The Leon reporter. (Leon, Iowa) 1887-1930, 1912-10-24
Third Term Candidate Was Con-
sistent|y Their Enemy Till
He Needed Their Votes.
COULD HAVE CARRIED OHIO
But Big Bull Moose Took to the Yer
mont Woods-Noted Woman Ex-
poses His Change of Front.
By IDA Hustled HARPER.

opportunity 10 SNOW us 10y dILy " lAo
woman suffrage plank in its platform
when the vote was taken in Ohio on
new constitution. Forty-tWO amend
ments were on the ballot, and all were
adopted except the one for woman
suffrage!
Ohio is one of the banner" Progress
sive states, and Mr. Roosevelt expects
to secure its electoral vote. In order
to do this plurality Of the electors
must be Progressives, and they could
therefore have easily carried the SUI
frage amendment II all the others had
voted against It, as the vote on the
constitution was very light, only a
few hundred thousand out Of more
than a million who were eligible. Did
he issue any orders to this effect? Did
he say to his followers: Nov, here is
our first chance to show the women
that we mean business. OF course II
We win in November we will give the
franchise to all in the United States,
but Just now we can make good by
giving it to those in Ohio, so let every
Progressive vote for the woman sui.
hage amendment" Did he do this?
On the contrary, he completely ig-
nored the matter, although he passed
through Ohio the very day Of the elec-
ton.
A few days before, at St. Johnsbury,
VT, Mr. Roosevelt had devoted large
part OF his speech to showing how
al MN DIV, ho hoNovod IN tho hollOf FIR
women and how anxious he was for
them to get it. The question was not
an issue there or likely to be, but It
was a vital issue In Ohio, to be settled
in four days, and yet not by spoken or
written word did he show to the peo-
pie Of Ohio that he knew of its ex-
istence.
Two days after the Progressive par
ty In Ohio permitted the defeat OF this
amendment it's state convention met.
If any women were elected delegates
the press dispatches failed to mention
it, and in the platform a woman suf-
frage plank was conspicuous by it's ab-
sence. THE Progressive party pledges
itself to the task of securing equal suf-
frage to men and women alike" says
its national platform, and Ohio has
just given the first example Of the
way it apparently means to keep that
pledge.
In Mr.. Roosevelt's second term the
suffragists determined to make every
possible effort to secure an indorse-
ment from him. AS Miss Susan B.
Anthony's most eloquent letters to
him received no answer. she went in
person to see him in November, 1905,
Just four months before her death.
With all her powers Of persuasion she
pleaded with him to recommend in his
forthcoming message some recognition
Of woman's claim to q voice In the
government. Laying her hand on his
arm, she looked up into his face and
said. II beg of you to be the emanc1-
pator of woman as Lincoln was the
emancipator of the slave He was not
resembling Lincoln so much TN those
days as he Is at present, and he re-
manned totally unmoved by her ap-
peals.
scant Courtesy at White House.
Shortly before he left the White
House several officers Of the National
Suffrage association, realizing his
great influence on public opinion,
made one last effort to have him
speak favorable word. He came into
the outside lobby Of the executive Of
fee, required them to state their bust
ness before the crowd waiting to SEQ
him and would hardly give them a
chance to speak, but kept saying, Go
and get another state He shrugged
his shoulders and turned on his heel,
and then they said. IF we will get up
a petition of a million names will that
influence your" NO." he replied, mot
one particle
That was in 1909. The next year a
letter from him was read at an anti
suffrage meeting in the Berkeley thea
tor, New York, In which he said: Il
am very tepid on woman suffrage"
The cause of woman's enfranchise-
ment has no more implacable enemy
L0Au the OutICOk, anu WI. lOOscNSAL
is on the editorial staff. Last Feb
ruary he had In that magazine ten
column article entitled "Woman's
Rights" but the only right considered
was that of the suffrage. The article.
was suche an excellent exposition Of
tho attitude of women who do not
wish to vote that the Anti-sunrage a.,
sociation ordered copies for distribu-
ton. In this article he said again,
TN our western states where the suf-
frage has been granted to women am
unable to see that any great differ
ence has been caused as compared |
with neighboring states"
And yet just four months after this
publication, when Mr.. Roosevelt had
deNitely decided to make the contest
for the presidential nomination, all his |
scruples about forcing suffrage on q
hostile and Indifferent majority van
ished in thin air because a million and |
a half already had votes and the colo
mel wanted them, and he knew they