Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1916-12-13
SUFFRAGISTS ATTACK
MILITANT METHODS"
Conservatives Assail Union
Members Who Heckled Wilson
by Unfurling Banner
AssAIL HUNGER STRIKE

An outn-the.open battle between con.
/ scrvutive sufrr1giEls, represented by the
| Pennsylvania State Association. backed by
| tho National AmcrirBr Woman Suffrage
| Association. and tho radicals. represented
| by the Congressional Union, was prcsngcd
| today. when nr Anna Howard shaw, hon
orary president 81 the national aud Mrs,
| John -. Miller VI tho state association. At
| tackled the union for the Arst time by name
for what they consider the culminatlon OF
the unions hcckling methods, the banner
pulling incident In the Capitol the other
day when President Wilson was reading
his message 10 Congress- The banner that
tho rnlonlsts let down bore the words "Mr
President, what are you golnE 10 do for
suffrHEc7'
Heretofore. although the conservatives
have admitted IN private that tho Union
was n thorn in their side their policy has
been 60 ignore Il In public. Tho inter
ruptlOn NJ tho President, however. state
suffraRists assert, was climax to methods
that they consider highly undesirable and
inmical TO the best interests or suffrage.
and seems 60 forecast oven more strenuous
and spectacular developments To intro
duce the early militant methods Of English
suftragists into the American suffrage cam
paign II a great mistake. they declare, and
because Miss Alice Paul, leader OF the Con-
grcssionRl Union, received her suffrage
training IN England and was ono OF the
original hunger strikers, they fear that
this note will be injected into the coming
campaign and that the work of the Union
will be confused In the minds OF the gem
eral public with that Of the National As
Aoclntion ana the State body affiliated
with Il.
1T was Inevitable" Mrs Miller said.
that the comparatively small organization.
the working field force OF which consists OF
hardly more than a dozen women, should
vcer more and more toward the spectacular.
being led as this small force is, by n woman
who engaged IN the hunger strikes In Eng
land as follower OF Mrs, Pankhurst. with.
out having the broad vision OF that leader,
who had declared a truce with her Govern
ment and has planned n more dlgnihed
method OF procedure Incidentally, Mrs.
Pankhurst criticized the methods OF the
Congressional Union while in this country.
That tho action Of the union Ia unpalat-
able, politically speaking 10 the American
men and the best American women IL
shown by the fact that all their campaigns
have been failures, and being failures must
be born OF n warped trend OF perspective
that must satiate Itself with the spectacular
so true does this seem that color is given
To the frequently made statement that al
though they may not In fact be working
with forces opposed to suffrage they un-
doubtedly give TO the opponents the best
weapons used to delay the acknowledgements
OF women. Certainly opponents OF suffrage
Cbulu not WISH TOT Wnat from the View
point or sincere sufrrugists. are such i'll
timed measures as the formation OF the
Womnn's Party the effort TO lam through
congressional union planks In the national
party platforms ana the campaign agIdnst
President Wilson in the West II was the
national organization that secured the ma
tional planks, and IL was the union that was
beaten and ignored. IL was the union,
also that returned from the West defeated.
when II failed 10 make good It's threat to
carry the West for the Republican preslden-
tial candidate.
Beaten at every turn when It's methods
have been contrasted with those OF the
National, tho Union seeks, II seems. by
every possible spectacular manner 10 keep
In the limeight, and overshadow the dignl-
fed and constructive work OF serious suf-
fragists II iH 10 be hoped that Pennsyl-
vanians and the country at large will not
confuse the Unionists with the National
Suffrage workers"
DOCTOR sHAw's OBJECTIONS
Doctor Shaw objected particularly to the
Congressional Unionlsts having used a
banner Of yellow, the color of the National
American Woman Suffrage Association.
pointing out that this Is not their own
color and It's use was instrumentation
We must always regret" she said the
Introduction Of the English heckling
methods In the United States, and regret
also that any organization led by a woman
trained In the English camp will continue
20 place IN the hands OF the cloaked force
opposed 10 suffrage so much ammunition
II was almost unbelievable that any
force OF women calling themselves suffra-
gists, no difference how small In numbers
should fight against either political party
particularly when that party In the West
had Joined with the other dominant party
so far as the States are concerned, TO en-
franchise the women thereof. II seems
almost unbelievable that this was done with
an altogether worthy motive, so ill-ad-
vised was H. So far as the first Incident IL
concerned. Il was most unhappy. although |
probably sufficiently sensational hapRan-
Ing for those who conceived II. Even N |
the UnlOnists differ from the President as |
20 his Views upon suffrage IL was tho |
President OF the United states to whom they |
were discOurteous as well as to Congress. |
President Wilson has done more than any |
other President ever did for suffrage and |
We take literally his promise made TO the |
national convention 20 fight with US and |
we confidently believe Congress. eventually.
will fight with the President, so far as |
suffrage Is concerned
UNIONS DEFENSE
According 20 Mrs, Harry Lowenburg. |
OF the Congressional Union in /
and one OF the women who /
the banner in Washington the |
have miscoRstrued the action i
OF the IniOnlsts into diScOuTeSy toward /
the President when Il was not intended
Through an history there have always /
been two sides 70 every movement Tor free
dom" she said the conservative and the /
aggressive. The way 10 night for suffrage /
Is the aggressive way.
'sThe night before the President read his /
message We saw II through a friend. We
had timed the unfurllng Of the banner to
the point where the President spoke OF
Justice to the Porto Rieans. We want JUS
lice for women II the Presidents facial
expression Is any Indication OF his atti-
tude OF mind toward Us Il was exceedingly /
genial and benign. He did not. 1 am sure.
construe our act as a discourtesy.
I'VE have a precedent, too. HObBon un-
firled a banner for prohibition Only he
had permission and We didn't We didn't
ask for permission, because We felt Ws
wouldn't set L.
I'VE have not hackled the president ana
Ne are nof usinE English militant methods
- a. uaf Intsua b thr9H p9Inbs 81 knock
people down. Tbs conservatives need hass
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