The Fairmont West Virginian. (Fairmont, W. Va.) 1904-1914, 1914-02-20
AND DISCUSSED THE QUESTION,
+ OF EQUAL SUFFRAGE
AT LENGTH.

followed dinner which proved the
most elaborate the z; associationl5had
yer;undertaken. st#;
Other speakers. included X. Ran.
doiph Coolidge, Jr., PRESIDENT Bos-
ton Chamber of Commerce. whose
subject was Journalism from the
Commercial Standpoint" Charles w.
J. Tenant Of Edinburgh, who told
OF THE Making. Of Newspaper
Mrs Mary Aiken Ward and Miss
Helen NJ. Winslow, former presidents
Of the association. and Mrs. Harriet
Holt Dey, president Of tile New York
Moments. Press club. s
Original Poem Read.
Mrs. Emily selinger, poet laureate
OF association, read an original poem.
Preceding the dinner there was a
reception, when the. guests person.
ally met Senator and Mrs. Oliver. As
sisting were Mrs. Myra B. Lord and
Mrs. Alice Turner Nye.
Among otherithings Senator, Oliver
said: .t: Us
when your president so kindly
invited me to be. will, you this even
Ing she intimated; thai I would be
expected to speak on some subject
connected with Journalism, Now ].
am going to take the51ibertylof dis
regarding this intimation.! Il dc, mot
want to talk shop. LIDO this for two
reasons. In the first place, 1sreally
know very little about Journalism. !
am constantly reminded Of my ignor-
ance in this respect by the. numerous
letters receive from outsiders. tell
ing me how ought to;run my news
papers. In the second place, how
ever great my knowledge on that sub
feet 1t stands to reason that this par
ticular audience must know, or at
least ought to know more about It
than do, for it is a part Of your
daily work. while with me It is some
what OF a side issue,
.'ln nine states. out Of the As COM
prising the. American Union, women
have the same right to vote as MEN.
1t is worthy of note that the last two
states to confer this right on women
were California and Kansas. both Of
which excel any Of their predecessors
in population and Importance. lin
four other western states-7;Montalia.
Nevada, North Dakota and South Da-
leota, the people willEyote on the dues-.
ton his'year, with every prospect Of
favorable action. Up 10 the present
time all earnest efforts inttllis direc--
tion have ben confined to the ex=
IRENE west, but their success in that
section lbs evidently emboldened the
advocates Of equal suffrage, for con.
stitutional amendments providing
therefor are already pending in New
York, New Jersey and Pennsylvania,
and the people Of these three great
eastern states will from present APP
rcarances have an opportunity OF
Voting on the question next year, that
Is in 1915. In Iowa 1t will be decid-
cd III 1916. a proposition is now
pending in congress to submit asuf-
frage amendment to tile National
constitution. 1t has been favorably
reported in the senate, and it seems
certain that 1t will reach vote in
that body during the present session.
1t do not think, however, that CON
gress will take favorable action on It
at this time. !
Woman Suffrage Progressing.
Please, Understand that ] an. not
taking sides on this question:
merely mention these things to show
that the public mind IS agitated upon
1T, and to express the thought that
with the present trend. 81 public opih=
ion it is altogether possible, In fact
lit is within tile bounds OF probability
that in ten years from now, or even
less, women will stand equal Will
men throughout the land so far as the
voting franchise is concerned. 1t j!
LIKELY therefore. that YOU women
who IRE now listening 10 me viii be,
fore long have q voice perhaps Til.
controlling voice. IN the decision d
public questions: ahd IT Is with /