New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1913-09-05
MRS. GAIT IS CORRECTED
Her Suffrage Statements Are Con.
tradicted by Mrs. Blatch.

To the Editor of The Tribune.
Sir: VIII you permit me TO correct tVo
or three inaccuracies IN Mrs. Carrie Chap
man Cats letter 10 The Tribune concern
ing an interview with her on Mrs. Pank-
hurst? Mrs Gait says: There are socie-
ties here whose sympathy with the Brit
! ish milltants has led them 10 adopt their
name. colors and form OF organization.
! They would be the logical hoStesseS OF
Mrs Pankhurst should she come 10 Amer
lea. and no one would suggest that
should act in this capacity since II is well
! known that I am ror-mihtdnt" The
italics are mine, as / wish TO point out the
cleverness of the sentence, the innuendo
by which Mrs. Gait labels others than her
self as militants. But TO label people as
this or that does not make them so. AS
a matter OF fact. not single suffrage So
ciety in America has by word, and mucn
less by deed, made an appeal 10 physical
force.
Further. no society to my knowledge IN
the United States has adopted the name
OF the mlitants, the Womens Social and
Political Union. There are several asso-
Citations called the Women's Poliucal
Union, and the particular society OF which
| am president changed its old title, the
Equality League o: Self-Supporting Woni'
en-, In 1910, TO the Women's Political
Union We made the change because We
wished TO include under one egis all sorts
and conditions OF women. 10 emphasize
the political side of our activities and 10
have name appropriate 10 an organize
Of aft
The idea OF adopting the title OF the Eng
lish miitants was never even suggested
at the meeting at which the change was
made.
No suffrage society in America is organ
lied as is the English militant movement
Its central body is represented in the sep
arate localities by appointed agents. There
are no autonomous bodies in the prov
inces. In the Women's Political Unioh'
on the contrary. the local branches IN the
counties are entirely self-governins'
They draw up their own constitutions ana
bylaws and elect their own officers. In
fact. the branches OF the Womens Pohu'
cal Union enjoy more complete autonomy
than they would have under any otner
suffrage society in American even' lo'
their funds suffer from no assessment U!
the central body.
The only particular in which Mrs Cat''
statement is true is in regard 10 the soop'
ton OF the purple, white and green "
various societies. These are the colors u
the Good Government League OF Mar!
land. the State Suffrage Association U,
Connecticut and the Women's POLITICAL
Union OF New York and New Jersey
presume We all adopted the English CUT
ors for about the same aesthetic ana pss
chological reasons. They lend themselves
20 beautiful and striking effects IN COM
bination They stand for new methooN
such as pageants and parades, outuoo'
meetings--in short. for all those p'c'u'
rescue forms of propaganda the o''s'
and development Of which we owe G."
tirely 10 the militants of England.
In correcting Mrs. Cats assertions u
regard TO the developments In the An'e'
lean suffrage movement in recent years
do not wish TO DE understood as impiy"e
that the inaccuracies are intentonai -
tinged with Interior motive. We All res'
ize that Mrs. Gait has been almost comm"
uously abroad for some three years anS
naturally could not keep In touch WV"
the newer developments in the sun'as'
movement at home The errors OF s'a''
ment are due to mere misinformauoh.
HARRIOT STANTON BLAI|n'
New York. Sept. 3. 1918.