New-York tribune., 1912-08-30
POLITICAL HAREM? NO. SIR!
Progressive Women Resent Mrs.
Atherton's s Sobriquet.

IT f. impossible 10 conceive thnt any
intelligent person could be otherwise
than reprlI-d by Mrs. Atherton's article.
said Miss Alice Carpenter state organ
tier of women FOR tho Progressive party.
yesterday. referring 10 n recently pub
nehed product of tho Western novelist ?
pen IN which she stated that the majority
OF women who were working for RooSe-
Welt were doing go because they we're
seutlmentally IN love with him. as they
might be- with matinee idol and re-
ferring 10 the women In the third party
az his "harem."
The articl" f. very vulgar. with its
cheap sentimental appeal said Miss
CARPENTER and Mrs. Athertou las out
done herself IN sensational fiction
In an editorial In tho newspaper that
printed her article q was said that
Colonel Roosevelt invited ridlcule. |
should not cali the article rldicule. but
yltupcration II ls evidently the state
ment OF woman cornercd by the proba-
bllity Of defeat. We must not forget that
Mrs. Athcrton writes from California.
whore Mr.. Roosevelt won IN the prima-
ries by majority OF ,70oo.
In one paragraph she says. r. r. IS
essentially the idol Of tho bourgeois. and
goes on to state that the middle classes
are duh. I wonder whom OF the middle
classes Mrs. Atherton IS privileged 20
know that she should call them DUH and
infer that they have TO have their think
ing done for them. Economists tel! us
that the middle class is the backbone OF
the nation and that their intelligence
rarely fails. II IL high compliment for
Colonel Roosevelt 20 be called their idol
(And may 7 suggest 10 Mrs. Atherton
that II would be more dignlhed to refer
10 our ex-Prcsident by name rather than
by initiaIsD
"In another place she pictures Colonel
Roosevelt as making WY face, swal-
lowing the bitter pill and muttering: The
women | must have the women. They
can vote in six states. they love real
man. and so many Of them are fools.
owing TO the subtle manipulation Of tho
male ever since public opinion forbade
thc beating OF the female, they love 10
be bamboczlcd' So be arose and thun-
dcrod: Votes for women"
Aside from the cheapncss OF this
tiradc. Mrs. Atherton Is displaying igno-
rance in assuming that Mr.. Roosevelt
sought the aid of women I'm his campaign
The women went TO him with the PROPOSE
ton Of equal franchise Cor both men and
women. iust as the women went to tho
Rcpublican and Democratic conventions
and asked for suffrage planks. He had
the intelligence to see that he could be
Of service TO the votes Tor women ad-
vocatcs. aud that they could be Of service
to him.
81 consider IL no discrcdt To Mr.. Roose-
welt for accepting the proposition, or 10
the women who have rallied to the sup
port OF the Progressive party that we
should recognize the mutual benefit and
sipport we ARE to each other.
I'VE could not expect the Progressive
Marty 10 indorse movement which had
not ufe enough in IL for hope OF fairly
Immediate success. and IL is TO this party
we are going to owe our iinal triumph.
Mrs. Atherton's article Is not only an
attack upon Colonel Roosevelt, but It Is
also nm attack upon Miss Jane Addams,
b,u y. are quite content TO have Mrs.
Athcrton oppose Us and Miss Addams
represent US"