The Fargo forum and daily republican. [volume] (Fargo, N.D.) 1894-1957, 1912-12-04
SUFFRAGE NOTES

The forty-fourth annual convention
of the National American Woman
Suffrage association which ended its
sessions in Philadelphia city a few
days ago, was h greatest convention
ever held by the association. Greatest
in many respects. The convention met
under the inspiration of four new
states added to the column of those
won for woman suffrage, n the hrst
blue flags of the association appeared
with ten stars in the feId-that now
being the number of states, If Mtcht-
gan remains in the list, in which wom-
en- vote at national and state cleo
tions The woman suffrage states now
are Utah, Wyoming, Colorado, Wash
ington, Idaho, California. Michigan.
Kansas, Arizona and Oregon. Most
encouraging reports were made to the
convention by delegates from New
York. Pennsylvania, Delaware, New
Jersey, Nevada and other states, and
the leaders confidently expect each an
nuaI convention following COMPRESSION
al and national elections to receive re-
ports of new woman suffrage states
added until the movement has spread
and taken over all states in the union.
1t Is planned when two-thirds OF the
states have voted woman suffrage to
ask for a constitutional amendment to
hasten the completion Of the work OF
the association by extending the fran
chise to women in all the remaining
states at one time. .
never mas u HdAAO1iNA ia CA1NAOAA Va
the association met with as many mo-
mentous questions demanding solution.
A great volume of protest had been
raised within the national organization
by Miss Jane Adams of Chicago. ally
ing herself with. the fortunes of a
political party. 1t was charged that
unless Miss d a was censured n
a constitutional amendment adopted
prohibiting officers and members of the
association from participating in par
tisan politics the organization would
go to rack and ruin. When the vote
was taken 1t disclosed that there had
been a tempest about nothing in the
Judgment OF the delegates, because,
while the debate was prolonged n
the argument heated, the convention
divided $50 to 3S in support of Miss
Adams. 1t may now be expected that
there will be much more general par
ticipation in partisan politics by on
GERS and members of the association.
Having decided this question the
next most pressing issue before the
convention was the method of voting.
Representation in the national con
yention is based upon membership and
dues paid. The result is that In GER
tain states by liberal contributions to
the national treasury in the form of
dues large delegations are authorized.
and the full strength of these delega-
tlons is voted without regard to the att
tendance of delegates. For twenty odd
years there has been opposition in the
annual conventions to voting OF absen-
tees and much criticism because of the
advantage given rich eastern organlza-
tions to swell their voting strength by
liberal contributions to the treasury,
but it was not until the Illinois dele
cation under Mrs. George w. Trout.
the Iowa delegation under Rev. Maria
A. Stafford of Des Moines, and some or
the other central west delegations took
up the fight at this convention that
any material Roadway was made. Mrs.
Carrie Chapman Gait, the international
president, and Miss Jane Adams step
ped into the breach at the psychology
ical moment and caused a rally to the
staDdard of ''one vote for n woman"
oy~er-throwing the ~entrenched oppose
ton which under the leadership OF
Miss M. Carey Thomas of Bryn Mawr
college had imagined itself In an inn
~pregnable position.
Perhaps the most spectacular feature
of the convention was the withdrawal
of Mrs. o. III. p. Belmont, who in high
dlIdpeon because officers are to be per-
miffed to exercise their judgrnen as to
participation in political campaigns,
withdrew from the convention. 1t is
stated by her friends that she viii not
again make any contributions to the
support of the association. Since last
Anril Miss Shaw, as president, n the
c-orresponding secretary n the treas.
t1rer have not drawn salaries because
the fund raised by Mrs. Belmont n
Miss Thomas for the purpose had been
exhausted. 1T remains now to be de-
yeloped whether some liberally+fnclin-
ed persons will come forward, Miss