The Birmingham age-herald., 1914-02-22
SUFFRAGE MEETING
TO Be NONPART|SAN.
SAYS. MRS. HUNDLEY
Replies to Statement From
Washington That Leaders
Come Here to Fight
Underwood
To the Editor of The Age-Herald.

To the Editor of The Age-Herald.
Your special. under date line of Wash
ington, from your correspondent in that
city, to the effect that Dr. Anna Howard
Shaw, president of the National American
Woman Suffrage association; Jane Adams,
and other of our national leaders, who are
to be entertained in Birmingham March
8 and 10, coming for the purpose of
Declaring war upon Hon. Oscar w.
Underwood for any reason whatever is
without any foundation, and is totally
untrue.
That portion of your special in which
an effort is made to sustain this untrue
statement claims to be justified by quo
tations from woman suffragists, without
giving either the name or names, or con-
nection Of the suffragists with the ma
ional organization.
| wish to state, for the information of
the people of Birmingham, and the state
of Alabama, and without authority of
the national board, has given out any
statement which could be construed that
these distinguished women are coming to
Alabama upon a political mission.
AS stated upon numerous occasions by
both the men and women who favor equal
suffrage in Alabama, our assocation is a
non-partisan body, and will not be led
into discussion of the merits or demerits
of any candidate for any office in this
state
1 speak with so much emphasis as to
the purport of the visit of these distin-
suished women to Alabama, because the
nnliav of I,o Aro+
Suffrage association has been so posi-
lively defined by the national convention
of 1912 and reiterated by Dr. Anna How
ard Shaw, our president, in a recent let
ter, which is now before me, in the fol-
lowing language
The convention in 1912 voted that the
national association should remain a nom
partisan body and should not stand for or
against any political party"
And again. in this same letter, speaking
in regard to states in which political in
tests are pending, as to suffra gists taxi
ing part therein, she says:
This method of procedure is not only
opposed To the non-partisan position of
the national association. but is of the
greatest possible danger to the states
where campaigns are pending
The coming of this national executive
board of the National American Woman's s
greatest events in the history of Birming-
ham. We have had men of national and
international reputation to visit our city,
and have done them honor without regard
to their political affiliations, but never
before has Birmingham been honored by
the visit of eight or nine women of ma
tional and international fame at the same
time Those citizens who are co-operat-
ing with us and those merchants who
nave agreed to decorate their places OF
business understand fully that they are
not committing themselves to the cause
of woman suffrage. but are eVidencing
their respect for some of tae greatest
humanitarians the world has ever known.
respectfully request tht as a matter
of simple justice. you give this letter.
which is answer Ito your Washington
correspondent, as prominent place in
your paper as the article in your paper of
this morning which tends to do us such
grave injustice. Very respectfully
BOSSIE O'BRIEN IIUNDLEY.
President Birmingham E. S. Association
Birmingham February 81, 1914.