Honolulu star-bulletin. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1912-2010, 1912-07-22
WOMEN'S CLUBS
STEAM ROLLER
How 1t Was Used on Resolu-
ton at San Francisco
Convention

That the convention of the General
Federation of Women's Clubs was sad-
journed without any action being&tak-
en- on the question of suffrage was un-
doubtedly disappointment to a good
many persons, WAC would have been
glad of an expression of opinion from
so representative body of intelligent
American womanhood.
II is well known that some of the
most pronounced opponents of wom-
an suffrage are from the ranks of wo-
men themselves, and it has frequently
been asserted that If the question were
left to the women to settle a majority
of them would vote against the propo-
sition Whether this is so or not is,
of course, matter merely for spe GU
lation, for where the franchise has
been conferred upon the women it
has been done by the votes OF the
men
So far as the advocates of suffrage
among the delegates to the recent con-
vention were concerned, the gathering
here assembled under circumstances
most auspicious to them. In the first
place, the convention met in State
which but recently granted women the
right to vote and sent two women del
egates to national political conven-
ton and is on fire with reform
schemes which the clubwomen have
been zealously promoting for years.
In the second place is the fact, which
must have been well in mind, that this
fall 100000 women will have the
right to go to the polls and cast their
ballots side by side with the men.
With these influences il their favor
the suffragists, nevertheless, failed in
their endeavor to get before the con-
vention a resolution favoring the ex-
tension OF the franchise to women. No
political steam roller ever worked
with greater effectiveness than did
that guided by Mrs. Moore, the presi-
dent of the federation, and helped
along by the majority of the dele
gates. The resolution was declared
not to be "germane' to the work Of
the organization.
Looked at from a purely impartial
point of view, it is difficult to under
stand how the suffrage is not GER
name to the discussions of clubWOm-
en-. Certainly few other public topics
are more talked about by women. at
their formal gatherings than is this of
the franchise. 1t would seem, there
fore, that the reason for avoiding a
vote on the question was desire to
avoid precipitating a debate that
would have revealed the women as be-
ing very much divided among them
selves.
In announcing her ruling that the
suffrage resolution was out of order,
Mrs. Moore made it plain that. her
own sympathies were on the side of
votes for women. She contended,
however, that the proper work of the
federation is educational and that the
members should help to educate the
mass of the women for citizenship,
rather than pass resolution demand
ing it.
Whatever may be thought of the ac-
ton of the convention in "side-step-
ping" this interesting issue, it is reas-
surfing to have another proof of the
fact that in America the foremost
among those who favor the extension
of the franchise are not minded to
stoop to conquer, as so many of their
sisters do in England, 'and that, while
they may be eager for the consumma-
ton of their desires, they do not in
tend to bring the desired result about
by shrieking in the streets and scuf,
fling with policemen and destroying
the property of others.-Exchange