The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1907-06-09

from any part in selecting this delegate
The women at present In Alaska average
up with the men In all respects, and as
there are 80 few,of both there could not
have been much objection TO letting them
vote, but Congress will go right on perpe-
trating these crimes 30 long as women
will allow it, and not one raised her voice
for those Of far of Alaska.
= "IDrocY, INSANITY, FELONY AND SEX.
Two years ago when the Territorial
Committee Of Congress framed the enabling
act for Oklahoma to prepare for State
hood it used the words, Suffrage shall not
he denied except for idiocy, insanity felony
and sex Some Chicago ~suffragists de-
ided that this could not be tolerated, and
30 through the National Association they
made an appeal to women's organizations
OF all kindst to protest.
As a result the Territorial Committee
was inundated with petitions by hum
dreds Of thousands until they fastened
TO remove the word sex from it's unsavory
associations and restore the self-respect OF
the women. An overwhelmingly humorous
feature Of the whole affair was that the
Constitutions of all the States where these
indignant women lived contained precisely
these same words and they didn't know itl
But this is not all. The wording Of that
enabling act was OF no real consequence,
but the following year. when Congress ar
ranged for the two Territories Of Arizona
and New Mexico to vote as to whether
they would come in as one or two States,
n denied to all the women of these Terri
tories a voice on this question. one OF ex-
aptlu fha aap,o p,nAr4an0a fA than ma IN
the men. there was not a word Of protest
from either themselves or the Recently
stirred up women OF the country.
And this a when the constitutional
convention of Oklahoma actually moor
porated the original offensive clause OF
the enabling act and made it effective the
women's organizations throughout the land
didn't even know ~it-exoept the Suffrage
Association, which tried to prevent it, but
was sold ont in a deal with the Prohibi-
~tionists.
CLAIM VICTORY ON ARGUMENT.
To sum up the situation: 1t looks to this
militant branch of the suffragists as IL the
time had come for more aggressive action
not TO the extent OF assault and battery,
which would send the perpetrators TO Jail,
but sufficiently demonstrative to show
that women mean business. So far as
argument is concerned this cause is won.
There never was a more splendid cam
paign OF education than its advocates
have made, and this still goes on from
the large, finely equipped. well managed
headquarters Of the national association.
The long and loyal service Of it's officers,
given gratuitously and at much sacrifice,
has borne its fruit. The ancient objec-
tions have disappeared forever and the
opponents are now reduced TO the one
threadbare assertion, THE majority Of
women do not wan It,"
This gets a new rent in it every day, and
women speak through their great organiza-
tions-Federation Of Clubs, National Coun-
Gil. Mothers Congresses. religious and
patriotic Notwithstanding that they do
want it and mean to nave 1t. Such an
object lesson in the need OF a vote as the
failure OF the bill Of the New York city
public school teachers for equal pay makes
thousands of converts, and women are
getting many such lessons nowadays.
The National Suffrage Association has
thirty-seven Of the forty-five States sye-
tematically organized. The contributions
for the years work made at the February
convention we're s25, 900. and since then a
special fund OF $50. 900 has been raised to
be made In five annual payments.
The half-dozeh little a~nti-suhrage So
~cieties. confined practically to the two
States of New York and Massachusetts, are
apparently stationary or declining. Their
recent effort before the Albany Legislature
called forth a full page cartoon in a promi-
nent New York weekly and several pages
Of ridicule in one Of the leading magazines.
They have changed places with the pioneer
suffra gists.
AGGREssIvENEss L FOR.
There is no doubt as to the vast increase
OF public sentiment for woman suffrage,
out there seems an inability to crystalize
this into concrete expression. While the
belief In it grows vastly the suffrage itself
does not ma~terialize.
Some reasons for this have been here
suggested. Our reprehensible form Of gov
eminent, which allows the mass Of ire
sponsible voters to pass upon this question,
imposes almost insurmountable difficulties.
Before these can be conquered 1t will have
TO become more largely one Of practical
politics.
To educate. TO persuade, to convince are
not sufficient In these days when politics is
a shrewdly and not very honestly conducted
business. The movement for woman suf-
frage needs now a decisive aggressiveness
which will prove to the public it's vitality
and strength; a fearless and open fight on
its enemies with a complete exposure Of
their d~ishonorable methods; and the same
able, keen sighted, resourceful management
that is necessary TO the success other po-
htical issues. IDA Hustled HARPER.