The Elbert County tribune., 1912-10-25
ROOSEVELT BAIT
FOR SUFFRAGIsTS
Third Term Candidate Was Con-
slstentIy Their Enemy Till
He Needed Their Votes.
COULD HAVE CARRIED OHIO
But Big Bull Moose Took to the Yer
mont Woods-Noted Woman Ex-
posss His Change Of Front.
sy IDA Hustled HARPER.

The Progressive party had its first
opportunity to show its loyalty to the
woman suffrage plank In it's platform
| when the vote was taken In Ohio on
new constitution. Forty-two amend
ments were on the ballot, and all we're
adopted except the one for woman
suffragei
Ohio IL one OF the banner" Progress
sive states. and Mr.. Roosevelt expects
to secure its electoral vote. In order
to do this q plurality of the electors
must be Progressives. and they could
therefore have easily carried the suf-
frage amendment II all the others had
voted against 1t, as the vote on the
constitution was very light. only a
few hundred thousand out of more
than = million who we're eligible. Did
he issue any orders to this effect? Did
he say to his followers: Now. 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 II to those in Ohio. SO let every
Progressive vote for the woman suf-
frage amendment" Did he do this?
| On the contrary, he completely ig
nored the matter, although he passed
through Ohio the very day OF the cleo
| ton.
| A few days before, at ST. Johnsbury.
Vt. Mr.. Roosevelt had devoted a large
part Of his speech to showing how
strongly he believed in the ballot for
women and how anxious he was for
them to get It. The question was not
an issue there or likely to be. but 1t
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 pco-
| 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 Its state convention met
| II any women we're elected delegates
| the press dispatches failed to mention
II. and In the platform a woman suf
frage plank was conspicuous by its abb
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. Roosevelts 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 a 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 enamel
pator Of woman as Lincoln was the
emancipator of the slave" He was not
resembling Lincoln SO much in those
days ~ he Is At present, and he re
peais.
eeant 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 hfm
speak favorable word. He came into
the outside lobby OF the executive Of
flcs. required them to state their bust
ness before the crowd waiting to see
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. 1T we will get up
a petition OF million names Will that
influence your mo-" 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
ter, New York, in which he said: 81
am very tepid on woman suffrage"
Tho cause of woman's enfranchise-
mont has no more implacable enemy
than the Outlook. and Mr.. Roosevelt
In on the editorial stan. Last Feb
rusry he had in that magazine a ten
column article entitled Woman
Rights" but the only right consider
was that Of the suffrage. The artic
was such an excellent exposition o.
the attitude of women who do mo-
wish to vote that the Anti-suffrage as
sociation ordered copies for dstribu-
ton. In this article he said again
I'm our western states where the su
frage has been granted to women I a
unable TO see that any great diff
ence has been caused as compare
with neighboring states"
And yet Just four months after this
publication. when Mr.. Roosevelt ha
definitely decided to make the contef
for the presidential nomination, all hi.
scruples about forcing suffrage on
hostile and Indifferent majority van,