Roanoke Rapids herald. [volume] (Roanoke Rapids, N.C.) 1914-192?, 1916-09-29
SUFF2AG|STS CERTAIN
OF DEMOCRATS HELP
Leaders Resent Efforts TO Turn
the Cause Into an Adjunct
of Republican Party.
WON OVER BY PRESIDENT
~ Have Come Here to Fight WITH
YOU" He Tells Them-"Wllson
Voted for Suffrage; Has
Hughes7" Asked One.


Hughes" Asked One.
Western women who have had the
ballot equally with the men for several
years resent the interference of one of
the factions Of suffragists and the at
tempt to turn the suffrage cause into
an adjunct Of the Republican party.
They believe they know how to vote
without being told by women who
never had the vote; and they refuse to
turn against the Democrats who have
done so much for their cause In their
respective states.
This attitude Is brought out clearly
In an interview by Nixola Greeley
Smith, nationally prominent as a
writer on the staff of the New York
World, with Mrs. Alexander Thomp-
son. Democratic National Committee
man from Oregon, and Mrs. Theresa
M. Graham Of Occur d'Alene, Idaho.
"One would think" observed Mrs
Thompson to Miss Greeley Smith,
that II any instruction In suffrage
matters had to be given 1t would come
from the women who have won the
vote and do vote rather than from
Suffragsts In the East who are still
dlsfranchised. | am young woman,
but l have been through three cam
paigns for the vote In Oregon. In the
final campaign we won through the
cooperation and help and belief In US
Of the men of Oregon.
Aided by Democratic.
"We have been voting only Ave
years and we are still grateful to our
men. So, when the Congressional
Union sent speakers to Oregon to tell
us to vote against all Democrats we
laughed at them. Why. at the last
election they campaigned against
George e. Chamberlain, who introduced
the first Suffrage bill in Oregon and
who had been the friend Of the wom-
en- all through their fifteen years
fight.
II agree with every word that Mrs.
Thompson has spoken" declared Mrs.
Graham. "The conditions In my State
are the same as in Oregon, except that
we have had the vote for twenty years,
and 1t was given to US without our
having TO fight for II. The Congress
slonal Union has speakers in Idaho
now urging us to slaughter the Demo
Gratis and free our sisters In the East.
How silly that Is Are women In the
East 50 foolish as to be led away by
the mere declaration Of a candidate,
unsupported by his party, that he's
personally In favor of Federal
amendment? Woodrow Wilson voted
for Suffrage. Has Charles E. Hughes
ever voted for Suffrage? Wilson has
done everything consistent with a be-
lief In State rights, one Of the funda.
mental principles Of Democracy. suf.
fraee can never win as a partisan Is
sue. ALLEVIATE the Democrats en- masse
and you have killed every chance Suf-
frage has"
Won by Wilson's Speech.
1t Is admitted by practically all suf-
fragists that their cause has been
helped greatly by the speech President
Wilson made before the convention of
the National Woman's Suffrage Assocl-
alton at Atlantic City recently, on Sept.
8th. When the President told them
he had "c0me here to fight with you"
the 1000 suffraglsts gathered In Nixon's
Theatre arose and cheered him en-
Enthusiastically.
This pledge by the President led
Mrs. Carrie Chapman Gait, president
Of the association, to say:
you touched our hearts and won
our fealty when you said you had
come here to fight with u.s."
"The astonishing thing about this
movement" said President Wilson, SIS
not that II has grown so slowly, but
that 1t has grown so rapidly.
l get little impatient sometimes
about the discussion of the channels
and methods by which II Is to prevail.
1t is going to prevail, and that Is a
very superficial and ignorant view of
1t which attributes It to mere social
unrest. 1t Is not merely because the
women are dlscontented, 1t is because
the women have seen visions Of duty,
and that Is something which we not
only cannot resist, but, If we be true
Americans, we do not wish to
II have felt as sat here tonight the
wholesome contagion of the occasion.
Almost every other time that | ever
visited Atlantic City came to fight
somebody. | hardly know how to con-
duct myself when have not come to
fight somebody, but with somebody.
II have come to suggest, among
other things, that when the forces of
nature are steadily working and the
tide is rising to meet the moon, you
need not be afraid that It will not
come to its flood. We feel the tide
we rejoice in the strength Of it."
AN ANTi-cAMPAioNf
AS candidate Mr.. Hughes has not
yet come up to expectations. The
trouble Is that he has not yet told the
American people positively and con.
eretely Just what he proposes to do
" elected President. The American
people want TO know what construc-
tive program Mr.. hughes has to offer
them. They demand Of leader a
demonstration Of leadership. There
Is serious danger that the Repub-
ltcan candidate may become an "anti. .
And 1t never pays In this world ia
be an ant-apything.-Ths Ipdepene
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