The sun., 1915-10-03
MR.. TAFT ANSWERED.
His Anti-SuRrsge Argument Consld
cred by an Advocate Of Equality.

recent number OF the Philadelphia
Saturday Ercning Post Is not mani
fest until the last paragraph, in which
he says:
II In any OF the States now acting on
the question ! were called upon to vote
I would vote against giving the suffrage.
It's clearly apparent purpose is thus
shown to be the defeat Of the pending
constitutional amendments in New
York. Massachusetts. New Jersey and
Pennsylvania. We have here the spec
tacle of man who less than three
years ago was President Of the whole
people of the United States deliber-
ately using the prestige Of that POSI-
ton to strike down the efforts Of
vast body Of citizens in four States to
obtain for themselves a voice in their
government. The case IL without q
parallel.
Mr.. Taft gives as practically the
only reason for striking this blow that
the women OF these States are not yet
intelligent enough to be trusted with
the ballot. He adds as subsidiary
reason that probably a majority OF
the women do not wish TO vote and are
opposed to receiving the franchise"
and says:
In states where the beneficial result OF
woman suffrage Ia certified 90 there II no
visible evidence OF II in the character OF
the government.
When Mr.. Taft was President. in
May, 1910, he welcomed" a conven-
ton of the National Suffrage Associa-
ton to Washington and in his speech
he said:
Popular representative government We
approve and support because on the whole
every class who are intelligent enough to
know what their own interests are. ar"
better qualified to determine how those in
terests shall be caSrd for than any other
class. however aitruistic. But ! call your
attention to two qualifications. one is that
the class should be Intelligent enough TO
know their own interests. The theory that
Hottentots or any uneducated. altogether
unlntellIgent class is fitted for self-gov-
ernme Mt at once IL theory that I wholly
dissent from-but this theory Is not ap-
plicable to the question here. The other
qualification Is that the class should care
enough to look after It's Interests. TO take
part as a whole In the exercise Of political
power. II conferred. II not. the danger
is that It may be exercised by those leas:
desirable and neglected by many OF those
-, ,.. H.,
-N '',.S p''''' n.,,,a,,. -
,he auu'ei'ce anu VIC
tinued:
II l oould De sure .ha' a. 'h- -.
'e'Eeh' "o',e" ~ .Sa,,I, n. II, ,,vor
y, 4, 4, rresent .h.re is considerable
doub, on this po!n;
Tho ds,apates from the four States
,.,aro ,,.,,,n, ~ that time had the suf-
sr,,a ,ool, mis- as a nersonal insult,
5 +, us, ho l.f, 70 oniccture
wbe,her 4, was for this reason that
n.ba, no vas AGAIN n candidate he re-
oot,a1 IN. ,,ote Of only one Of these
S,,,.s I.,ab and no, of the two that
no, haa, ,dlod. There are twelve Of
,hem NOW. and If really seemed super
auous tina; at the same time his
article aupeared the announcement
should he made that he would not be
a candidate next year.
The officers OF the National Suf-
frage Association apoloeized to Presi-
dent Taft and made every possible
r.narotion for the h!sses, but now. five
veor, Infer ha repeats the offending
statements ana emphasizes them. What
vera ,ha Influences behind Mr. Taft
, II is idle 10 question: he alone must
take the responsibility of using what
ever mower he possesses 10 continue
III. Acknowledgement Of several mill
ion women citizens after the hardest
struggle ever made to obtain the suf-
fraye. and in this character he must
go down in history.
In every paragraph OF his article
hc nuts the brand OF inferiority on
! women Their immediate enfran
| chiseneut." he SAYS. will increase the
I nroportion Of the hyster!cal element
| OF the electorate To such n degree tha:
II Will lie Injurious TO the public well
| fare" He drags IN the violence Of
| the suffragettes In England who
show a hyster!cal condition of mind
| which proves that women have no
/ such common sense or self-reStraint
as 10 fir them To- exercise political
mower" lie utterly ignores. however
| ,he sixty wears of suffrage agitation
/ IN ,he United States unmarked by one
no, of ,.ioleuce or defiance OF law, He
I tnl,.s NO account of the campaigns
! in the four States where the question
,s about TO be voted on in few
w,.l,s which for several wears thou
sands NJ women have carried on ac.
,ivelv and unccastrCly without one