The Washington herald., 1914-11-01
Says Ants" Are Not Game Sports
Suffragists, Though, Arise Smiling

just as II nothing had happened. and
The biennial of the General Fedora
tion of Clubs practically settled the
attitude of its State afiliations when
at Chicago last summer, by vote in
round numbers of 1000 to so, It adopt
ed a resolution TO record its earnest
belief in the principle of political
equality, regardless of sex" and
pledged its moral support Immedi-
ately Mrs. Dodge, president Of the Ma
tional Anti-suffrage Association, is
sued an Official statement saying: The
delegation was packed for suffrage, no
opportunity being given for the minor
ity to be heard" Who could pack
body consisting of 2,es4 delegates from
1907 clubs? Before the biennial ad-
journed a member from Texas present
ed a minority report without any sig
natures! Both pros and cons began to
speak, but the favorable sentiment was
so overwhelming that their voices were
drowned in a chorus of ayes and
cheering and singing. The civics COM
mittee of the general federation also
had prepared for presenting at the bi-
ennial a strong resolution for suffrage
signed by thirteen OF the seventeen
members, two being in Europe.
Large MembershiP Represented.
The so-called ''clubwomen'' of the UHar
ted States are in every community its
representative women in the highest sense
Of the word. By no means all of the
clubs belong to the general federation,
but its Chicago meeting represented l,IO.-
900 members. At the preceding biennial in
San Francisco 1t required all possible par
liamentary tactics 20 prevent a resolution
from coming before the delegates, as II
was universally admitted that il would
be adopted. The argument used was that
all the Southern clubs and many others
would withdraw. 1t was practically GER
tain that a resolution would go through
at Chicago, and yet within the past
year 1853 clubs have Joined the fedora
ton mot suffrage clubs). and none has
left it The landslide OF State fedora
tions into the movement for woman suf-
frage is one OF its most prominent fea-
lures In all the States were amendments
were carried in 1872 the federatiOns of
clubs claimed a large share of the credit.
In each of the seven where amendments
are now pending the State federation has
indorsed and is working for It.
short time ago the Woman's Journal
sent a letter to the president of the fed
Grafton in each Of the ten States where
women are now enfranchised, asking IL
the ballot had proved to be a help IN
their work. The answers were unanimous
that it was OF the greatest possible ad-
vantage, and these form as strong a
suffrage document as ever was writ
ten over half of the State federations
have indorsed votes for women and the
rest are almost ready TO do so; why,
therefore, should the "antis" make any
special commOtion over that Of Pennsyl-
vania? To be sure this action Of the
clubs makes their assertion that they
represent 80 per cent Of the women of
the country supremely ridiculous, but so
does every other test that can he made of
women's opinions on this question. The
''antis'' cannot produce one shred OF
direct proof that they represent any
percentage. the evidenC is all
TO the contrary Their base Of support,
the opposition OF the Southern women, is
fast crumblng, as the two big suffrage
in Tennessee within the next
two weeks will UnqUestionably indicate,
and il is quite probable that all South
ern women will be voters when many
Northern women will still be disfran-
chised.
Vote in Some; Not in nthers.
The United States will present next
an anomaly that does not exist
in any other cOuntry-women in ten
States freely casting their ballots for
men and measures, while in thirty-eight
women equally qualified in every respect
are absolutely disfranchised. This is the
situation in the fact of the Federal Con-
stitution, which says in article 4, section
,: The citizens of each State shall be
entitled to all privileges and immunities