Bismarck daily tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, Dakota [N.D.]) 1881-1916, 1914-10-06
THINKS SUffRhGISlS
never CONSERVATIVE
President of Ants Says Dissen'
sion in Suffrage Ranks Spells
Failure of Movement.

Who ara the conservative" sui
f-agists, and who are the "raoical
suffra gists? In what way can a sui'
fragist ever be considered as conseNE
atiye?
Those are TWO of the questions
which Mrs, Arthur NJ. Dodge, presl-
DENT Of the National Association Op-
! nosed 10 Woman Suffrage. Wouio lihe
to have answered, according to an Oh
fetal statement from her, calling at
rentton to the fact that olssenslons ~
the suffrage ranks make II certain
that the fight for votes for women Is
doomed to failure.
Zone the one hand" says MRS.
/ dodge. I'VE see the Congressional IN
ion. headed by Miss Alice Paul, de-
claring indiscriminate war against all
democrats because a democratic n
eress has refused to amend the con-
stitution. On the other hand we see
DR.. Anna Shaw, president VI
the National American Suffrage
association, repudiating all connec-
ton with the Congressional UNION
and even going so far as to announce
that the union is not a member OF ner
national association.
In Colorado some of the suttrag-
lists. although Senator Thomas is a
democrat, refused to take sides
against him in his fight for the sen
ate. In Kansas Miss Cora G. Lewis
2 member of the Kansas board OF adj
ministraton. wired DR.. Shaw last
TUESDAY asking whether or not Two
REPRESENTATIVES of the Congressional
Union working in Kansas had the IN
d~orsenlent of the National Suffrage
association? DR.. Shaws reply was
an emphatic negative. J..
Mrs. Grace Wilbur Trout, presl
dent of the Illinois Equal Suffrage as
sociation. returned two weeks age
from q tour of nine states and made
this interesting announcement:
81 found that there is a genera
breaking up and going TO pieces o.
the suffrage trust. There seems te
be a feeling against it in tine states
visited. The bars of suffrage exciu
sion are being let down.
These are but a few instances
showing the suffrage movement is go
ing the way Of all movements tina
have been founded on something no
fundamentally strong. The situation
may De taken as UnansweraDle proc
that women. being unable to govern
themselves in their OWE organization:
and campaigns-not being able in fat
to decide who their enemies are-ars
apparently proving their inability K
add TO the efficiency Of our govern
mental machinery.
"Mrs. Trcut's remark about the sui
frage trust and her statement tina
we need the conservatism of the pas
and the enthusiasm of the present Il
bring the suffrage question to a sue
cessful issue is interesting, to sa.
the least.
Who are the conservatives in tn,
suffrage ranks? Are they Anna
Shaw's followers, who subscribe to Dr.
Shaw's peculiar and somewhat start
ling matrimonial views? Are the,
the disciples Of Alice Stone Black
we'll whose teachings on feminisn
; are decidedly novel2 Are they repre-
sented by Inez MiIholIand? Or ar
the radicals under one of the banner
or in the membership Of the Cor
~gressionaI Union?
1T would save the public a grea
deal Of bewiidernent if it could b
2 told by the sufragists which of then
are radical and which of them ar
7 conservative. 1t might also clear tn
situation if the sufragists of tn
1.-THE United States would explain jus
t where they stand In politics.
"The truth of the matter seems t
i be that the country is4confronted wit
the spectacle Of several bands O
groups OF women Q~uarreling anon
themselves, unable to determin
j whom they shall oppose or what the
shall advocate, making speeches tina
contradict each other and creating