Shoshone journal. [volume] (Shoshone, Idaho) 1884-1931, 1916-10-20
WOMEN AND THE DEMOCRATIC
PARTY
(Adv.rtis.ment.)

tns part OL lhs NaflOnal W ON 81
party. Practically every county In our
own state has been visited and COM
mittiss OF local women fo-.sd This
past rs>k state headquarters have
been opened Up in Boiss Mrs. Inx
uilhoIIand Roissevsia Of New York, on
her fIve-usekr tour, Ass spoken at
four places in this state Mrs. Ssr.
Bard Field OF cslifOrnis, one Of thu
most active rorksv in this cause Of
nation wide suffrage. and Ons of the
most beloved and able speakers. spoke
on thu sth of October at tho Pinney
theater in 2oiss. From there she went
TO Twin Falls TO speak al a Womzn's
Party meeting. while the state fedora
tion ia holding il. session there
After the Women's Party convention
was held last June In Chicago. lead
ing papers and magazines commented
editoriIy and otherwise on the fact
that here was q group Of women nor
only deadly in earnest in their efforts
TO bring about nationwide suffrage.
gut that they were working 4 the only
way that politicians and parties would
recognize. These women had observed
the power Of party government" IN
all sorts Of national legislation Pre-
vious to 1916 women voters helped 10
choose only one thirty first Of the cleo
troral vote. whereas between 1910 and
they now help to choose one-fifth ont
that vote. which is one-third Of what
is necessary TO elect any president
Consequently. during the past three
years and a half Of active work at
Washington. their policy has been one
OF holding the party in power re-
sponsible for the passage OF the federal
suffrage amendment
The Democratic party's record is ex-
ceedingIy interesting to every one sin
cerely interested in the freedom OF Amr-
lean women In the 6srd congress
President Wilson opposed the passage
of the amendment In the senate the
Democratic leaders many months BE-
fore adjournment, forced It TO . vote
on a day when they openly said It
would be defeated. because there were
not enough supporters present And
In tn house. the judiciary committee
would not recommend its passage TO
the house. and the rules committee
would not give il Z place on the calan-
der. Because Of this hostile record.
the women went into the campaign
Of 1914 in nine suffrage states against
the Democrats. So vnen congress
a month later, the leaders OF !
the house allowed it TO be voted upon
but it was defeated because the Demo-
crat leaders gavo itnosup port, and
only 81 per cent Of their members
voted yes" II is significient that none
u the Democrats campaign.d against
voted no" The other parties did not
block it. for "a per cent OF the Repub-
lican and 90 TO 100 per cent OF the
Progressive and Independent vote ras
favorable.
When the 4th congress convened
last December. the federal suffrage
was again introduced. this
Tine by two or three senators. and By
four congressman. The Democratic
was considerably less than in
the eSrd and so the president and
Democratic leaders have this past ses-
sion prevented il from coming 10 a
vote In spite Of this attitude the ju-
iiciary committee Of the house would
have reported it had the leaders not
10 trick whereby they forced
4 combined vote on the indefinite post
ponement OF all federal amendments.
.hus preventing separate action on the
suffrage and prohibition amendments
This treatment on March t4th led
Immediately TO the sending Of 20 wO-
men on the Suffrage SpeciaTr for =
s0-days' trip through u free states
20 make an appeal 10 voting women
10 assemble in convention and there
consider how they could use their vot-
ng power for the success Of this meas
are The result was the adoption OF
. one-plank platform: The National /
party. convinced that the'en-
OF women is the para
mount issue. pledges itself TO use its
mited vote TO secure the passage OF /
he susan 3. Anthony amendment. ir-
respective OF the interests Of any ma
ional political party and pledges its
,nceasing opposition 10 all who oppose /
his amendment"
Following this declaration al na-
ional parties made promises as TO wo-
nan suffrage. But promises from the
party whose machinery
,onuolled the congress that was stlll