The Northwest worker. [volume] (Everett, Wash.) 1915-1917, 1916-09-21
BENSON TELLS WOMEN SOCIALIST
STAND ON SUFFRAGE QUESTION

Tor president, was one of the speakers
ut the session of the Woman's Party
National Convention, Blackstone The
alter, Chicaro, Tuesday evening, June
6, when representatives of all politi-
cal parties appeared to give their
reasons why the 100000 women
voters should vote for their party.
In writing about this meeting, Ida
NJ. Tarbell, who gave us "rhe History
of Standard OIL" without subsidy
from "John D., said:
"Those of the gentlemen who had
not been too long in politics TO learn
from that which happens to them
must have sensed several things be-
fore the meeting was over. One very
important thing was that they faced
a body of women who can follow more
Understandings and sympathetically
a Socialist like Allan l.. Benson, in
spite of his Haunting them and their
support to their faces than they can
an old-fashioned republican like John
Hayes Hammond.
Votes don't natter Benson shot
at them. Nothing but education mat
ters. Women, like men, don't know
how to vote. Nevertheless, if you
have nothing but ignorance, you have
right to contribute that. AS for the
Socialists we shall continue to vote
for suffrage, rs we always have done,
| if no women vote for us
"Much as they gasped at Bensons
defiance of their power they took
it like sports and sent him to his seat
with rounds of cheers and long wav-
ing of their lovely banners. (They
have a wonderful eye for color, these
new politicians,)
! "But when Mr.. Hammond, confident
and bland, assured them the Repub-
lican party offered them protection
from invaders, they jeered him. They
understand they are their own pro-
| tectors and war scares are not going
to stampede them"
This is what Benson said:
MADAM Chairman, Women and
Men: AS | understand it, | was ask
ed here not to explain and defend the
principles of Socialism, but to answer
as we'll as could this concrete ques-
ton: What, in your opinion, is the
reason, if any, why the four million
women of the United States who have
votes should vote for the Socialist
Party?', this being in my mind all
the while, that what you want is to
nationalize suffrage by bringing about
the adoption of the constitutional
amendment that is known as the Su-
san B. Anthony amendment. Gap
plause.) That is the question as |
understood it, and if that be the way
it was put to me l will proceed.
| GAS you women get further and
further into politics you will find it
more and more interesting, if not al
ways more and more delightful, and
you will also as you go along meet
surprises; perhaps you might as well
have one surprise now.
We have in the Socialist Party
and l say it without offense to the
members of other parties-we have
in the Socialist Party no department
of promises. (Applause.) Our first
consideration is not getting votes.
On the other hand, that is our last
consideration. Our first consideration
is to spread abroad throughout this
land a broad, deep understanding of
the philosophy of Socialism as we
know it. After that understanding
comes we feel that the votes will ma
terialize exceedingly quickly. But
without that understanding we feel
that even if by some accident a So
cialist administration were to be elect
ed, that administration would inevita-
bly, fail, because we proceed upon the
assumption that the amelioration of
the ills from which we all suffer can
be accomplished only by d process of
education. (Applause.)
"Now, if you women know nothing
about Socialism except that we favor
woman suffrage-if that is all you
know about it, why, your four million
votes would do us harm (applause)
for the reason that that would create
the impression throughout this coun-
try that the nation was rapidly swing
ing to Socialism, when as matter of
fact it would only be swinging around
to get help on woman suffrage You
would leave US as quickly as you came,
and when you left US we should be
compelled to explain for the next four
years why our vote slumped. ZAP
plause.)
The Socialist Party has always been
in favor of woman suffrage. 1t has
been in favor of it more years than