The sun., 1908-11-24
A SECRET SUFFRAGE COUNCIL
PERSONS WE'LL KNOWN IN NEW
EQtAL RIGHTS FIGHT.

Col. Harvey, Dr. Akcd Rabbi Wise. Ida
TarlieIl. Mrs. Nackny and Mrs. I.ytii r
! Among Those In Organization which
Planned ut First 10 Help on the Quiet.
The time has come when the sutfraRists
and the suiIragettes. who have been
competing jealously for leadership In
the struggle for the freedom OF their
seN. may just ns well kiss and be friends
and mlngle their tears Of humiliation.
For behold greater than either OF them
has arisen--the Secret Suffrage Council,
and among it's members are Mrs Clar-
ence Mackay, Mrs Philip Iydig. the
Rev. DR.. Charles +. Aked, William NJ.
WINS, Col. George Harvey, Mrs. Bourke
Cochran. Miss Ida Tarbell. Prof. John
Dewey, Rabbi Stephen Wise John b.
| Stanchfield Rollo Ogden. Mrs. Richard
Aldrich. Mrs Frederick Nathan, Mrs Har-
riot Stanton Batch and Charles Sprague
Smith.
|, The original object Of the council was
the earnest. sincere but anonymous
encoura cement Of those who were al
ready actively engaged in working for
the cause There wus neither the wish
nor the desire on the part Of any Of the
members TO take a bit of glory away
from the Equality League for Self-Sup-
porting Women or the National Pro-
sressive Woman's Suffrage Union or
the New York Equal Suffrage Associa- |
ton or the Interlrban Women's Suffrage |
Council or any Of the other pioneers |
in the struggle.
For this reason the existence OF toe
hoa
fully guarded from the public, and only
through one Of those unfortunate slips
Of the tongue, from which even the most
astute members OF the bar cannot always
did the news leak out. The
revelation came unawares in the course
of discussion between William NJ WINS
and Mavor Mcclellan at a recent meet
ing OF the Charter Revision Committee
on the general question of w oman and
the Ballot
Nearly everybody has realized that
Mrs. Mackav has been secretly in favor
of il ev er since she made IL the subject or
conv ersation at the dinner party she gave
after the Vanderbilt cup race and it was
likewise that Mrs. Lvdig was
secretly in favor of it when she bought u
whole laundry bag full Of work bags.
iron holders, handk erchief cases, pin
cushions, home made preserves. tintel
stationery and Bath Beach fudge at the
Suffrage Fair.
The sentiments of Mr.. Wins have not
been entirely concealed from those who
W ere anxious about them. and neither I
have those OF DR.. Ake1. Col. Harvey
has meant to be reticent. and every time
the council ate at Delmonicos or the
Colonial Club he was careful not to be seen
or leaving with any members
Of the extreme wing. IL is believed.
however. that now that the cat Is out OF [
the bag he will stand pat.
The greatest triumph OF all yearners
FOR equal rights lies in the addition OF the
name of Miss Tarbell to the ranks The
New York Association Opposed to the
OF the Suffrage to Women has
oathies W ere with the side OF the question q
by them. i
The person who told the story to some ,
,ther persons could not understand just
Why it was that Mrs. Harriet Stanton
3latch. who ia usually both anxious and T
'hould desire to ally herself W ith a secret r
organization for the advancement OF the
,ause that she has been publicly boosting
nce her boarding school days, a
Ii was explained afterward. however. r
hat Mrs. Blatch was afraid that il she b
,ept out Of the secret council its activities =,
gould be limited to buying things at q
airs. taking boxes at suffrage mass n
meetings and sounding the CRY for free 81
om between the sorbet and the squad n
t council lunches. Mrs. Blatch believes h.
n all these things, but abe doesn't think I"
hat they fulfil the duty Of 30 august
ody as a secret suffrage council. IT
Why asked Mrs. Blatch, so long as g,
7e have two real live lawyers on the a,
ouncil shouldn't they get busy on a =,
i'll for municipal suffrage for the female o,
tizens OF Greater New York;" o'
or course when the proposition was CT
ut up to Mr.. Wins he couldn't say less OF
IAN that il such a bill were submitted
them he and Mr.. Stanohfield would get
,gether and see il it was constitutional. sc
'hereupon Mrs. Blatch (so the story goes. II
nd when abe was called up on the tele W
none she didn't deny it) whipped bill nr
1t OF her pocket and tossed it right D,
,ross the Colony Club mahogany to Mr. =. -,
inns. Mr.. WINS and picked committee IN
e still pondering the constitutiona!ity pr
ereof. of
One of MIR lvinss closest conhdants n,
regard to the woman suffrage move =,
ent said yesterday afternoon that the III
'unci was planning to bring personal ca
'essure upon Gov Hughes to boost mu- ne
cipal suffrage in his message to the
sgisature. =,