El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1916-09-07
War AIDS THE
WOMAN To VOTE
Head Of Suffrage League
Says Petticoat is Nearer
Ballot Than Ever.

Atlantic City. y. J.. Sept Mrs
| Carrie Chapman Gait. president Of the
| National American Woman's Suffrage
association, in her address before the
annual convention Of the association
here today. pictured the suffrage
movement as having reached a crisis
which means that The Women's Hour
Has Struck" Earnestly. she exhorted
the women not to lose heart but 10
recognize the present opportunity
which If seized with vigor. enthu-
siasm and viii, means the final victory
of our great cause in the very near
future
She said. in part:
The great war viii bring untold
I changes in its wake: it presages a to-
tai change in the status of women. N
Europe, from the PO-1r Circle to the
Aegean sea women have risen and
taken the places made vacant by men.
! and in so doing they have grown in
self respect and in the esteem of their
respective nations Indeed. Europe IS
! realizing as ii never did before, that
women are holding together the ciVili-
cation for which men are fighting.
VIII the widows left with families
TO support cheerfully leave their wei
paid posts after the war for those
commanding lower wages Not with
out protest, The European woman
has risen. Even Mr. Asquith. world
renowned for his immoVa BILE oppositfop
to the parliamentary suffrage for Brit
ish women. has given evidence of a
change of view. Some months ago, he
announced his amaZement at the u+-
IerlF unexpected skill, strength and re-
source developed by the women and
his gratitude for their loyalty and de-
yotiOn. 4 public statement issued by
Mr.. Asquith in August. was couche1
IN such terms as TO be interpreted by
many as a pledge to include women in
the next election bill
The significance of the changed
status of European women ha1 not
been lost upon the men and women Of
our land. As the most adamantine
rock gives way under the constant
dripping of water. so the opposition 10
woman suffrage in our own country
has slowly disintegrated before the
increasing strength of our movement
We have not won the reactionaries
OF any party, church or society and We
never will. From the beginning Of
things, there have been ants. Before
the vote is won. there must and will he
a gigantic final conflict between the
forces of progress, Righteousness and
democracy and the forces of ignorance,
evil and reaction
Shall we play the coward then. and
leave the hard knocks for our daugh-
ters or shall we throw ourselves into
the fray. bare our own shoulders to
the blows and thus bequeath 10 them =
politically liberated womanhOod2
Behind US. in front of US. everv-
where about US are suffra Eists--nil-
lions of them, but inactive and silent
Were never another convert made,
there are suffra gists enough in this
country, il combined. to make so ire
sistible a driving force that victory
might be seized at once The lnsis-
tence of the enfranchisement Of the !
women of our land by federal amend
ment is the only self respecting course !
to pursue
he VIC Of 0r H1 20
the right TO sit on the steps Of con-
gress until it acts. but it is their self !
respecting duty TO insist upon their !
acknowledgements by that route"
Three COrnered Debate.
A debate on the question Of whether |
the National American Woman SUI |
frage association should drop its work |
for state amendments and concentrate |
its efforts on a federal amendment. I
was a feature Of the opening session
Of the associations annual convention. /
Mrs Ida Hustled Harper. of New York. 1
as leader of the federal amendments |
forces. argued in the affirmative while |
Miss Laura Clay, OF Lexington. KY. |
argued in favor Of combining the right I
TO individual states; a third debater.
Mrs Raymond Brown, Of New York. !
took a middle ground in favor Of both 1
federal and state work.
FavOrs National Suffrage.
we have now obtained enough equal /
suffrage states TO make our measure
nauon political issue" Mrs. Harper (
said TO force its endorsement by the /
platform Of all five Of the political |
parties, TO persuade A presidential can
didate to declare for the federal amend /
ment which his party was too boss
ridden TO favor, TO compel the president :
IF the United States 10 reverse his
own attitude completely and defy the /
platform on which ne was elected and I
10 Wrest from a reluctant congress a D
vote in both houses and to scare il so /
badly that it has resorted to every
in 10
der not to put itself on record again {
before election. {
Have we not reached a point where
we can stop these minor attacks M,
our opponents right and left wings
and march our forces straight nm 10
the congressional trenches where the 3
main body Of the enemy lies con- |
Mrs. Harper named as opponents !
me me corporations. the liquor and other |
For states Rights.
-, us LAY sald fighting for suffrage. |
through seeking national legislation /
was difficult and precarious." AIIud- ]
ing 70 now military coercion was neces- !
sary 10 make some Of the states ratifv
tinued: 7iS 1Oi'
The Anthony amendment is a rene
1 ~ On OF the 10Th with the substitution I
OF me word sex for race. color or
previous condition Of servitude, pe !
fore II can become law. If vS1,s. ~, 2
ratified by the legislatures Of af 60 .
Of a principle which they rejected !
formerly.
In view Of these enormous diff {
culties, added to by the likelihood tbat I
our ASSOCIATION cannot continue its al /
vocacy of the Anthony amendT,e1'. /
without involving itself in partisan mol !
itics. Miss Clay concluded. u baIie,-.. !
II Is wise for our association to work !
only for such federal Legislation as a. 7
not require. from the states. the So I,
render OF any portion Of those rights I
reserved TO them by the constitution
Hard Work Ahead
Describing equal suffrapa ,- .s.,.o ,
livehest political issue before the mil }
lie. Mrs Brown alluded to the ltata /
campaigns which have been fought and !.
Won resulting IN growing number Of I
men being elected TO coDpresg - ~