New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1914-05-03
$500 HEAR PLEA
FOR VOTE" ON MALL
Suffrage Speakers Prove
Charming Spellbinders
for Many Men.

lot many MeH.
To the movement in this state for
woman suffrage a great tribute was
given yesterday afternoon at the Mall in
Central Park. Throughout nearly three
hours crowd of 500 persons-there were
more women than men. and there were
some cbildren-remained TO listen 10
speeches on the cause al a meeting staged
by the Woman's Political Union.
The great interest in the question was
shown early. The hour set for begin
ming the proceedings was go O'Clock.
The speeches were to be delivered from
the band stand. 10 the east OF which are
scores Of benches. Half OF these benches
were occupied by 80. During the next
hour the others filled and persons who
came later had to stand
Close 10 thousand persons were stand
ing when the meeting was under way.
Hundreds OF others looked at the throng
from the canopied terrace rising toward
Fifth avenue. In It's weather it was
surely May day.
Between each address the band played,
but the audience appeared TO centre its
interest on the speeches and not on the
music.
Mrs Norman Whitehouse was intro
duced as a woman who was not a public
speaker, had no desire to be. but was
urged TO il by the necessity of the cause.
She was very successful. That statement
means nothing. She Is so pretty she could
have talked about the income tax and
made hit. But her success was quite
aside from that She told the women of
how the ballot in the hands OF women
would affect features of domestic life
that women do not ordinarily consider.
your husband" she said, may blame
you for not having dinner on time but
you are not responsible for that. He may
protest that the vegetables are not fresh.
but you are not responsible for that lie
may kick about the meat being bad, but
you are not responsible for that.
when women vote our home life viii!
be so much better. We shall be able to
bring up better children. ! think chill
dren are a very important issue In this
battle. Every woman should be married
and have children, and every woman
should think of the features Of the ballot
that will do more for children. They play
on the streets. That means we Will in
sist that the streetS be kept in good
condition. They play In the parks. That
means we shall insist that the parks BE-
kept in good condition and that they be
properly policed And there are lots OF
things Hike that to be thought of.
Miss Helen Todd. of San Francisco,
gave a talk that was most entertaining.
She told how ths fight was won in Ca-i'
fornia. When the question how they
would vote was put before some foreign
ers out there. she SAID, they told her
they couldn't read or write or vote They
said they expected to learn to read and
write. and, when they did. they'd ''vota
No."
"In one town were number of foreign
ers who were voting. We had spent con-
siderable time trying TO win them over
to us, but as they marked their ballots
they'd tell us that they had voted against
us. One man, who had been interested
in our campaign, ran over to me ant,
pointing out a man who was headed rp
the street. said that he had voted for us.
! asked that this friend be called back, so
we could thank him. He came back.
"He was a barber. he said. Three or
four weeks before his wife had run OF
with his assistant.
why did you vote for u.s. | asked.
"'Well.' he said, my wife she run
away with Tony. Very bad. ! helpa
van ladies vote and you ladies stoppa
such foolishness
But it was not from such motives as
this that men came TO our aid in our
fight for suffrage, and our victory was py
a large margin. And l am sure that
when YOU men get your opportunity IN
1915 to decide whether or not women
i'm this state are TO be enfranchlsed you
will give US the ballot
The fear by men that women, II per-
u,tted to vote, will lose their effemlnacy
was taken up in the speech OF Miss
Elizabeth Ellsworth.
Are women going TO change over
night" she asked. rs the ballot going
IN take from woman her beauty. her
grace. her charm? Won't she really be a
better wife. a better mother, when she
is empowered with the vote?
Some of the speakers referred to the
assertion that motherhood would become
less sacred if woman suffrage wins.
Motherhood must be kept sacred.
That is the cry OF some men who do not
know precisely what they are talkins
about. When they leave their Offices al
rt,bt thev step over some sacred mother
who is scrubbing the floor for l. cents an
hour
The meeting wound up at AS o'clock
When the opening speech was being MADE
2 number OF donkeys, attached TO carts II
which children are drawn along thf
walks, made considerable noise. Un
doubtedlv they were applauding The
sneaker, but there was so much human
announcement on tap that the four
legged sympathizers were not needed sc
they were removed from the nighborhood