The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1914-10-18
National Democratic Committee S Order
to Cabinet Members Helps W.
Of Congressional Union

leaders in the Senate in bringing the
resolution to a vote at moment when
its defeat, as they themselves admitted
was certain, and through their action III
failing to put the party machinery baci ,
Tor the measure. and finally in the 2
House through the action of the Rules
jCommittee in preventing the creation OF
n woman suffrage committee and pre-
venting the allotting of any time In o.
the House for the consideration OF the 81
suffrage question.
Moreover. the party very frankly .
went on record against suffrage when
1t caucused against the creation of n
suffrage committee and declared through %
Its caucus resolution that suffrage was
not even subject for national con-
sideration.
That q Casus bel is clearly shown
Is not to hc denied: nevertheless. there
4 is substantial basis for the OPPOSE
ton to the unions policy Of trying to
! defeat an Democratic candidates for
4 Congress in the enfranchised States
/ rms action plays directly into the
hands Of the Republican party. whose
/ record on woman suffrage Is SO black AS
I" make that recently made by the
/ Democratic party look white.
! The former was in control of the ma
I tonal administration almost contlnu-'
| ouslN for tifty years. and. except for a
few favnrs during its high water mark a
In TIA" first half Of this pc rod. 1t never .
rendered tn" slightest assistance to the
,aus" OF woman suffrage in Congress.
II could not fail back on the conve-
nien' doctrine Of state rights. for again
and again the defeat az amendments in
various State campaigns cuald he traced
directly to its influence
During all ~ these years, however.
the Democrats were So openly and
frankly opposed that the sufragists
never expected anything from them.
, and now the altered attitude of this
/ party. as far as II goes. liz not due to
a change Of heart but to a change in the
political situation. Woman suffrage as
an abstract principle is one thing. and
Is an accomplished fact in ten States
, * another
An analysis II conditions empha sizes
more strongly than ever before that the
wise thing FOR the suffra gists is to con-
tnue tn" non-partisan attitude which
they always have maintained. 1t is
true that Democratic committee
brought the question before the Senate,
which Republican committee had re-
fused to do for twenty seven years. but
II received were only thirteen from
Democrats and seven of these came
from the enfranchised States: of the
thirty-four negative votes twenty-five
were Democratic.
This result would seem to Indicate
that two-thirds Of the Republicans were
IN favor and one-third OF the Demo-
Gratis. but in fact II all Of them had not .
known that there was not ghost OF a
chance of the amendment getting tn.
nee sarN two-thirds there is no telling
how any Of them world nave voted. eN-
ccpt those from the States where women
have the suffrage and they had to vote
yes.
\ study of'the states docs not tend
To clarity the situation. In New York.
Tor instance. Democratic LEGISLATURE
voted Ia submit woman suffrage
1 amendment after Republican Legis'h-
lures had refused 10 do So for fifteen
Years but the coming constitutional
! convention is 20 lie dominated by the
Democrats, and word has already gone
out from th' leaders that It shall not
put woman suffrage clause in the
new Constitution.
| " Is wholly impossible to keen track
Of all the state conventions. but they
! seem To break nearly even in adopting
| woman suffrage planks, with the odds
| slightly in favor az ,ha Da,,,,,,,. -,
| Nas.ochusetts and phi I.is 49,,
Democrats declared IN faro, -, a'',
sion and the Republicans declined 70
| do so; this was also the case in Nevada
wher" III" question will he voted on
| next month. Democratic platforms in
Pennsylvania. New Jersey. New York.
Connecticut, Illinois and mot parts NJ
frope MANS wilma" sur
IoliinpI nv.r tho .,,,., .t,,,o,,.
seems IN mo M i,,stisoa,,an ,.'," 100
for dphtinp this nar,v 60, ,ho
bad record mad. hy iha ,rasa,' -, N.E
of Represrntativa. and n,,an 49, ~
is not "a bad as tic penuhlIc,, rooons
House aysr "a, re- '"I In,i any Etpunican