New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1912-09-02
|MR. ROOSEVELT AND
THE SUFFRAGE CAUSE
An Analysis Of His Public Utterances on
the Burning Question Of "Votes
for Women."
BY Ida Hustled Harper.

BY Ida Hustled Harper.
Colonel Roosevelts speech at st. Johns
bury, VT, has settled one question that
threatened to become az historic as who
killed Cock Robin? "-namely. Who con-
verted Mr.. Roosevelt to woman suffrage?
When he was returning from Africa IN
1910 and went to Norway to speak in the
university at Christiania the enfranchised
women OF that country presented to him
an address of welcome. He acknowledged
1t in letter, which began;
Mrs. Roosevelt and have always believed
In tho suffrage for women
This clearly indicated that no CONVEX
sion ever had been neccssary-he had
! been born with this belief-but the follow
ing year in Carnegie Hall. New York, he
| Was quoted in the press saying 10 the
| suffragists when he was rushing for the
door TO escape from answering their ques-
tons:
Convcr, my wife and daughters; l am the
| only OF my family who believes IN
| woman suffrage!
Notwithstanding all these assertions, II
seems that II was necessary for the work
Of conversion to go steadily on He was
utterly impervious to the plcadings OF
| susan 4. Anthony that he would not END
his nearly eight years Presidency with
out saving one word in favor Of granting
political rights to women Just before he
| left the White House he was so insulting
10 officers OF the National Woman Suf-
! fraCe Association. who called 10 beg Tor
some recognition of their cause. that they
I left in a state OF hot indignation He did
! not then expect TO be a candidate again
and the women OF Washington and Cali
fornis had not been cnfranchiscd \ year
after his Presidency ended a letter from
| him was read on the stage OF the Berke-
ley Lyceum. In New York. at the opening
| Of the anti-suffragc campaign in which
! he said 81 am unable TO see that there
has been any special improvement in the
position OF women In those states which
| have adopted woman suffrage a. compared
with those states adjoining them which
have not adopted H." In his speech at
St Johnsbury he said My study or
what had been done in the states where
| equal suffrage exists gradually turned me
into believer that women should have
the right 10 vote that men have"
Miss KslIor Found q Reason.
Miss Frances Kellor, chief investigator
in the Bureau Of Industries and Immisra-
ZION. who was a delegate 10 the Progress
/ sve convention. has another reason for
/ the Conversion and SAYS IN published
interview: Mr. Roosevelt has been won
Z 10 woman suffrage through his deeper IN
1 terest in the perils OF the worlnGwomen
and the dangers 70 children which some
OF us have constantly brought TO his at
tention during these last two years. bul
! in that broadsde entitled woman
Rights" in THE outlook last FebIu-
| ary only six months before the Progress
sive convention. Mr.. Roosevelt said: -
think that very much less effect woulo
| be produced. one way or the other. oy
women's voting than the enthusiasts be-
licve. IL ~ so much less HiPo'
tant than many other reforms that nave
never been able to take a very heated IN
tercst IN it,
| In the ST. Johnsbury speech MI koose-
welt said: 81 grew 10 believe In woman
| suffrage because OF hnnl"G out
| that the women from whom ] FeeeiNep
most aid IN endeavoring TO srappIe WIN
the social and industrial problems OF tie
! day were themselves believers IN ~ III
( "The Outlook" article OF only Few inohths
before he said: Most OF the women
} whom know best are against woman
suffrage precisely because they sppro"c"
ne from the standpoint OF duty
and for the very reason that the take
their duties seriously and would accept
suffrage seriously az duty, they DO not
think that such heavy additional Duroe"
should be put upon their shoulders.
! Mics Blackwell. editor OF THE Woman b
,ourns," solves the perplcXin6 question
bv saving: 1T was probably Jane 40
dam, moro than any one else who finally
succeodod in winning MIR. Roosevelt 10
support woman suffrage uneaulvocsiiy'
ThIs FINALLY succccded' prcsupposcs
lopr preliminary struggle, but how co1lu
,hi. he In the face of his assurance TO inc
| Norwegian women that he had "alNa! s
believed" in II?
! Miss Alice Carpenter chairman OF wv
| Wonen's ORGANIZATION Committee OF the
Progressive party. has still another rea-
SON for the coloners espousal OF the cause
She SAYS: "He did not seek the aid OF
the women IN his campaign, but thcE
went 10 him. just as they had gone to the
conventions OF the other parties ana
asked for an equal suffrage plank. He
had the intelligence 20 see that he coulI
ne of service TO the votes for women ad-
vocates and they could be OF service TO
him" This looks reasonable. especially
the last line. and might be accepted but
there Is an obstacle In the way, and that
! is Judge Ben Lindsey, OF Colorado. On
June r. lust before tho Republican Ma
! ,ional Convention when Mr.. EooscVclt
was preparing to contest for the uoinna-
ton. Judge Lindsey went 10 Sagamorc
J,u for n conference, and. At it's close the
reportors were summoned and hc made
the announcement that Mr. Roosevelt
would nut a woman suffrage plank In his
| platform. and the latter confirmed II. NO
| women had appealed 10 him NJ that umc'
as there was no reason why they should
do so. a few days later at public
meeting I'm Chicago, Judge Lindsey thus
described the occasion, according TO the
press dispatches: THE minute | men
toned woman suffrage 10 him his teeth
came together with a click and he said
| Il am for woman suffrage without any
qualification whatsoever. This state
ment was received with great rejoicing
by many suffragists. because In his OUT
| .r,tcIa bo nod said over and over