The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1914-01-21
Too Many DR.. Shaws

The American woman suffragists being
given a good many opportunities to cultivate
the virtue of patience and To practice the art
lof keeping ones temper. Their path has not
been very smooth of late and some of the bumps
which they have received have been pretty
severe. The worst of these bumps came on
Saturday when the rules committee of the house
Of representatives decided agains, the creation
of special standing committee OF the house
on woman suffrage.
This is the worst setback which tho women
who want the vote have received at Washington
They have been working very hard to secure
the creation of a special suffrage committee
and apparently they have been fairly confident
of success. Their defeat disarranges their whole
program for the year--a program which was
mainly concerned with pressure TO be exerted
upon congress and designed to- promote federal
legislation which would open the way for the
adoption OF equal suffrage by the States. The
fact that the rules committee has sat on them
at the very outset of the session is undoubtedly
a disconcerting blow. They ~are grlevously dis
appointed and some of them are probably pretty
angry.
Now shall what shall and we
shall wait with considerable curiosity TO see
it, How will the suffragists take this licking?
That is far and away the most important ques-
ton to which the licking gives rise-more inn
portant by far than the question of how much
actual damage has been done the suffragist
by the failure of the suffragists to secure
the appointment of a special suffrage committee
The chances that the SuHragiStS brought
the licking on themselves. They have INDUCED
in some rather foolish talk of late~talk which
seemed 10 show that their tact not nearly
commensurate with their enthusiasm. They
have fallen into the very bad habit Of threaten
ing congress and that portion Of the population
of the United States which is not of their way
of thinking. They have talked too much ard
too loudly of what they would do if they were
not given what they demanded For instance,
they have stated that If the Democratic party
did not behave itself and give the suffragists
what they wanted, they would smte that party
hip and thigh drive il ignomn ously from
power and install in its place another party
which would behave better.
7 nat sort Of tafk was unfortunate. coming as
1t ddand being given wide publcity-~just at
the moment when the rules committee was
considering whether or not to give the suffira-
gists the special committee which they desired
| Doubtless il rubbed the rules committee the
I wrong way. Coming right top OF Dr. Anna
Howard Shaw's foolish exhibition of peevsh-
ness in regard to the payment of the income
tax. 1t probably served to convince some of the
members of the rules committee thae the sur
fragists entirely too much inclined TO wave
the big stick and crack the whip That, at
any rate. appears to be the opinion of Mrs An
association who seems TO have talked very mod
tington about the adverse action of the rules
Icemmittee II fearful said Mrs. Funck
I LEST HE ttpe~ed po4iey of the unun a leading
isuffragist organizaton) to strike the Demo-
cratic party as y whole may have contrihuted