The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1913-01-26
ONE THING At A TIME
is MRS. REEDS PLEA
TO THE SUFFRAG|STS
Believes Women MOreLikely
to Get School Suffrage
Than Full Ballot
MRS. SPENCER TAKES
OPPOSITE STAND
Matter Comes Up on Question of In
structions to Delegates TO State
Convention at Selma Next
Wednesday

Wednesday
That ii is best tc strive for one
feature OF woman suffrage at a time
rather than ask of the solons absolute
equal suffrage was the gist of the re-
marks of Mrs. Prentiss Reed in the
discussion yesterday afternoon at the
regular bi-monthly meeting of the
| Birmingham Equal Suffrage associa-
ton in Clark & Jones hall on Third
avenue.
| The remarks of Mrs. Reed were in
support OF a motion that the local as
ISOLATION instruct its delegates to the
state convention at Selma on Wednes-
day to cooperate with the State School
Improvement league in their efforts to
secure school suffrage. The motion was
made by Judge Clement Wood, follow
ing the reading ar a communication
from the president of the State School
| Improvement league enclosing a copy
of the recent school suffrage bill that
passed the Kentucky legislature say
ing that the league would seek to have
an identical bill passed by the Ala
| bama legislature and was earnestly
| seeking the cooperation of all equal
suffrage bodies in the state to that
end, Mrs. Reed said:
] ITO get results. we must do one
thing at time. Great generals in
their battles always strike at the
weakest point and find that the av-
erage man always turns over to his
wife the education of his children. That
is the weakest point for l believe that
the men of Alabama would rather have
their wives in charge of the educa-
ton of their children than in the gov
ernor's office.
"sehool suffrage is something that
il all the women's associations of Ala
bama get together on the legislature
would undoubtedly consider. If passed
ii would mean that all of you wom-
en- would be entitled to vote on all
school affairs and also to hold any
school office. 1t would practically mean
turning over In your hands the edu-
cation of the children of Alabama.
Equal Suffrage Remote
Equal suffrage, some of you will
say, means all this and more, but in
my opinion equal suffrage in Alabama
is very remote There are peculiar ed
ucational conditions prevailing in Ala
bama at the present time. only ono
white man out of nine in this state
can read and write and the present
attitude of the men of Alabama to
women's suffrage is justified by his
ignorance for he realizes that tits a
menace to him. With such a state OF
affairs to expect a full equal suffrage
-
but wis hard AMI conscientious eff
fort a school suffrage bill might be
passed al the next session of the legis-
lature
Woman suffrage is an evolutionary
movement not a revolution. 1t repre-
sents natural growth, and this school
suffrage bill represents one step forward
! All the Alabama legislators and politi-
| clans are not statesmen and they will
look with greater favor on limited
| suffrage measure than upon the whole
| equal suffrage proposition. Let us loon
toward the future and meet the obstacles
as, they come, one at time
Mrs. Reeds remarks were received VITA
a great deal of enthusiasm. Mrs. Scion
Jacobs, the presiding officer, then recog-
nized Mrs. r. L Johnston, who made a
few brief remarks on last November's
| election in Louisville. Ky, in which wom-
en- participated for the first time in the
/ school elections. Mrs. Johnston said thai
the election was a success and showed
that women ere sufficiently Informed in
political matters to handle the ballot
properly.
Mrs Charles b. Spencer was the next
speaker in the discussion of instructins
the delegates to Selma. Mrs. Spencer
presented a strong plea for full equal
: suffrage. She averred she was against
instructing the delegates to the Selma
convention to bind themselves to push
forward halfway measure.
"A half loaf has proven a failure every
where in woman suffrage she said. Let
us rather fight for equal suffrage, for
that includes school suffrage as well. II
} defeated the women OF Alabama will be
J aroused to such an extent by the refusal
J that they will work doubly hard the
next time for victory | want no half
way measures. / am as much interested
in clean streets. wen ventilated factories
better child labor laws as | am on school
questions. Equal woman's suffrage means
all of this. so why not try for the whole
loaf at one time"
To Cooperate for School Suffrage
Mrs Spencer's remarks provoked fur
Their discussion until Judge Wood moved
! the previous question. This was defeated
and the debate WAS prolonged. Miss Ethel
Armes took upsthe cudgels for equal suf-
frage now and forever and spoke strongly
against any compromising measures.
After a few minutes more of spirited de-
bate, in which Miss Amelia Worthing
ton, Mrs Spencer, Mrs Reid, Miss Armes,
Mrs Arid and Mrs. Benners participated,
the question was put and by a vote OF
nearly two To one 1t was decided to in
struct the i delegates of the birmingham
Equal Suffrage association to the state
convention Wednesday to cooperate with
the State school suffrage league in their
efforts TO secure school suffrage in Ala.
bama
The meeting yesterday of the Brming-
| ham Equal Suffrage association convened
at o'clock and was presided over by
President Mrs. Scion Jacobs.
The minutes of the previous meeting