal : hool, the ra!orlty
OF the women members Of the faculty Of Wellesley
are strong advocates .: suffrage, and there are
many such aiLong the oA.er woutns' colleges
The sufrahi sts made q de terHIned effort Ia secure
60 education because they felt that IL would ue
impossible for womeus' colleges ever 10 have the
splendid equipment already possessed By those
for men, or for a degree from the former to equal
IN value one from the latter This continues To
Be the case even after fifty years Of educational
progress 49,, wv % ,o,. ao,
BY tho -uiiragi9ts. ask 2 that ,hc wiz should
have separate "arnirys and . valuation PLACID
upon her labor In VA Aousehold. She Would
have considerable nlicultv in stating definitely
when and where any such Ill ever was intro
duced. She critictses the suffrage adyocato,
because they do not engage IN discus4iuns of
Eraat pl'Iir 1uastlpnS az public DOACy CltluE
divorce, for example. one Of the first lessons
earned bN h ga ly sufrGgis.s was III uluisdon
Of entering into a discussion Of o. " Ncols sub
!ects. The one and only object Tor which th'
association exists Is 10 secure the franchise Tor
women. To take up tao consideration o. 'creat
public questions would b. 10 open the tlo0dgaleS.
The members Of the association have Nrm con
,ictions upon the various matters Of public
policy )" and these differ as widely a. they would
among an equal number Of strong minded men.
To Introduce their consideration into a conyen-
tion, or to make them q part OF the platform,
would b. TO divert attention from tn, main isSls
and to disturb very seriously the harmony which
l. entirely possible wheTa all are united on one
oh'ct.
There Is, however. a better reason tIln this
for barring out all questions foreign 10 the on.
al stake. Suffrage will have to be Grar'cd 10
women by the men OF all parties. 1t Is not likely
thai any one vii. be strong enough to carry 1t
alone. 1t will depend also upon men Of every
shads Of religious conviction aud Of the most
varied opinions on all u her matters. For women
In their present helpless condition to antHgonile
ANY class Di men NOulu D. SIlDT ISL. nlru anu I'm
polite. Therefor, tus Suffrage Association.
viii perfect proprietv and good sense. prohibits
The consideration OF all outside Ilalt.Tr AT It's
conventions and meetings, although the indiyi ,ual
nemlsrs may go into AS many other oryanIZa-
lions as the choose IN order 10 carry out lheir
particular i!~a'.
Mrs Joi nson makes the absurd comment that
'tAern has never been such a migration Ot
women to the suiIraG states a. . oSerbuT-. n th"
Population TINS l. IN line "iin the California
editor who asked with all seriousness, in H., cam
yoiun 1f lSli IF Miss Anthony Is 20 Ie-lTlns IA
vJt, why doesn't she move out % Colorado or
some Of the Other states which hare woman
eui! rage" Suppose sol. - one should call together
oil to men in the D,tnct Of Columbia and ssy
"NOw you cannot '2te here ana, l'steai Il con
Nnual'y aritauns q" subject, why don all OF
You move 10 New YORK or Indiana Or Nrbra "a"
il Is even more Lloglcal 10 put this On" hon 10
women. tor whereas men are cOmparalIcly free
agents the la" ptoyid'S that the "ne'i home
pust be where the hl band elects, and, even
u tire law dld moi, say so, tnati where she wants
Il t. b.. Married women must consider what
Is best for their husbands huSlnn,-, and single
women NUT consider what Is best for their own.
Miss Anthony her eli has lived ftlFuys years
In one city and alnusi turty In oua house, bota
endcarei TO her BY u thousand assertions. sun
questions are idle and not worth hot ..
Mrs johnson Suerlarauont lt'the professions
were not open 20 women thT ia liiragc agIta-
don" ald that the claim that the chang" Ia laws
making them more favorable Is LARGE" owing
D. the demands OF the sullrd.I,tS can lie ll-uuvuy
disappr)yed' Hn! not bear Investigation IL
pay not be true that the Suffrage nun"n were
DNllllll t.lfNt IL NNClN fAlaklG Nh'fH tlllltIkh NItN
were IN very many DISTANCES, especial" IN New
York, but u, MIS-. johnson herself LAY IN her
opening paragraph: The - 'rAEc movement
n more than lfiN years Ole, and hrs therefore
run parallel with the progress 81 women which
has mnrkrd THIS era Tie sun iIgi,tS have
kept M the agitation, they have pointed out the
IT." qualities, they nave beSl"E"i the Legislatures,
thoy have reused the public conscience, dHu they
barr been closely identified with oil the ptps re,slvc
u the last halt century. The night
T. speak In puoilc they fought Tor TO the bitter end.
They never have '"a-rl m the rma IDS and their
efforts for better .aws, Tor higher cuu'auon, lor
Opportunity IN the Industrial n'l4, iur enhance
Into the professions, for higher wages. what
other organization ever hH- made thu tight Tor
women What other Organization = doing 1t
to-day? On MIR. Stanton ciEhtlcih O%lrthtal, in
1875. the representative women ul the world {, Io
g. lay thDIr tnbutes II Hpprcclau,l at her feet
a. Miss .AntI1uv'7 eir .tieth birthday cel'.
traton in 1900, the-5 Wa. the some national
expression nl gratitude ,.p'n women.
On both occasions mo entire press II
the country united in recognizing the debt
which all wOmanhInd owes to teen and tHrlr
colaborers And this will b" the verdict OF all
pusteuty, TO whom Sucn staten 'nta a. tins Oi
ArS 'oEnson will De q runn,ity and a wonder
MisS MHry l.. wilkins. HI, n through her
cinlpct stories Of New England NE, has recently
conc out, In a very mucn heUdiucd UrtiC.c, TO
cay that she has all the nights he nrpa-. There
would be no necessity 10 !ush INTO plNt WIN
Nj statement except t'...t She vi he 10 place
nights to other Homcn whoe needs are not 20 llrn,
I'D as her own. There va q lime when II would
tty' been ContidrIel imUOic.l and unNomHuly
iOr a lady to J. .h.i-h those ped.aE' .l,.G pas
torqlS Tor Which, thanks 10 q me-" .Ibrft. pub
he sentiment, : ies wilkins now finds 80 good n
many touQ let's st me men and talk YER learn
edlv ut tie duties 81 fho wife and mother. 10