The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1915-12-13

An eloquent address against rre-
pGredneRs was made before the south
ern states WOmans Suffrage Confer
encs yesterday afternoon at the JEFF
ferson auditorium by Miss Laura Clay.
Of Kentucky. the daughter of Cassius
Clay. of Richmond, and sister of Mrs.
S. d. Crenshaw, also of this city.
The governing classes, declared
Miss Clay. knowing fGll well the hor-
rors of war, have been ablo TO deceive
their people with specious arguments.
most untrue of which is that prepared
ness viii prevent war. Nine~tenths
Of the military and naval forces OF
The world are kept up by eight ma
tions, and seven Of those nations are
now plunged in war"
Speaking of the inauguration of the
Wowan's Peace Party, Miss Clay SAID:
IN cry for peace has gone out from
the beliigerent nations to the neutral
nations a cry which has made par
ticularly forcefui appeal to the women
the women Of America.
In January. 1915, a great mass
meeting of social workers was held in
Washington. az which the Woman's
Peace Party aprang into being, with
Jane Adams at It's head. A plank in
their party platform declares that suf-
frage should be extended to women
for the greater humanizing of the
world.
ITO find tho truth on which law
should depend demands the efforts
Of both men and women When the
idea OF physical force as the support
al of government is replaced by the
idea OF justice and order, it will ne
seen that government is not essen
TALLY masculine"
Question of Child Labor.
Miss Jean Gordon. of Louisiana,
who is one of the foremost workers
In the United States. i'll the opposition
TO child labor. told how her work
IN that field covertsd her to suf-
frage
Il went into the Louisiana Legis-
lature." she said, land heard them
pass laws for the protection of musk
rats. alligators, oysters and shrmps.
but when we proposed law for the
protection of children. it was an en-
tirely different question"
The national child labor law,
which will come up before Con
eress again this session has been
strongly endorsed by the Southern
States Suffrage Conference.
Mrs. Ida Hustled Harper read n
very interesting address ON the argu~
ment for AND against suffrage
On tho question of war she brought
out an interesting fact not hitherto
d welt on.
Some directors. she said, say the
women would all stand for peace
and we should become 3 nation Of
moliycoddles. Evidently that is what
the 'munition- makers think. for. If
reports he true. they helped tn kill
the suffrage amendments IA the
Eastern States last month
Again she said; There are inany
other objections 10 the ballot Cor wo~
mon. such as 1t would only double
the number of ballots cast. as the
women would all vote as the husbands
did Well, really, this is q prospect
of domestic harmony that ought to be
encouraged
number of questions about suf-
frage were asked by the audience, all
OF which were answered by the
speaker
A collection was taken up to tn.
tune Of series of witty stories by
Mrs. Ida Porter Boyer
The meeting opened with a prayer
by the Rev. William Russell Bowie
and closed with a benediction by Rev
T.. e. Osgood. of Emmanuel Church.
At the conclusion Of this mornings
session many OF the. delegates Will
leave for Washington TO take part in
the national convention in that city
this week,