Washington Journal., 1915-02-27
Women Of the United states:

Women Of the United States:
" seems TO me tho time haa ceme,
when the work, begun In a ANAL way
by Two In Washinaton, must
be extended BY all women thFeuaheut
thie, our country. +.
inspired by the speachae made by
the leaders In the Woman'a Peace
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS for which were
held in Washington. January tenth,
1915, Mrs. Charlotte ~FoaelemaH, Of
Austin, Tex, conceived the idea u q
petition to the President, asking that
an embargo hs placed on all munI-
tisns Of war. With others. che realized
fully that this country could best
prove its neutrality BY doing rethins
which would aid any o. the h~elisaEanse;
and she realized further, that the best
way to end the war NJ to stoR send-
ing forth material for human
slaughter.
After the petition had hesn written
Mrs. Fossslman consulted sss.h Mes.
r. Arnold, Of Washington. q c
undersioned-wso at onSe be0aRst aha
work Of sending out pstltlenss ~iah the
request to AH them WITH signatures.
did not realize how glpAptiAmy iasks
had had no training Ia public work
and no powerful organization stnQdi
back Of me- KnoMinas heN6xsF. taas
cca n1uek be Aklth me IN anslf hnmnnk
tartan work, wae 8ndaui1ted ana
consinusd working quietly hlasd BY
immediate frsends. uespiss h~nndIeaps
in a few weeks-for the work had %
be done quickly II II was 70. reach tire
President in time TO prevent
~bloodshed--l had the good fortune 10.
collect nearly $4,000 sIgnatures.
Then, even before she was ready,
word came from Representative c. O.
Lobeck, Of Nebraska, that he had &C..
cured an interview with the President,
On February eighteenth. eight women.
not one OF whom had ever appeared
in public, but all Of whom felt that,
the women Of all natlons were crying.
out to them to act, came and pre-.
scented the following petition:
I'VE, the undersigned wouen Of the
United States, do respectfully petition
your ExceIlency, as Chief Executive Of
y nation, to do whatever lice in,
your power to discourage and prevent
the unprincipled exportatiop Of arma
and ammunition to bsliioerent nations,
In which business a few Of the In.
habitants of the United States are now
engaged, and whereby the terrible
slaughter In those countries 10 de-
cldediy prolonged, and Unnecessary
misery, suffering and death brought
to countless men, women and children.
We, AZ women, feel that human
life 10 too sacred to be hartered away
for purely mereenary reasons,. and can
o rsfrain from appealing to your.
ExcelIency to aid us In securing such.
action by bur government, az will pre-.
vent a few pecPls In our country from
prolonplno the war, and enrlehlnQ
themselves on the blood .of their
feIlowmen,"
The apeaker explained clearly and
briefly the motives, which had in.
spired two retiring women to plead
for their fatlew-crsaturss. presldsrs
Wilson. most courteous, listened
earnestly and a~ttentively. At the con-.
~e.ualon he replied, that he wac heartily
in sympathy with the Humanitarian
motives which had Inspired the pc
titlon. He added that he, too, had con-
aidsred the matter long and carefully,
that he wished II lay within hIa
powers To- grant their plea. but no
feared that such an act would In.
evitably lead this country into war. %
II was without precedent. "Ladies,"
he concluded, 'sursIy you do . wish
20 involve this country in war;"
We agreed heartily with HE Iast
statement, but in answer TO the rest the
leader Of the party said, "Why 10 u
not just 10 possible now AZ Il wss IN
President Grants timer On January
TIVE nty-third, ts7t, isna after the Eure-