Palisadian. [volume] (Cliffside Park, N.J.) 1906-current, 1915-04-17
Pro-Sufragists


meeting on Tuesday evening at the
Congregational Church and thinks the
following letter will explain their po
sition. This letter was sent in re-
Spouse to one written by Mr.. Donald
son asking for suffrage speaker.
New Jersey Suffrage Association
State Executive Office
300 Park Avenue, Plainfeld, N. J.
April 9, 1915.
My dear Mr.. Donaldson:
On returning home after a three
days absence l find your letter ad
dressed to the National Suffrage As
ISOLATION here, it having been re-
ferred to me by the National Sec
rotary.
Of course l feel that this is a
matter which should be left to the
discretion of the local President, Mrs.
E. Yancey Cohen, but wish to ex-
plain to you the position of the New
Jersey Association and it's branches
in regard to debates. We have no
objection whatever to debating the
subject providing the debaters are
equally matched, but very few of US
are trained debaters, and the "Antis"
always send one of their staff of
speakers and debaters, generally
either Mr.. John Matthews or Mrs. j.
f. J. Goodwin sometimes Miss
Bronson or Mrs. Oliphant). AS l
understand it these workers are
paid regular salary, but in any
event they devote their whole time
to speaking and debating in New Jer-
sey and neighboring states. l per-
sonally have no objection to debating
with any of them, but this Associa-
ton has no paid speakers at all-in
fact all our workers with the excep-
ton of one clerk and one organizer
are volunteer workers. There are
many fine suffrage debaters, of course
Rabbi Wise, Mrs. Forbes Robert
son Hale, Miss Fola LaFollette and
others, but their lowest charge is
usually fifty dollars. We do not think
that anyone was ever converted by a
debate, and there is so much money
to be spent and work to be done In
reaching individual voters, giving
them literature and paying speakers
who are not debaters, that we have
advised our branches that it would be
a foolish waste of money for them to
spend fifty dollars on having suffrage
presented tor thirty minutes as part
of delate, when for the same money
they could hold number OF meetings
where suffrage would be presented.
You will realize that no reform move
ment el er has much money to spend.
We are told that the brewers of the
State are working to raise half a
million dollars to defeat US. Whether
this is true or not, various liquor or
CARNATIONS have passed resolutions
against woman suffrage and told all
their members to do everything in
their power to defeat it. This means
that we will have tremendous fight
on our hands, and must spend every
cent in the most careful way and be
sure that it will bring in as large
return as possible.
You know that a trained speaker
can present the weakest sort of
cause so as to win a debate if his
opponent is an amateur, or not thor
oughly posted on the line of argument
which will be taken. We had an in
stance of this in Plainfield a few
weeks ago. Senator Hennessy had
Assemblyman Matthews. Mr.. Mat
thews made all sorts of assertions in
regard to the number of women who
voted in such and such town, the
number of women who wished to vote,
etc. While Senator Hennessy is
thoroughly grounded in his belief in
suffrage, he is naturally not "up" on
all the suffrage statistics. Those Of
us who were at the meeting Tor many
of us) could have given him all the
figures he needed, but there was no
opportunity to do so. AS conse-
quence the local papers and every
person at the meeting not already a
suffragist felt that, as it was vulgarly
expressed about town, "the Ants had
put it all over the suffragists!" If
woman suffrage was merely an
academic question, we would not care
who won or lost, but it is a very
serious matter for us to lose a debate
in this critical stage of our campaign,
merely because the anti-suffragist has
more oratorical tricks up his sleeves
than an amateur suffrage speaker
would know how to combat.
Then, too, in number of debates
there have been unpleasant person
alities exchanged, and Mr.. Matthews
has insulted most grossly several
ladies who have debated against him.
We do not think it is fair to expose
our volunteer workers who are giving
every minute they can to the work
without any remuneration, to such
treatment.
This is the position being taken by
all our branches.
Members of the local suffrage
league will debate the question with
members of the local anti-suffrage
~ +ho will ri, J1y