New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1917-10-07
MIR. Wheeler's Doubts


If Mr.. Everett p. Wheeler doubts the
word of the officials Of the New York state
Woman Suffrage party that 1,OO0,O00
names have been secured to a petition ask
inc for woman suffrage, there is no reason
why he should not investigate the records
himself. The names and addresses of the
siCners. with the original signatures, made,
not by the suffrage canvassers, but by the
women visited, are on file at suffrage head
quarters. We can imagine no visitor more
welcome there than Mr.. Wheeler a close
inspection of these signatures. supple
mented by little "leg work" on the part
of an energetic ant-sufTragist, would sat
isfy his doubts as to the authenticity of
the record as we'll as TO the amount OF
coercion applied in securing the sigma
lures, and it might even go long way
toward solving the veXed problem of the
age of the signers.
Tact and Imagination failing in this last
affair, he might check it up by the files
of the state census taken last June, IN
which women showed a docility about tell
ing their ages which was the marvel and
admiration of the community. Incident
allv. we heard no protests from the anti
suffragists at that time concerning the
horrors of the polls for women OH regis
traton day. The law forced women to go
to the polls then, come what might to the
babies left at home; on ordinary election
DAYS there is nothing to compel woman
TO leave a teething child alone, any more
than there is to compel man to leave
his house if It be burning down. 1t is
not assumed that ne will have a burning
house every election day for the rest OF
his life, but it is assumed apparently by
that every woman Will have
a teething baby every year OF her life'
and that, therefore, no woman must be
allowed to vote.
Well. well. that is not the awful thing
which is worrying Mr. Wheeler at this
moment. 1t is the fear that the suffra-
gists have registered the wishes of only
of the women Of the state
993.152 women, he figures, ignoring the
fact that the number has increased TO over
/ 900. 900 since he read that newspaper
item. are less than one-thlrd Of the total
number Of women of voting age In the
state. "Thus it appears" he writes. that
even on the sufragists' showing there are
over two women who could not he
persuaded to sign their petition for one
that signed
Gould not be persuaded Does Mr..
Wheeler believe that every woman in the
state was approached? Does he believe
that the untiring suffrage workers re-
turned to peoples doorsteps again and
again until they found every member of
the family at home. and that they argued
and argued against hopeless odds, until
finally convinced that the hold-outs could
rot be persuaded?
The plan of the suffrage campaign was
not so elaborate.
eco out and get 100000 names Of
women who do want the vote. That will
silence once and for all the anti-sufragc
argument that women do not want to
vote" said the leaders. The million names
secured, they turned their energies to
other affairs Furthermore, they issued
order. that no canvasser was to mag.
# a woman, being approached politely,
said that she was an anti-suffraGst, there
was to be no argument. As for those terri
fed souls who complain according to Mr..
Wheeler, that they signed the petition "to
avoid Importantly" does he believe there
are a million such in this state-women
who would deliberately sign their names TO
n lie and for that reason should not sully
the pure waters Of politics?