Evening star., 1918-01-11
EACKPARTY CLAIMS
CREDIT FOR RESULT
Political Leaders Discuss Yes
terday's Vote in House on
Suffrage Resolution.
RIVAL STATEMENTS MADE

@Who saved cock robinf" is the ques-
ton the politicians in Congress were
pondering today. Which political party,
if either, may claim the credit for the
adoption Of the woman suffrage reso-
lution7 The more they talked about it,
analyzing the vote, the more dubious
did it appear whether either party could
capitalize the action on the resolution.
The democrats made first bid for the
credit on the score that President Will
son, the titular head of the party, by
his Endorsement of the resolution.
cinched the case for the democratic
party. But-and they emphasized the
but" with a groan-the count of the
actual vote showed that 102 democrats
voted against the resolution, while but
104 voted for it; pretty nearly a fifty
fifty break.
Anyhow. the President put it over ="
they claimed, land to US should belong
the credit"
Republicans Resist Claim.
The republicans stoutly resisted this
claim. They pointed out that 165 re-
publicans voted for the resolution and
only 33 against it. In other words.
even on the resolution. the republicans
were Ave to one for it. Therefore, they
insisted, they saved cock robin. And
there 1t rests for the present and un-
til there is another line-up of parties
in the Senate.
Talks with members of the House as
to their vote would seem to indicate
that the alignment yesterday was not
along party lines. but was either rep
resentative of the constituencies of
their individual principles. 1t may be
| reasonably said that in most of the
cases men voted as they believed the
opinion of their districts stood on the
question of suffrage. In a few in
| stances they voted as they themselves
felt about 1t, regardless of what their
| constituency may think of their ac-
tion.
Position of the Two Parties.
Among the republicans the effort to
| make support Of the amendment a party
question had failed in the caucus of We'd
| nesday night. While that meeting had
declined to bind republicans to vote for
! it. the subsequent voting showed how the
republicans stood. collectively. With the
democrats the suggestion that adoption
F., of the amendment should be given an
unmistakAble brand ~ pakty was repudi-
| ated even more pronouncedly, for eventu-
ally practically 0ne-haH OF taae spaFty
membership In the Hos,se voted deWnrsghi
| nay. tEEfE: 49, E5f. 8 n
! The failure Of the democrats to follow,
with anything approaching unanimity, the
advice Of President Wilson does not. It is
| confidently asserted by administration
leaders in the House, indicate that the
President has lost his hold upon his party
in that body. This was a peculiar case,
they point out, in which members felt that
it was not a party question, but one of
public policy vitally affecting their con-
stituencies. Especially was this true Of
representatives of the southern states.
who fear reopentng Of suffrage problems
which have vexed them since the DAYS of
reconstruction should the vote be granted
to women
[. NORTH and f.South" Vote,
southern delegations for the resolution
In the northern state delegations, es-
pecially in parts of New England, men
divided along the lines of what they be-
lieved to be public opinion, as express
ed at the polls.
The feeling most prevalent among
politicians today was that yesterdays
vote will not have decisive effect upon
the next Congressional election: that
is to say. it will not start a landslide
for either party nor in fact materially
affect the political fortunes Of individu-
ais. 1t is not thought that the women,
especially II they are successful in the
Senate, viii endeavor to take revenge
upon individuals for their vote Of yes
terday.