New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1913-02-17
TREACHERY AGAINST COURAGE
Mrs. Blatch Says Straw Vote of Anti
Suffragists Will Prove Nothing.

Mrs. Blatch Says Straw Vote of Anti
Suffragists Will Prove Nothing.
TO the Editor of The Tribune.
Sir: The ant.-suffragists, Ne UNDER
stand, are taking straw vote by scat
te,ing broadcast in New York repi"
postal card asking how many women III
each household are favorable. opposed or
indifferent To suffrage II a return. full
and narfect. could be obtained, We should
then knew what proportion OF women
grasps the meaning Of the next develop
Inent In tine evolution Of modern deiiloc-
racy. We should be enabled also 10 fiiahe
a rough comparison between the NUMBER
of women who stand for their own ciilah-
CREATION and the number Of men VINO nave
stood FOR their own liberty in the struS-
glcs of the past There has always been
4 large body of doubters. Of the indiner-
ent Of the actively opposed III every hsht
for human progress
Every camp has had its traitors. Every
army battling for its rights has had its
desertcrs American Independence was
ieopardized again and again by the Tories
I'm our midst IN the SOS the North was
weakened b. it's Copperheads. Ia every
struggle for liberty the few not only nave
to conquer the real foe, but nave 20 carr!
on their shoulders the sodden mass OF III
difference in their own ranks, ana surfer
the stings OF the vipers who viii pro'lt III
the end Dy the hard won victory. the
cause of the emancipation Of woman is
not peculiar In having It's Tories and i's
Copperhcads.
But IN what proportion have W.. in our
class. Tories and Copperheads? Are they
in proportion 10 the interested and active
greater than In mems political battles Of
the past? Do the women who are indif-
ferent or opposed 10 suffrage outnumoer
the negroes who were Indifferent anu
opposed to their enfranchlscment In the
reconstruction period? DO the indinefeh.
women surpass the number of EnBiish
farm laborers who were opposed TO the
cufrsnchisement of thel class IN lss3
What was the proportion Of men active
and aggressive in the movement for the
eufranchisement Of the Industrial class in
England I'm 1867. of the commoners In 1882,
Of those without landed property In the
Empire state I'm 1875? No exact data are
obtalnable. But W. do know that never
in history has any class risen as one man
10 gain FOR itself political liberty.
If We could know the proportion Of the
farsoeinS and courageous 10 the short
sighted and cowardly IN every hght hui
manitv has made for democracy, the
l..,. IL loo
show as many courageous. clearsighted
souls. az few coVardly and traitorous. az
any struggle for liberty In history. But
no data exist hy which 70 make the
comparison. Men never stopped To count
the traitors in their ranks We shall not
pause 10 keep tally Of ours
Il satisfies Ms 20 know that the brave
win the battle. and the traitors never
have faith enough in their sniyelling con-
servatism to attempt To- undo the victory.
cur trnitors. our Copperheads. believe so
little IN their contention that votes for
women will be the undong OF home and
state that wherc our victory has been
won IN Wyoming Colorado. Ctah. Idaho.
Arizona. Oregon. Kansas Washington.
ami California they raise not a hand 70
reverse the verdict. The inactivity OF the
ant-su1ragist in the suffrage states i q
measure of her hypocrisy.
Instead Of unseating evil In min. com
monw. alths. the anti-suffragist proposes
straw vote in one state. But. alas. al,
straw votes are az the word implies
worthless" things. The women IN ohio
were hear.cncd up by the verdict of
straw votes taken on trolley cars. railway
trains and everywhere They won the vote
in these prediction contests two 20 one.
But on Election Day. september J. 1872,
the women went down 10 defeat
II illustrates the unrelisbility Of such
informal contests that when some one
took straw vote on the ant!-suffrage
postal card vote il was found that of the
nine women present az committee meet
ing only fave had received the card.
Nearly half the women. then, for whom
the cards were intended did not get them.
\ very had foundation for even straw
vote 10 stand on OF the five receiving
the pOstals only three replied. The ac-
ton Of the two who had not replied was
not the result Of carelessness. They de-
clned TO vote because they believed any
straw vote 2 futile thing. and because
they held that tn. vague opinion Of a
vague constituency. whether affirmative
or NEGATIVE. cannot be talleu as I'm any
way affecting the next step in the evolu-
ton of democracy.
Woman suffrage is coming When II
comes il will be by accepted constitutional
channels when IL comes il will be by
the approval OF the majority OF men.
The voters will decide
UAERIOT STANTON BLATCH.
New York. Feb. -. 1913