Evening star., 1915-12-13
ANTl,SUFFRAG|STS.
I BEGIN CONVENTION
One Hundred Delegates Are on
Hand for the Opening
Session.


In the small ballroom of the Shore
! ham Hotel, listened this morning te
! statements and arguments designed to
, show the unfitness of women for -vot-
J. ing and reports from many states as
! to the success of the organization in Its
opposition to having the ballot tnrust
upon the women of the United States
The feature of the opening session
was letter from John W: Foster
! former Secretary Of State. giving his
views in opposition to the extension
of the franchise to women. The letter
J was read by Mrs. Robert Lansing. Mr.
Fosters daughter, and wife OF the
present Secretary of State.
The session began at 1880 O'Clock
with the reading of the minutes OF the
last convention. Mrs. Arthur Dodge
president. presided, with Mrs. william
B. Glover as secretary.
In her report Mrs Dodge presented 9
comprehensive outline Of the years
work from the point of view of the
! antis. laying special emphasis on the
in Pennsylvania, New York, New Jersey
and Massa chusetts. In her report Mrs.
Dodge asserted that a large majority
of the women Of the country are unal-
chise thrust upon them," and called
attention to the recent setbacks suf-
fered by the suffragists as indicating
that the cause they represent is rap
Mrs. Lansing Reads Letter.
! In the letter read by Mrs. Lansing.
! former Secretary Foster asserted that
the electoral franchise is not embraced
Jn the inalienabIe rights described in
our Declaration of Independence, but
Is one which is granted or withheld in
! the option of the governing power of
the body polite" He declared that the
nj q
decided by the several states and can
not properly be considered as coming
within the purview of the federal gov
ernment or of Congress.
Supporting his contention that wom-
. an suffrage is a question to be decided by
. the states. he called attention to the vir-
tual disfranchisement Of large proportion
!. of the colored population of the south ;
to the action of western states in with
holding citizenship and the franchise
from Asiatics: to the ltteracy test pre-
scribed in several states. and held that
. It would constitute an invasion Of the
rights of a sovereign state should the
effort be made by federal enactment
to extend the franchise to certain
classes of citizens from whom 1t Is
now withheld. The former Secretary
Of State concluded his letter thus:
Il trust sthis examination of exist
ing conditions of the various states will
confirm you in your conviction that 1t
Is the part of wisdom to continue as a
by the fathers of the country, and to
leaTe the question of female suffrage
to the determination of each Of the
states. to whom they assigned it,
Sufragists Are Condemned.
Mrs. Glover. at the close of the read
ing Of the letter. presented a resolution
in which the activities of the suffra-
gists were characterized as unpatriotic.
The resolution, which was adopted
without discussion, recited in a number
Of whereases belief that that the pro-
ponents of equal suffrage must know
that their efforts are thoroughly futile"
that they were making use OF the
government for purposes of self-adver-
tising and for the exploitation OF their
propaganda" and quoting with sharp
criticism statements ascribed to suffra-
gfsts and suffrage organizations to the
effect that "the enfranchisement Of
women Is more important than revenue.
commerce, national defense or interna-
ffonal relations" condemned ''the lack
Of patriotism exhibited by the suffra-
kists in uselessly annoying the Presi-
dent Of the United States and Congress
by making sham fight which Is a
scandal and reflection upon the In
te11igence of American womanhood"
The resolution concluded with the ex-
preston of the belief that 1t was the
duty of the organization '-to keep the
public informed regarding the reluct-
ance Of a large majority of American
women to have the ballot thrust upon
them, and contradict with facts and in
controvertible proof the misleading
BUfragists.
The remainder of the morning ses-
sion was taken up with the reading Of
reports from the various states. Mrs.
Dodge leading with a brief report from
Alabama. where. she said. although the
anti-sunrage forces have no organiza-
tion. proposition for the submission
Of a franchise amendment was defeated
this winter by the work OF one woman.
At the Afternoon Session.
At this afternoons session. after the
conclusion of the reading Of state re-
ports. work Of the national organiza-
ton in Washington this. winter was
discussed and plans were made for ac-
lively combating in Congress the ac-
tiyities of the suffrage forces Elec-
tion of officers was scheduled for late
this afternoon. Delegates to the con-
vention are to be received tomorrow by
President Wilson at the White House.
and 1T is planned to have delegation
appear before the republican national
committee If that body gives hearing
/ to the suftragfsts.
Mrs. Thomas T. Gan. vice president of
the District branch of the National
Society Opposed to Woman Suffrage.
when members of the society here for
the annual convention, were the guests
of honor.
List of the Guests.
Among those present were Mrs.
Nicholas Anderson; Mrs Arthur Addi-
Hon. Mrs. Willard Brownson. Mrs. G4st
Blair. Mrs. Lothrop Bradley. Mrs.
Woodbury. Blair. Mrs. Edison Bradley.
Mrs. Buckingham. Mrs. Douglas Put
nam Birnie. Mrs. Joseph H. Bradley,
Mrs. Henry c. Cerbih, Mrs. Edward E
Mrs. Allerton Cushman. Miss Card, Mrs.
{. Robert Chapman. Mrs J. Vaudeville
Carlisle, Mrs. John Davidge. Mrs
Arthur Wallace Dunn. Mrs. Stephen
EIkins. Mrs Richard Ely. Nine. Eken.
gren. Miss Elliott and Mrs. Frank
3 Fletcher.
Mrs Charles FTtzhugh. Mrs. Henry Fair.
hanks. Mrs. Charles c. Clover Mrs Homer
Query. Miss Gwynne. Mrs. Oliver
Wendell Holmes. Mrs. Charles Hanlin,
Nine. Hauge. Mrs. Robert Henry, Mrs
Mrs Richard A Harlow. Miss Laura Har,
Ian. Mrs. ". Morgan HILL Miss Henriaues
Mrs. Theodore Jewell. Mrs. Ralph Cross
johnson. Miss johnson, Mrs John p
Jackson. Mrs. Ralph Jenkins. Mrs.
Robert Lansing. Mrs. Robert Lincoln. Mrs.
Joseph Letter. Miss Murray Led
yard. Mrs. Henry F. Lipr,Itt
Miss Lay. Mrs Charles L. McCawiey
Mrs. David Mckee. Mrs. Charles McFee
Mrs. L. Rollins Morse. Mrs Mont.
gomery Macomb, Mrs. Alexander
Magruder. Mrs. Alex. Mahan. Mrs.
Robert Shaw Oliver. Miss oliver,