Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1914-01-01

IN THIS city, regular office rooms, IN
| fact IN which they have a bureau of
information, bureau of speakers and
! other bureaus devoted to all branches
of the work necessary to get votes
for women. Near the headquarters of
the suffragists are the headquarters
OF the anti-sufragists and both camps
/ OF women are busily engaged in for.
warding the causes which they have
at heart
| The women Of the congressional cir
| Gle are divided into two houses, one
which stands for suffrage and the
/ other which is against it. The con
| gressional women in the main reflect
| the opinions of their husbands, al
| though it is true that there are some
| women who believe in suffrage and
| who are working for it whose hus-
bands are in congress and make
| speeches in opposition TO the cause
which their wives favor.
| 1t seems to be certain that the lead
! ers of the Democratic party In con-
sress are opposed to the creation of n
| suffrage committee in the house. The
Democratic party as national party
| is not in favor OF suffrage. At any
/ rate it has not declared for it in a ma
tional platform. The southern mem
bers largely are against the plan to
extend the voting privilege to women,
and while there are as many northern
| Democrats in the lower house as there
are southern Democrats. goodly por-
| ton of the Democrats from the north
| also are opposed to suffrage. The
Democratic majority in the house
against suffrage, if every man voted
| according to his convictions, would be
| enormous.
| Rules Committee Opposed.
| OF course the mere creation of
| committee on suffrage in the house
| Of representatives would not commit
| the Democratic party to the women's
| cause, but the leaders seem to feel
that it would be sort of an entering
| wedge of sanction and so they are be.
lieved to be opposed to the creation
| of such subsidiary body.
! The rules committee, the majority
| in which is composed Of men promi-
! nent in the councils of the Demo
cratic party and prominent in all leg
! islative matters in congress, stands in
| opposition to woman suffrage, but it
| is possible that this majority will con-
| sent eventually to compromise and
will add to the duties of an already
| established committee the GUty of con
| siderlng the suffrage petitions and
/ reporting on suffrage bills.
| The women who are arguing with
| the congressman in behalf of com
nittee on suffrage say that no already
! constituted committee can handle the
additional work which will come be
fore it if suffrage duties are added to
/ it's daily labors. They promise that
| if a separate and Independent COM
| mittee on suffrage is appointed they
will give it plenty to do. Already they
are sending petitions, memorials and
pleas into the houses Of congress in
such numbers that It will tax the
| strength and the time of the commit
| tees to which they are now sent to
| give them due consideration.
| Women Not Dismayed.
The suffrage women are very much
in earnest apparently. They are not
dismayed, they say, by the seeming
| determination of the house rules com.
| mittee to postpone action on their re-
| cent petition. They say they fought
| for years and years before suffrage
was given them in any state and now
! that they have been heartened to
| the fight by success IN the west and
| the middle west they will keep at it
until the constitution of the United
| States recognizes women as being
! equal citizens with men.
! Recently there was formed in Wash
| ington an association Of men for the
| purpose Of forwarding the cause OF
| suffrage for women. IN its member
| ship are a good may members Of
congress of both houses, most of them
being representatives or senators from
suffrage states.
| Wilson and the Carabaos.
Opinion is divided in Washington,
as TO whether or not President Will
son should have paiG any attention
| to the supposed criticisms of this
governments policy in the Philip
pines, and it's policy In the mat
ter of battleships, which was made by
| the members of the Cardiac society at
their recent dinner in Washington.
| While the dinner was held some
! days ago, 1t is now believed that be-
/ fore long there will be a final word
| on the subject from the administration
which will make future dinners of the
| same kind impossible. The Carabao
society is composed of army, naval
and marine officers who saw service in
/ the Philippines during the troubled
| four years succeeding the Spanish
| American war. Some civilians who
were former officers of one or the
| other of the services also hold mem
| bership in the society.
| Once a year the members give a
| dinner and at it they turn loose in
/ song and joke. At the last dinner
! some of the songs and the jokes were
| of the same general nature which had
been sprung before at other dinners,
| and sprung unrebuked. They aroused
| the Indignation of President Wilson
| and members of his cabinet and an In
vestigation was ordered.
! Those who say that the president
| should have paid no attention to the
matter base their view on the fact
| that it is only once year and at
| social gathering that the officers OF
the armed service get chance to turn
| loose and express their minds on sub
! iects political and legislative. During
| the rest Of the year they are bound
by regulations of the government and
| by obedience to the spirit Of discipline
| to keep their thoughts to themselves.