The Washington herald. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1906-1939, 1915-02-15
wilson TRAPPED,
SAYS SUFFRAGIS7
Must Come Out for Ballot or
Have bluff Called" As
serts Kate Gordon.
THRILLS VOTE ASSEMBLY
Woman Declares State Campaigns Have
Justified Demand for Democratic
Support-South Unites for II.

Miss Kate Gordon. of New Orleans. on.
Of the most eminent ballot seekers OF
the South and president Of the Southern
States Woman Suffrage Conference, yes
tcrday thrilled distinguished as
semblaSe in the Jardine de Dansc by de-
clarinS that President Wilson and the
Democratic party have been caught be-
tween two fires and must come out with
woman suffrage plank in their next
platform or stand before the nation wit h
their bluff called
Hiss Gordon explained how. when
President Wilson. a year ago. said
woman suffrage is a State and not "A ma
tional question. the Southern States
Woman Suffrage Conference was organ
lied to fight for the ballot through the
States and how in little more than a
year the conference has grown TO in
clude fifteen Southern States and the
District of Columbia. with many lou
sands Of members.
Hints Democrats "BIuncd.''
Miss Gordon did not say 50 in SO many
words. but she made it clear that many
believe the Democrats We're "blufiing''
when they said suffrage should he put
up TO the States and that the party was
merely seeking to evade the strong in
nucnce of the Congressional Union for
Woman suffrage and the National Amer
lean Woman Suffrage Association. which
demand the ballot by amendment of the
Constitution
To-day the Southern states Woman
Suffrage Conference occupies the most
spot on the suffrage map.''
declared Miss Gordon. THE women
seeking the ballot from Congress have
forced the Democrats to say: 1t Is not
up to Congress but up to the state leg
!slatures.' Now here We come along and
demand of the Democratic State lcgis-
Iatures: Give us the vote We believe
the Democratic party is for States rights
and We are going To make ii live up to
that tradition by putting woman suf-
fraSn plank in the next PLATFORM"
Miss Gordon said her organization has
1903 Southern newspapers behind il and
she called this the strongest factor aid
ing woman suffrage" She asserted that
the negro women of the South today form
the biggest obstacle to woman suffrage
and asserted that final solution of child
labor problems will come when mothers
OF the nation may have voice in shap-
ing laws.
The meeting was held under the aus
pices of the Kate Gordon Chaptcr of the
'outHtTn STATES W oman Suffrage Con-
ference. Mrs. Wesley Martin Stoncr.
Hartman Of the chapter. presided Rep
'esentative Abercrombie. of Alabama de-
Jared the equal ballot is needed for
what ii will do for women for tho
men. for tn" home. for politics. and for
he nation and asserted thar in the
icht of our increasing intelligence WON
IN suffrage soon will come.
Cites Cigarette Habit.
Representative Mcclellan of Tennessee.
said: Opponents of woman suffrage
nave told m" the ballot is unwomanIy.
md have asked whether they thought
is more unwomaniy to cast a ballot
nan IT Is for "A woman TO drink high
'alls in her club. smoke cigarettes in
Ter boudoir. play bridge in her drawing
DOM. or gossip on her front veranda"
Col. John Temple Graves. newspaper
writer. said: Were | asked TO give a
'onCise. concrete argument for woman
outrage now. | would point to Miss Kate
GORDON. the best citizen of the Crescent
'Ity of New Orleans. Another argu-
nent | could advance is Sophie Irene
Deb. New York newspaper writer. who
las done such things as giving New
FORK better taxicab service. establish
NJ twenty-sevcn Fairgrounds in that
ity. and making its picture theaters
anitary and safe