Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1916-03-16
CONGRESS'AL UNION
WOMAN SUFFRAGE
MEETS WEDNESDAY
With Mrs. Guy P. Gannett at
Her Home on State Street
and Listens to Mrs. Florence
Brooks Whitehousc, Who Ex-
plains the Aims and Purposes
of the National and Congress
sional Union Suffrage Organ
izations

At an informal meeting of the Con-
gressional Union for Woman Suffrage
| which was held at Mrs. G. P. Gannett's
| home on State street at $50 P. NJ,
Wednesday. Mrs. Florence Brooks
Whitehouse read an address written by
! Robert Treat Whitehouse explaining
| the aims and purposes OF both the
national and the Congressional Union
| Suffrage organizations. She said in
part: Since the National Suffrage As
ISOLATION has definitely abandoned the
shafroth amendment, and concentrated
It's efforts solidly on the Susan B. An
thony amendment to the constitution
there is no longer a difference Of opin-
ion between the National and the Con-
! grcssional- Union Suffrage parties on
this point.
They both desire and arc working
for federal amendment and eSact!|
the same form of amendment. In re-
| gard to the methods to be adopted or
policies to be pursued in securing the
passage of the amendment, however
those in control Of the National Asso-
citation insist that there must be
parting of the ways. That the Natlonai
must not actively endorse or even be
passively identified with, the so-called
policy of the Congressional Union.
1.-The two fundamental principles
which constitute the raiSon deter OF
the Congressional Union, are, first. to
invoke the aid of the women voters OF
the suffrage states of the West to IN
, fuence their congressman to support
the federal amendment. and thus Sc
cure the vote for their disfranchised
sisters of the East. Second. to induce
such woman voters to take a position
which shall be the essence OF non-par-
tisanshp, namely. whenever necessary
to place suffrage as above all their reg
ular party ties. and regardless Of par
ty. to support only those candidates
for Congress who will agree to vote
for the amendment. irrespective OF the
dictates of their party, caucuses, or
| leaders The National Association IS
at present engaged in organizing con-
cressional districts Of the states in or
der to bring influence to bear upon
their congressman, by resolutions and
conferences, also interviews, to induce
them to support the federal amendment.
ut is understood that these organza-
tons will be effected in the suffrage as
well as In tIe HOil-Suhi d6O SeoISS -
sumably this must be SO, since the ma
tional would hardly stultify itself by re-
fusing to enlist the direct influence OF
voting women to accomplish the same
object which they are seeking to obtain
through the indirect influence of their
non-franchised sisters, and the vote or Il
congressman from a suffrage state Tor
the federal amendment is just as Ia.!-
able, if not more so, as one from any
other.
Mrs. Gait in her speech at Portland
recently said:
g. For years you have been standing
for suffrage, but you have been dong
nothing but standing. Now it is time to
begin moving and to move forward just
like men," She went on to say that
the Congressional Union believed just eX
actly what Mrs. Gait had expressed. and
that they wished to utilize the identical
established and approved political meth
DDS which men of this country have used
since it was established as a representa-
tive democracy.
! She said that the national association
is unwilling to oppose the election of a
congressman who is member of a par
ty on record as opposed to the passage
of the federal amendment on the ground
of his party allegiance. while the Con-
gressional Union is ready. on the other
hand, to oppose such a candidate if nee
essary 1.-The national at this point simp-
ly balk, halt, and decline to go further.
"They have put their hands to the plow.
in the same furrow. but refuse to carry 1t
through to the burrows end
She went on to show the good that
would result from a consolidation of the
two big suffrage organizations. and the
address was listened to with intense in
terest by the members of the local asso-
citation.