The Birmingham age-herald., 1908-12-05
,UFERAGIST LEADERS CREATE DISTURBANCE
 AND POLICE QUIET THEM
Cause of the Trouble Is a Letter From President Roosevelt to pr. Abbott, Wkich Is Read In the Meet
 ing--Englishwomen
 Lead Outbreak.

New York. December 4.-New York was a storm ceater today of argument for and against woman suffrage; and In the very vortex of the whirling winds there re- the subject from the President of the Uni ted States
 The storm centered in the meeting of the National League for the Civic Eduea- ton of Woman, in the Berk1ey theatre, where the subject of Universal Suffrage for Women" was considered. The organ ization is opposed to woman suffrage. pr. Lyman Abbott was the principal speaker, and it was he that presented a letter from President Roosevelt. The letter was interpreted in various ways by the aud itors and Dr. Abbott was often inter- rogated and was interrupted by applause and shouts of disapproval. The shouts troublesome that the policemen were asked to seek out the offenders They were threatened with ejectment and fin- ally the disturbance was quieted.
 At the conclusion of the lecture, how ever, the srfrragists withdrew to the side walk where an indignation meeting was held. Mrs. Borman Wells, who said she had just come from England after spend ing three weeks in Holloway jail for try ing to break into the house of commons. was s,'f, 9s,iers of the outside meeting.
 Tonight at Carnegie hall the woman suffragists had their turn in a meeting under the auspices of the Jnterurban Suf- frage council Mrs. Philip Snowden. lead CT of the suffragist movement in England Mrs. Clarence Ma ckay and pr. Charles F. Aked of the Fifth Avenue Baptist church spoke.
 Roosevelt's Letter.
 President Roosevelt's attitude on the subject of woman suffrage was disclosed by the Rev. Dr. Lyman Abbott, in the course of his address on that subject de- livered before the National League for the Civic Education of Women. Dr. Ab- bolt read a letter from the President, which, he said, was not written for pub lication, nor for this occasion, but which N@ %NOe uncommon opinion among men and wom- en both In it's mild approval of woman s suffrage in the opening sentence, and in its strong presentation of the arguments against woman's suffrage which occupy the rest of the letter
 Personally I believe in woman's suf- frage" says MT. Roosevelt at the outset of the letter which is dated November 10, 1908, but I am not an enthusiastic advocate of it because I do not regard it as a very important matter. l am unable to see that there has been any special improvement in the position of women in those states in the west that have adopted woman suffrage as com- pared with those states adjoining them that have not adopted it. I do not think that giving the women suffrage will pro- duce any marked improvement in the con- dition of women I do not believe that it will produce any of the evils feared and I am very certain that when women as a whole take any special interest in the matter they will have the suffrage if they desire 1t. But at the present I think most of them are lukewarm; l find some actively for it. and some active ly against it. I am for the reasons above given rather what you would regard as lukewarm or tepid in my support of
 
 not regard it as of very much importance. I believe that men and women should stand on an equality of right but do not believe that equality of right means identify of function, and I am more and more convinced that the great field, the indispensable field, for the use fitness of women is as the mother of the family. It Is her work In the house. hold, in the home, her work in bear ing and rearing the children, which is more important than any mans work, and it is that work which should be normally the woman's special work, just as normally the mans work should be that of the breadwinner, the supporter of the home, and if necessary the soldier who will fight for the home There are exceptions as regards both man and woman, but the full and perfect life. the life of highest happiness and of high est usefulness to the state, is the life of the man and woman who are husband and wife, who live in the partnership of love and duty. the one earning enough to keep the house. the other managing the home and the children. Sincerely yours, THEODORE ROOSEVELT.'
 pr. Abbott's Views.
 pr. Abbott declared that if he believed that the suffrage was the right of woman or would protect their rights or promote their interests, he should be mot mildly but ardently in favor of it.' The "wom- ans rights" of which he declared him self an advocate, Dr. Abbott described as .her right to an open door on every vo- cation. her right to a fair opportunity for the highest and broadcast education, her right to what she can do and be what she can become her right to determine her own appropriate sphere. not to have if determined for her by a lord and mas ter; her right to be left free to follow the bent of her own divinely endowed nature unchecked by vexatious restrictions, un- coerced by the presence of needless eco homie necessity, undiverted by the ill.,
 
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