New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1914-06-20
hrs. |. o. Tillman, Who
Lost Alabama Postoffce,
Now a SuffragiSt.
ATTACKS WILSON
AND "SPOILSMEN'
Politically Beheaded, She ocons
at Chivalry and Lands Wom'
ems Ballot Crusade.

Mrs. Ida O. Tnlman, eX-postmaster OF
Geneva. Ala. has started out to tell peo-
Je how President Wilson and Postmaster
General Burleson have made sunragis'
,ut Of her. Mrs. Tnlman gave her first
ect,.re AT the school Of Expression SIS
West s7th St. yesterday, and called II
'-he Evils Of the Spells system" 1t was
because tho sronsmen took from her the
,os,of1ce which she had been led to be-
.ieve she should have rs long as she man
AGED il well. she said, that she saw the
need Of votes for women"
Mrs. Tillman is a p'easant-faced' sort
voiced. typically Southern woman. and as
eng as she was left in peace 10 earn hef
living by sorting the mail in the little
town Of Geneva it didn't occur 10 her that
women rccded any more rights than they
had.
But after I was politically assassi-
rated beheaded TO make place for
man" she said, Il just sat down and re-
mcmbered how / was a female without
any vctc-just person in the it colurnn'
with no more rights in my country than
the old town dray horse-a lone female
not a vote in the family-and ! saw the
light. II that's all mans chivalry means,
then we women lad better get out and
work for the ballot
Il ran one OF the best conducted third
class postofaces in the South. I was put in
charge Of that postofice when my husband
laQ ~ f
President Mckinley. lie gave me the
chance to earn my living. Two other
ereat-hearted northumberland and
Taft-kept me there.
when Woodrow Wilson became Presi-
dent I was told over and over that COM
nissioned postmasters should serve out
their terms. But then the edict went forth
from the field OF battle Of The New
Freedom and Mr.. Burleson's trusty,'
Daniel c. Roper, was ordered to put me
out. Wilson, that gentleman nourished on
the bosom of the old Dominion, decided
that for the furtherance Of his philan-
thropic antitrust legislation Clayton OF
Alabama. must be kept in Congress.
Clayton's friends must be given office,
and w. K. Keenan, was appointed post
master
Mrs. Tillman said she made up her mind
she'd give the dishonest spoilsmen' all
the trouble she could.
Mr. Burleson said any female who was
n lady ought to resign without making
trouble. hut ] reckon ! wasn't lady. l
lust sent word 10 that grape-juice admin
istration that they'd find ! wasn't a quit
ter. Then I moved my bed into the post
Office and ate and slept there II / could
have kept that up ] could have held the
fort. but ] found ] couldn't do it without
being prisoner. and so / had 10 give up.
Mrs Tillman had the satisfaction OF
making Mr.. KeeFan buy from her the
rostoffice building which she erected and
owned. But she says she is homesick
for H.
This is my first visit to New York,
she said in her soft Southern drawl, land
I'm Just frightened to death. But If ] can
get some engagements to lecture I'm
going 10 make a fight for the sake Of
other women And I'm going 20 expose
the barbaric medieval spoils system Of
this administration. All through the South
Wilson is putting out faithful ofiicehold-
ers. but the women get the worst of il.
AThey have no chance at all"