New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1917-09-08
War and Suffrage"
tor Of The Tribune.

To the Editor of The Tribune.
Sir: rise again 10 answer an anti.su,.
fraoist's letter, entitled "War and Suffrage
in to-day's issue. Your correspondents
opinion is that "women who seek the vote
are impeding the movements Of democracy"
England and Russia have not won the war
England is suffering from lack OF states.
manship.p RUSSIA is weak and unreliable"
"It is these nations which are giving the yo,.
to women" She inquiries, Does turtle;
Termination Of democracy hold out any
alluring hope Of democrscy's ultimate vic,
, tory"
am not aware that any sufragist how
ever enthusiastic, has gone so far as 70
promise victory for the Allies in return tor
our success at the polls this fall. That wosI
be rather a large prediction promise. b:
if England and Russia have failed 70 win tie
war. il is not because their women have no,
stood Loyalty to help in every way they could.
Has YOUR correspondent forgotten the Rus.
sian women's impassoned manifesto and
their Battalion of Death? Or that W.
Asouith, so long opposed TO suffrage, snally
stated in the House of Commons that ENG.
land could not have waged the war without
the help that English women had given?
Nearly two years ago Lord Braithwaiis
said, when this war is over, Engishmen
will give women the vote, not as reward,
but gladly, gratefully and reverently as their
lust due for all their loyal services"
Your correspondent AYERS that the French
are indifferent TO suffrage. Does she know
that it is several years since special CON.
mittee, appointed by the Chamber OF Depu'
ties. reported that it could find no valid
objection to suffrage" and recommended that
the women be enfranchised? Also that steps
are now under way TO give them the munlel'
pal vote as quickly as possible?
IL is true that there has been less agitation
about it than in England or here, for the
obvious reasons that French women have h's
enjoyed an almost perfect equality VIII
men in all the relations OF life except ne
political. In no country in the world 60
women meet with such true partnership
such entire intellectual respect from men IS
in France. It is a part of the incompatible
savoir vivre Of the French people. Under
such conditions women have not felt tneH
political inferiority so strongly as IN oths'
countries, though there are many ardeh'
suffragists in France.
The attitude Of such opponents seems 70
me sort of standing stock still in the rosa
They look neither forward nor back. II they
looked back at the historic social process
they would see the successive eniranehlse
ment of one class after another, the ever
widening area of political liberty. Ihey
would see that the ocean tides are not more
irresistible than the majestic advance o.
democracy; that the inevitable next step
the enfranchisement Of women everywhere
Il must follow as the day the night OUT o.
the past.
II they looked forward, they would see
vision of the world as it ought 70 BE- ana
can be, and will be, in the great day OF eq-a'
opportunity when democracy, iulI'gr0""'
shall have struck off all its Shack.es.
II Germany with evil power, should de'es'
democracy this time. does anybody suppo"
that democracy would stay defeated! ~
when the last Kaiser on this planet IS osa'
and turned TO dust democracy VIII sun y
finding new victories to win! II Is not "
who are impeding its movements t0'DA.,
We have trained a great army OF WON ,
in the principles Of democracy; we oe"','
in votes for women because we believe y
votes for men, Why do We believe IN V0"'
for men? Because we believe in demoef'''
And | know that | can speak for al! ny
sister suffragists when ! say that there /"
nothing they so deeply desire now as 70 ia"
the suffrage issue settled and out OF 'H'
way--,o be set free from the grinding ISOO''
of this long struggle, in order that they nlS!
give themselves with undivided strens'n,
mind and heart and will, every power ana
every faculty TO the service OF our eoun'''
in this hour of democracy's great ordes.
ANTOINETTE r. PETERSON'
New York, Sept. 5, 1917.