Little Falls herald. [volume] (Little Falls, Morrison County, Minn.) 1889-1950, 1910-04-22
President TAFT Addresses SUIT
trage Convention
pIsAPPRovE OF HIS ADDRESS,
Delegates Hiss Chief Executive S:
Welcoming Remarks.

Washington, April 15.-President~~
Taft was Kissed at the convention OF
the National Woman Suffrage assocfa-
ton here. The disapproval came dur
ing his speech of welcome. and was
most pronounced. He had to wait sew
eral seconds until order was restored.
The criticism was due to q misun.-
derstanding Of the presidents words.
Where it occurred the president did
not express an opinion to which even.
the most advanced suffragette could
not subscribe. The speech was e.
tremely conservative.
The president frankly stated in his;
opening remarks that he has hesitated
over the invitation to address the con-
vention and had yielded to the solicit
tation Of those enthusiastically inter-
ested in the welfare of the movement.
The large banquet room in the Ar
l1ngton hotel, where the session Of
the convention was being held, was
crowded to the doors. The audience
was composed almost exclusively of
women. For some reason the presi-
dent was not enthusiastically received
It may have been because OF a rumor
that he would not unreservedly in
dorse woman suffrage. The president
was at once introduced and spoke for
about ten minutes. He told how as a
boy of sixteen upon graduation he had
chosen for his subject woman suffrage,
and said that at that time he was as
strong as any woman for woman sui
frage.
In the course of his political expert
ence he said he had modified his
views somewhat. The president de-
clared that every set of individuals in
community who are intelligent
enough to know their own interests
are better qualified to determine how
those interests should be cared for
and preserved than any other class,
however altruistic.
Describes His Conditions.
He described the two conditions he
would impose in granting suffrage.
One is that the class should be INTEL
ligent enough TO know it's own inter-
ests. Said the president:
"The theory that Hottentots or any
uneducated, altogether unintelligent
class is prepared for self-government
at once, or should Immediately take
part in self-government, is theory
wholly dissent from. But that is not
applicable to the present situation.
The other qualification is that the
class should care enough for its OVID
interests to take part in the exercise
of political power if it is conferred
upon it. If it does not then it seems
to me that there is danger that the
power conferred may be exercised by
that part of the class least desirable"
It was at this point that the presi-
dent was Kissed. The interruption did
not disconcert him.
The president proceeded to welcome
the convention to Washington. f.
congratulated he delegates upon their
earnestness and highmindedness and
asked indulgence if he disagreed not
in principle but in the application Of
1t to the present situation"
When the president had concluded
he shook hands with Rev. DR.. Anna
Howard Shaw, president of the asso-
citation, and other leaders. He then
left, accompanied by his military aide,
Captain Archibald Butt. The dele
gates rose as the president was es-
corted from the hall. At the conclu-
sion of the session many of the dele
gates expressed themselves as humil-
lated over the kissing incident.