The San Juan islander. [volume] (Friday Harbor, Wash.) 1898-1914, 1910-04-22
PRESIDENT KISSED
BY SUFFRACISTS
ATTITUDE AS ANNOUNCED IN
SPEECH AT CONVENTION
DlsAPPRovED.
Clever Rebuke Turns Tables and Close
of Speech Brings Forth Applause
Leaders Of Movement Later Apollo
qize-Reasons for Presidents Disap-
prevail of Movement.

dent of the United States, the first
chief executive of the nation ever to
greet a convention of woman suffra-
glsts, had the courage to confess his
opinion, and was Kissed. So great was
the throng that sought admission to
the hall that hundreds were turned
away.
President Taft was welcoming to
Washington the delegates to the con-
vention of the National Woman Suf-
|frage Association. He told them frank
ly he was not altogether in sympathy
with the suffrage movement and was
explaining why he could not subscribe
fully to it's principles.
Sees Danger in Suffrage.
He said he thought one of the dan
gers in granting suffrage to women
was that women, as whole, were not
interested in it, and the ballot, as far
as women are concerned, would be
controlled by the LESS desirable
Glass;
When these words fell from the
presidents lips the walls of the hall
echoed a chorus of feminine Kisses. It
was no feeble demonstration of pro-
test. The combined hiss sounded as if
a valve on a steam engine had broken.
Presidents Clever Retort.
President Taft stood unmoved in the
demonstration of hostility-for the
Kisses continued for but moment
and then, smiling as he spoke, he an
swered the unfavorable greeting with
| this retort:
"Now, my dear ladies, you must
show yourselves capable of suffrage
by exercising that degree of restraint
which is necessary in the conduct of
governmental affairs by not Kissing"
Women Apologize Later.
The women who had Kissed were
rebuked. The presidents reply ap-
parently had taken hold. There were
no more Kisses while the president con-
tinued his address, which he charac-
terized as my confession" on the
woman suffrage question.
At the conclusion of his talk he was
applauded and some of the leaders of
the convention expressed to him their
sincere regret over the unpleasant in
cident.
President Taft assured them his
feelings were not injured in the least.
The Presidents Speech.
| President Taft was presented to the
convention by Rachel Foster Avery,
the vice-president of the association,
and with little preliminary began his
speech.
Il am not entirely certain" said the
president, that l ought to have come
here tonight, but your committee as
sured me should be welcome even if
l did not support all the views which
are to be advanced in this convention.
l consider this movement represents a
sufficient part of the intelligence of
the community to justify my coming
and welcoming you to Washington.
1.-The difficulty l expect to encounter
| is this, at least the difficulty which
occurs to me as Judge of my own feel
| ings when my interest in a campaign
| is aroused, to-wit:
when l was Is years old and was
graduated from the Woodward high
school in Cincinnati, took for my
graduation subject Woman Suffrage.
and that time was as strong an advO-
cate of woman suffrage as any dele
gate in this convention. I had reac
much on woman suffrage and my
father was suffragist."
Women Give Cheers.
The women cheered at this point in
his address. The hall was mass of
waving handkerchiefs, but the waving
ceased when the president said, with
emphasis:
$50 at that time I was orthodox.
But in the actual experience l have
had I have modified my views on this
subject somewhat. In the first place,
the proper republican form of govern
ment we approve and support because,
on the whole, every intelligent class
that is, every set of individuals SINH
larly situated in community, intelli-
gent enough to know what their in
terests are-is better qualified to de-
termine how their interests shall be
cared for and preserved, than any
other class, however altruistic.
A Qualification Necessary.
There is another qualification,
which is, that the class which has
suffrage should care enough for their
interests to take part in the exercise
of political power if conferred upon
them. If they do not, then is seems to
me that the danger is, if the power of
suffrage is granted, it will be exer-
cised by that part of the class which
is less desirable"
Ladies Blush at Kisses.
i That was the signal for the up
heaval. The leaders of the conven-
Itlon, who sat on the platform surround
ing the president, blushed as the
Kisses burst from their comrades
lips. Those in the audience who did
not hiss frantically endeayored to re-