New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1917-09-24
Western Members, How.
ever, Line Up for Special
Committee
Pickets Are Disowned
Women, in Appeal to Con-
gressmen, Decry Mill
tant Tactics


] WASHINGTON. Sept. 23.-The Raker
resolution providing a special suffrage
committee in the House will meet with
strong opposition from "anti' members
when it is reported by the Rules Com
mittee tomorrow.
" such a committee is created, ,he
| Federal suffrage amendment will be
I transferred from the Judiciary Com
, mittee, where it now lies unreported,
to the jurisdiction Of the new COM
mittee. To this Chairman Webb Of the
Judiciary Committee objects, wishing
TO retain control, and he is said 10 he
making an active canvass OF the House
to secure votes against the pending
report Of the Rules Committee. Sup
porting the Rules Committee, however,
are the delegations from the suffrage
states. where there are now more than
100000 women who will vote III the
next Presidential election.
Speaker Favors Change
Speaker Clark and Chairman Pou
have both approved the Rules Commit
! tee report. Chairman Webb OF the
Judiciary Committee. in his hEht
against it, is actively seconded by Car
minority Of the Rules Committee.
Fighting hard for their party claims
as Western Democrats in support OF
the resolution are Raker, Of California;
Heating and Taylor, of Colorado, and
HAYDEN, of Arizona, with Mondell. of
Wyoming, and French. of Idaho, lead
ing the forces of the Western Repub-
Leans. The Western element OF both
parties is keenly alive to the lmpor-
lance of meeting the demands of the
voting women of their states.
Mrs. Maud Wood Park, Congressional!
chairman of the National American
Woman Suffrage Association, to-day
sent letter to all members of the
House urging them to support the
Rules Committees recommendation on
the subject. Mrs. Parks letter reads'aS
follows:
"The National American Woman Suf-
frage Association, composed OF state
wide leagues of women the country
over and numbering 10000 members,
asks your support for the recommen-
dation of the Rules Committee TO ere
ate a committee on woman suffrage In
the House.
1--WE believe that fair-minded men,
whatever their views on the general
question of woman suffrage, Will agree
that principle of such undeniable ma
tional importance should be considered
by q committee which has time for
thorough investigation Of the subject.
We consider IL a matter of justice that
the women OF this nation, who are one
half its people and share the country
burdens equally with the men, should
be given this means Of presenting their
cause TO Congress. We know also that
the 5000 900 women voters OF this
country in nineteen OF our states eN-
pect this recognition of women's polit-
ical interests.
Disown the Pickets
Lest there be any misunderstanding,
let me make clear that our ASSOCIATION,
Of which Mrs. Carrie Chapman Gait Is
president, has no connection with the
small group Of women, in different
organization. who have adopted the tao
tics of 'picketing' the White House.
Through our national president and our
state branches also our disapprOyal OF
such tactics has been repeatedly and
I emphatically declared"
Several members of Congress are
( predicting that the question Of the
/ White House pickets will be injected
: into the debate on the floor OF the
/ House, when the resolution comes up,
/ by members who hope to produce an
adverse effect on the measure. Friends
( Of suffrage point out. however, that the
4 pickets are not now asking or working
for the creation of the committee on
woman suffrage, but have adopted an
utterly different line of campaign. The
National American Woman Suffrage As
ISOLATION includes more than 90 per
cent Of the organized suffragists of the
country. whereas the pickets stand for
less than per cent. 1t is the Ma
tional Suffrage Association that has
worked through the special session of
Congress with the Endorsement Of
President Wilson himself for the crea-
tion of a committee to dea. with the
question of woman suffrage
This organization insists that its
claims be recognized without prejudice
on account of the unpopular tactics of
the small group Of women who con-
stitute another and entirely separate
organization.