Daily capital journal. (Salem, Oregon) 1903-1919, 1916-10-20
|ANT|-W|LSON WOMEN
ARE AGAIN REJECTED
Eugene Women Decline to
Join "Women's Party"
Activities on Suffrage
Eugene Daily Guard)


A second attempt to organize a
branch of the women s party in Eugene
failed when Mrs. William Kent met
with party of women in the tea room
of the Osborn hotel yesterday evening
Mrs. Kent outlined the position, stat
ing that she is certain that Mr.. Hughes
will support the Susan b. Anthony "a
mendment if he is elected to the presi
dency of the United States. She also
asserted that the democratic candidate
has merely endorsed the adoption of
suffrage by states, which, she claims,
will withhold the ballot from the ma
jority of women indefinitely.
"We are asking you women who al
ready have the right to vote to help us
in the non-suffrage states who have no
other hope than constitutional a
mendment," said Mrs. Kent. "There
are ironclad constitutions in the east
ern and middle western states that can
never be cvhanged, and so it is only
through congress and the president that
we can hope to realize our rights. BY
defeating the democratic administra-
tion we will surely attain our end. "
During the discussion that followed
Mrs. Kent was confronted by the fact
that Mr.. Hughes has never in a public
speech declared himself in favor of ma
tional suffrage, but that the only evi
dence of his stand on the question is a
from Utah, a suffrage state, immediate
ly after his nomination, stating that he
was in favor of the amendment.
Believes in Hughes
Mrs. Kent replied that although Mr..
, Hughes has not declared himself, and
even though Mr.. Wilson has said in
speeches that he is in favor of suffrage
she and the members of her party are
of the belief that Mr.. Hughes will real
ly do more than President Wilson.
Mrs. Kent was asked why Mr..
Hughes has never voted for suffrage.
She replied that Mr.. Hughes has been
in Washington since 1910, and could
not vote while in the District of Co
lumbia. This statement brought out the
information from one of those present
that Mr.. Hughes was at all times a
voter in New York, and could have cast
his ballot if he had so wished. President
Wilson, it was stated, went to New Jer-
sy to vote for suffrage, and there was
nothing to prevent Mr.. Hughes from
doing the same. He has not changed
his place of residence, it was pointed
out, for he is running for the office of
president as being from New York,
and not from Washington.
In conclusion, the women present
said that they believed the single tele-
gram sent by Mr. Hughes to the Utah
senator upon request is not enough evil
dence of Mr.. Hughes intention to war
rant the formation of a party in his
support, and that the movement for the
suffrage amendment to the constitution
will only be harmed by the policies
of the women s party.
Miss Margaret Whittemore spoke for
the women's party at meeting of the
Neighborhood club yesterday. Her talk
was the same as was that of Mrs. Kent,
according to those present.
Party Is Fallacy
"These women sound plausible
enough and | fear that they are being
taken too seriously by number of
those who hear them,' said one of the
women present at the Osborn hotel yes
terday. "However | hope that the wom-
en- of Eugene will not prove themselves
so gullible as to ieopardize the cause
of suffrage by believing the women s
party to be what it seems We have
Mr.. Wilson S word made publicly that
he will do all in his power for the ad-
vancement of suffrage. Mr. Hughes has
never said in public that he would do
so, The cause, also, has made just as
much progress during the present adj
ministration as it has done in the past,
| have no doubt that the republican
candidate will do all he can for us, too,
but he cannot do more than has Presi'
dent Wilson. Therefore, why should we
women be led by fallaeial hope that
we are going to help rather than hinder
our cause by taking sides in the polit'
-