The Telegraph-courier. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1888-1946, 1913-05-22
Club Women Of State expect
New Clash Over the Suf-
frage Question Soon.
CLAIM POLICY IS IGNORED
Work of Legislative Committee is I'm
der Fire aud Failure to Properly Sup
port Suffrage Amendment Promises to
Bring Warm Session of Federation.

There are indications that there may
! be presumption of the somewhat tu-
multuous conditions which marked the
| October, 1912, convention of the Wis
consin Federation of Women IS Clubs in
! GAINESVILLE.
1t is claimed by some members of the
| federation that the body has not been
lfairly represented, in accordance with
it's adopted motions, by the legislative
committee appointed by the president.
| 1t will be remembered that a policy
committee with four suffrage mem
bers brought III areport intended to
place the federation on record as OPP
posed to suffrage.
The chairman Of the committee, Mrs.
I'll. NJ Youmans, brought in a minority
report signed by herself alone, and this
was adopted by vote Of 129 to 60,
putting the convention on record as
fayoring equal suffrage
At that time, the president-elect, Mrs.
J. A. Strathearn, votN against the
measure, although she made the follow
ing statement in an interview:
"I believe that the privilege of the
ballot should most certainly be extend
ed to women so that those who desire
to use it, may. In spite of this con-
viction / have a strong feeling that the
subject should not have been introduced
/ into this convention any more than into
other societies having a similar conVen-
tion.o
1t is now charged by members of the
suffrage associations, who are also
members of federated clubs, that the
policy of favoring suffrage has been
ignored.
The president of the Wisconsin Wo-
man s Suffrage association, Mrs. You
mans. is the yex-chairman of last year IS
policy committee who. introduced the
minority report. She is also an ex-
president of the Wisconsin Federation
and has served that organization as
vice-president and secretary and in va
rious committee capacities.
Mrs, Youmans admitted yesterday
that there was dissatisfaction and gave
this explanation:
| SAT the last convention of the state
| federation" she said, a motion en-
| dorsing the principle of equal suffrage
was passed by vote of more than two
to one. Motions endorsing the princi-
pies of mothers pension bill, bill
for a. state reformatory for women and
similar motions were passed.
HWhen the legislative committee
made its recommendations to the legis-
! lature it included all of the bills, be-
lieve, that were favored by the fedora
ton except the woman suffrage measure
which it omitted. M
In my opinion the committee had no
right to omit the woman suffrage meas,
ure in its recommendations. The COM
mittee had no call to exercise it's choice
as to the measures favored The COM
mittee was appointed for the express
purpose of carrying out the wishes of
! the convention, not to favor such meas
ures as its individual members might
prefer.
II regret that the committee failed
in what seems to me its plain duty,
not because its influence was particu-
larly needed as it turned out, but for
the sake of the club women of the state
who were not fairly represented.
AS the two houses OF the legislature
have voted to submit again to the vot-
ers of the state the question of woman
suffrage, it is not quite clear what more
could have been accomplished.