Dakota farmers' leader. (Canton, S.D.) 1890-19??, 1914-02-20

business mel me Ountr
have not responded in great numbers
to the invitation extended by the ad-
ministration and by the committees
of congress to come t. Washington to
enter their pleas in abatement Of the
legislation aimed against the trusts.
1t seems that Mr.. Wilson and the
Democratic members of congress ex-
pected that the business men would
come here IN a rush to make them
selves heard in the committee rooms
before the antitrust legislation was
put to passage. The business men
have been conspicuous by their alb
sence. 1t is charged by the Republic
mi that the corporations OF the coun-
try have been lambasted so by the
Democrats that the business men do
not care to come to Washington even
to make themselves heard, and this
has led a Republican to compare the
present condition to an old time melo-
drama and what he says perhaps is
worth telling, even If people do not
agree with him. Here is h Repub-
leans story:
Like Melodrama Of Nellie.
In a meIodrama called Nellie, the
Beautiful Cloak Model the villain
meets Nellie, the beautiful one, on
the Brooklyn bridge and attempts to
throw her over the rail into the East
river. She is rescued just in time.
In the next act the villain seizes
the fair Nellie and ties her to the
track in the subway. A guard res
ot1no th1 c,,~N .,-l ;,zt ~, r,r,a Tn
prevent her from being run down by
the express train.
In the third act the villain meets
Nellie on the platform Of al elevated
railroad station and tries to throw
her into the street. Again b is res
cued, and the william is baffled.
In the next act the villain meets
Nellie on the street and she shrinks
from him, whereat he inquiries: Mel
lie, why do you fea me?
If you can find a parallel in this
story to the case OF the business men
who do not want to come to Washing
ton to be heard in antitrust matters.
why find it. l think | found it some
time ago"
Wilson n ~Suffragists.
There has just been another parade
of ~suffragists on Pennsylvania avenue
1t was by no means as big a parade as
thai one OF March, 1918, but the par
Elephants marched in behalf Of the
same cause-woman suffrage. Every
body probably remembers the trouble
which the women had in March last
trying to make their way through the
crowds Of rowdies and worse who In
suited them at every turn. The lack
Of police protection for the women ut
hat time nearly cost several officials
their jobs. This time the women
marched without interference and I'M
der perfect safeguarding.
The last parade was composed OF
working women from the industrial
centers OF many states. The process
sion formed at the capitol and march
ed up Pennsylvania avenue to the
White House, where the leaders plead
ed with President Wilson to give the
light of his approval to the cause OF
suffrage. The president gave the sur
fragists a verbal expression OF well
come and then gave a pantomimic e1-
hibition of sidestepping which was the
counterpart Of his step of evasion
on a previous occasion when the wo-
men called on him to ask him to urge
the house Of representatives to au'
thorize the appointment from its men
bership of a committee On suffrage.
The suffrage organization under
whose direction the women were
marching and pleading is not entirely
removed from the suspicion tina 1t is
antagonistic in it's spirit to the Dem
ocratic order. a spirit moved to resent
ment because it is the Democratic
party, as the organization views It,.
which is doing what it can to defeat
the women's cause,
There are troubles in the suffrage
ranks in Washington and the thorns
seem to multiply daily. All he wo-
men are moving to the same end and
their paths are different, but the
run close enough together to allow
the pilgrims to exchange %reproving
words and occasionally to reach
across and to indulge in a little hair
pulling.
Can't sidestep Much Longer.
Suffrage, men here say, is bouno
to come and 1t makes absolutely no
difference about how it is to come.
The days of sidestepping everybody
seems to believe soon will be num-
bered. There is too much at stake in
1916, and also, by the way. in 1914,
to make 1t seem wise for men with
ambitions to continue to voice dis
approval when women already are
enfranchised in many places and soon
are to be en%franchised in all places.
There are a few curious things to
be found in this tumble of troubles
which is affecting the women suffrage
cause at this time. The COMPRESSION
al unions headquarters are in Wash
ington and as everybody knows. here
are also headquarters of the congress
sional branch of the National Suffrage
association. Mrs. Medill Mccormick.
chairman Of the latter ORGANIZATIONS
branch in Washington, takes the view
that the women should work for suf-
frage and "be a~ntagonistic to candi-
dates for congress no matter to which
party they belong provided they are
opposed to the great cause.
the nationwide agitation, pro n con,
regarding slavery. When in 1916 a