The National tribune., 1910-04-21
sSUFFRAGETS HISSsPRESIDENT
TAFT,
\ HcplorabIe Incident in the National
Meeting OF the Society--Apologies
VIII Not Help Cause.

OF all the disgraoeful things thai
ever happened in public meeting ir
Washington probably the most humili.
ating and disgraceful. so far as wo.
mems organizations are concerned. was
the kissing of the President of the
United States last Tuesday night, wher
Mr.. Taft. at the earnest SOLICITATION oi
its officers. was delivering the address
of welcome to the National organization
'uf Women Su1fragets.
In opening his speech to the Suf-
fragets President Taft said:
y am not entirely certain that
ought 10 have come here tonight, but
your committee which invited me as
sured me that | should be welcome
even if [ didn't support all the views
which are to be advanced in this con-
yention. But ! consider that this move
ment represents a sufficient part of the
intelligence of the community to JUS
tify my coming here and welcoming
You to Washington"
The audience. largely of women. 10
whom he said this, had just previously
loudly appIauded and cheered his prog
ress down the crowded aisles of the
Arlington Hotel banquet hall, and
evinced every expression of pleasure at
his arrival. When the President was
about halfway thru his speech he told
the Suffragets that his youthful SYM
pathy had gone out to the Womans
Suffrage cause. and that he had de-
Tended it in his high school graduation
Grafton. The President then went on to
state that while strong Suffraget sup
porter at that time, that later actual
political experiences which he had had
had somewhat modified his view on the
subject A little later in his speech,
and when about half thru, came the
remarks which brought storm OF
Kisses. The President said:
Now, if il does not care enough for
this, then it seems to me that the dan
ger is, if the power is conferred, that
it may be exercised by that part of the
class least desirable as political con-
stituents. and be neglected by many of
those who are intelligent and patriotic
and would be most desirable as men,
bers of the electorate"
The sound of Kisses was so unex-
pected that one could almost see the
President start in establishment. His
face Redeemed. but not for an instant
did he lose his poise, but with judicial
deliberation and quiet he administered
a singing rebuke to those who gave
the misses. In resuming after the
pause for the kissing the President
said:
Now, my dear ladies. you must show
equal to self-government by
exercising, in listening to opposing ar
that degree of restraint with
out which successful self government
is impossible"
After that whitening blast there were
no more misses The women who hissed
insulted the head of the Nation, and
evidently recognized the fact that they
belonged to the undesirable class to
which the President alluded, and that
quiet was the tack for them to follow.
The President was enthusiastically ap-
plauded at the conclusion of his speech,
and a number of the leaders endeav-
ored to express to him their sincere
regret over the unpIeasing incident.
President Taft assured them that he
had not had his feelings injured in the
least, but he fingered not moment
after delivering his speech. but, ac-
by his Military Aid, imme-
iiately left the banquet hall. despite
the earnest solicitations of many of
the members that he remain
1t is not conceivable that the organ
zation, led for nearly 45 years by the
incomparable Susan b, Anthony, should
have fallen so low as to insult the head
If q great Nation, who had been i'm
portuned by the leading officers of that
organization to give to them an address
IF welcome on their arrival in the Ma
tional Capital. In fact 1t is known
that the simple-minded woman who
started the kissing is an ardent anti
Sutfraget, but Suffragets helped out the
Kissing.
The Suffragets forget that their case
really rests in the hands of the Presi-
dent of the United States, ana II they
had the sense they were born with they
would know that the name of the
President of the United States attached
TO veto and tackled onto any such bill
that might possibly pass both Houses
Of Congress would for another decade
1ispeI all probability of their winning
that which they are seeking
Those well-directed Kisses and cat
calls showed to President Taft conclu-
sively that his fears in regard to tie
right of women to vote were only too
well grounded. Those Kisses showed
him that impulse, and not judgment,
stirred the hearts of his hearers, and
that If women seeking legislation for a
great cause were so regardless as to
act upon childish impulses, they could
not be trusted with power and graver
which often require
prompt action and sound judgment.
Common decency should have held
shut the mouths of those who had in
vited the President of the United States
to be their guest. Just plain, ordi-
nary. common decency would have de-
manded this. The ordinary coinage of
polite society, furthermore, called for
a polite reception Of a distinguished
guest, no matter what his political bias
might have been. The SuffrGgets of
olden times, led by Susan B. Anthony,
Elizabeth Cady Stanton, Lucy Stone
Blackwell, Rev. Anna Howard Shaw,
Carrie Chapman Gait and Harriet Tay-
lor Upton, have indeed fallen upon evil
ways IL this sort of thing.is approved by
them. But such a thing is unthink
able. Not one of them approves for
second this sort of performance, and
we can almost see the soul of Susan 3.
Anthony rising to smite with singing
rebuke the purblind women who did
the Kissing. It's time, you know, for
the American woman to stop and con-
Slder whether she Is going to adopt,
along with her continental Sunday and
morals, the White Chapel
manners of the militant Suffragets of
England.
The incident at the Arlington Hotel,
where the President of the United
cause of suffrage in the United States
at least decade. Legislators who read
II. fearing that the gentle, womanly
vote Will be added to the yirresponsi-
bic male vote to create mobs and riots,
as evinced by the incident at the Ar
Iington, will hesitate many long day
before they give their vote to bestow
upon women full elective franchise,
ana the regret must be everlasting that
small l-brained. narrow-souled, unin-
FORMED women are the cause Of 1t all.
And apologize as they nnays the great
leaders of this great cause for the
emancipation of women can never by