Wausau pilot. [volume] (Wausau, Wis.) 1896-1940, 1914-03-17
SUFFRAGE TO FORE
NEXT TO MEXICO AND TRUSTS, 1T
is SUBJECT THAT MOST IN
TEREsTs CONGRESS.
WOMEN MAKING HEADWAY
Plan for Invasion Of South, Where the
Opposition is Strongest-Farm-
ers Are Said to Be "com-
Ino Over Strong"
au GEORGE CLINTON

BY GEORGE CLINTON.
Washington.-Next to Mexico and
the trusts, suffrage is the chief sub
ject of enlivening interest to congress
and the populace in the city of Wash
ington today. Senator Ashurst of
Arizona has charge of the resolution
proposing a constitutional suffrage
amendment and every time he brings
1t within sight OF his brethren of the
senate there is a clashing Of arms
and sounding of trumpets.
1t seems that some of the senators
think 1t is best to wait yet awhile
for political reasons" before voting
on the constitutional amendment
proposition. They have an idea that
suffrage Will prevail in two-thirds OF
the states before long as the result of
state enacted laws and that then
ment without any fear Of trouble at
home, because he can say to his OPP
posing constituents that two-thirds OF
the states of the Union are in favor
of it and therefore 1t Is useless to
kick against the pricks."
1t is apparent In Washington that
even the strongest opponents of the
woman suffrage movement seem to be-
lieve that eventually it will prevail
all over the United States. Those
who so think base their belief simply
on the progress which suffrage has
made within the last few years, viz
tually an uninterrupted progress.
Some men who are opposed to it say
they are just as much opposed to 1t
as ever, but that 1t is to come into
its own and therefore before long
they must get themselves into mood
to accept the inevitable. These same
men say that If it does come 1t will
prove itself to be a failure because
they have an idea that woman will
get tired of voting and that in time to
come, while the privilege will be hers,
she will not take advantage of it.
Hardest Fight In South.
The women of the country who are
devoted to the suffrage cause have
realized for a great many years that
theiY hardest fight is to be made in
the South. Most Of the southern
members In congress are opposed to
woman suffrage. At the suffrage head
quarters In this city a plan has been
made 10 invade the South in behalf
of the cause of suffrage. A commit
tee composed of noted women, good
speakers all of them and represent
ing every element in the suffrage
cause, soon will make a trip through
the South in a private car and will
speak in many of the larger cities and
probably in scores of the smaller
places which lie between.
Dr. Anna Howard Shaw, president
of the National Suffrage association,
heads the list of the invaders. With
her will go Mrs. Stanley Mccormick.
Mrs. Susan Fitzgerald and Mrs.
Rautz-Reese of Boston, Mrs. An
toinnette Funk, sister-inlaw of the
Progressive partys candidate for gov
ernor of Illinois; Mrs. Desha Breck-
enridge, a member of the famous
Breckenridge family of Kentucky.
and Mrs. Medill Mccormick, daughter
Of the late Senator Mark Hanna of
Ohio.
Farmers Being Converted.
The farmers of the country showed
in the last campaign that they were
not as strong for the suffrage move
ment as the women expected. Now it
is declared at the headquarters of the
suffragists in Washington that the
farmers are coming over strong.
They say, taking Ohio as an example.
that from all over that state there is
a demand for suffrage speakers, and
for suffrage organization, and that the
movement is so general that women
are confident that at the next election
their cause will be sanctioned. A
woman suffrage amendment to the
Ohio constitution is to be submit
ted at the next general election in
that state.
Congress is tremendously stirred up
over this woman suffrage question and
1t has been so stirred up all winter.
There are a good many representa-
tives, especially from the northern
states, who while at heart opposed to
woman suffrage are afraid that wom-
ans opposition may hurt them at the
polls. The women are taking advan-
tage of this situation and are now pre-
pairing to wage campaigns against all
anti-suffrage candidates for congress
in the campaign of next fall.
Freight Case Undecided.
The months are rapidly passing
and yet the interstate commerce
commission is still at its work. try
ing to determine definitely and prop
erly whether or not the great rail-
road corporations of the western
country are entitled to tack five per
cent additional on the charges for car
rying freight. 1t was thought recently
that no decision in the case could be
reached until next September. Presi-
dent Wilson became worried over the
delay, and while he could not inter
pose personally for fear of having 1t
charged that he was trying to preju-
dice the case, it was announced
quickly that decision probably would
be reached before June.
The members of the commission
have in their employment Louis w.
Brandeis as special counsel 1t is he
who is presenting the commissions
side of the case, which in a way means
the shippers and the consumers