New-York tribune., 1908-04-02
WHAT ANTS" BELIEVE
Woman Suffrage VIII Lead to
Trial Marriages and Bloomers.

-. ,-,.,ao, s,usy Club the anti-suffrage society
-ecentiv organized under the presidency VI - -
Rossiter johnson. evidently does not ll'e"r -,
the grass grow under its feet Not content VIZ VIZ
-. roo6est nrosrarnrne of study and puohca'io"
e-~, outlined II is now going to carry the va
straight into the enemy's camp In o'heI -,
IS going to apply for admission TO me C'ls -
,,o- oF Ucnen's Clubs This was decided at
Yneessns held Yesterday at the CLUBS heaoau"' "
No 81 Fifth avenue. ard as the appiio"uCl
admission is a mere form. involving only the re-
naotest possibility Of rejection. it may De 'asI
granted that there viii be three argus-e!eu ~
delegates at the spring convention, reaoN I" eaN
off anv rroposal TO commit that body 10 Suffrage
a considerable amount of anti sen'hti' a.
-eaav EXISTS in the federation but it has lain dor
uant for want Of just such leadership as 'iiS
svowed anti delegation will provide anu '''e
delegation itself will doubtless be enlarged from
time to time by the formation ahd ai"iid'i'n
other study clubs as the Guidon expects 10 nave
rnsnv daughters II IS 4 clever move on the part
f the antis" and its results will be watched Win
interest.
Al the conclusion OF business yesterday after
moon Mrs Johnson gave short address, in which
she pointed out that they had a great deal 10 90
and could not afford to lose any time She argued
that woman suffrage and socialism We're one lhat
they had always been allies and that the bofllo
throwing in Union Square was the natural result o
the movement
III &c = law Of life said Mrs. johnson. that
+bs ultimate character of movement Is enfolded
in its germ II you would know the final outcome
80, -. tag4nnjnes Woman suffrage is the
child Of socialism. Ancient socialism swept away
religion. II broke up the home. IL swept ava!
marriage II provided institutions Tor the Chll-
dren 1t gave votes 70 women, and they served
as soldiers What does II mean that our ears are
now filed with cries Of Socialism is the bloe'
-Socfslisn Is religion Let us have lTlai hia'
riages' The individual home must go ana No'eS
for women II means that socialism is claiming
its ozn. And what is socialism II Is repelioli'
IT'S IDEAL formed back in the ages OF ~hal FINER
son called The whole soul and soldiery Of dissent
has become organized political TebeIhon asalHS'
COD against government, against sex limitation
But surely American suffrage did not present
this ideal? did. and the proof Is taken iIoihi
the founders words Mrs Elizabeth Cady stanton
advocated trial marriages Boomers ana sIoi' l
hair and no hats were the outward syrnbols OF tle
movement in its early days. To-day the plooHleIs
have been hidden by trains and the hair covered
by fashionable hats, but TO those who watch close
Iv the suffrage conventions the spirit OF these
trainings has never been absent The more radical
teachings Of the movement have been kept as
much in abeyance possible, but II mas never
been anything but the same.
Mrs Johnson is not all gloomy about the out
come Of events however. She summed it all up
by saying:
AS political issue woman suffrage is merely
sn academic not a real. question The only foot
hold II has attained in this country has been Sc
cured through Mormonsm and populism, tyranny
Of Church and State the Cne hand and socialism
on the other. The present socialstic attempt to
Introduce it into the state is temporary absurd
lfy"