The Washington herald., 1918-01-04
SEEKS
WILSON VIEWS
ON SUFFRAGE
House Chairman Assures
Women He VIII Ask the
Presidents Position.

d II = L
Chairman SRaker. Of the House suf-
frage COMMITTEES. assured room full
of suffragists yesterday that he will
seek from President Wilson a renewed
statement as to his position on Fed
eral amendement before the question
comes to a vote January 10.
81 will say further" said .Raker to
Mrs. Carrie Chapman Gait, spokesman
for the women, that woman suffrage
by national action was beaten in the
1916 Democratic convention resolution
committee by but one vote, and that
when President Wilson was shown the
proposed national amendement he said
it was entirely satisfactory to him."
Attacks Mrs. wadsworth.
The President has many times since
then based his opposition to national
suffrage to the party declaration that
it should come by State action.
Reply to recent anti" statements
that suffrage was carried in New York
by the Socialist and Stacker vote, Mrs.
Gait said:
1T is Wadsworthian for Mrs. wads-
worth, the daughter of one, ,stand-pat
Republican. and the wife of another.
to blame the defeat of her cause. on
the Progressives, the Socialists and the
low-down Democrats.
ITO say women would vote against
conscription is to be ridiculous. Women
whose men are at the front will not
vote to exempt slackers at home from
service" ....-...
Stathtics just tabulated and pre-.
sented the committee by Mrs. Gait
showed many pro-German districts in
| recent New York elections anti-suf.
I frage, while the soldier vote, accord
ing to the figures, was two to one fol
suffrage.
'Antis' will have their hearing today.
Denies Women Pacihsts.
1T is undoubtedly true" admitted
DR.. Anna Howard Shaw. honorary
president Of the National American
Woman Suffrage Association, and
chairman of the Woman's Committee
| of the National Council OF Defense.
| that the majority of women are en-
| dowed with intelligence and more or
less knowledge which combine to show
them that in the present war, which
! is the only one in which We need to
| be concerned. greater suffering would
result from an ill-advised peace thar
| from such a termination of hostilities
as would make IL forever impossible
| that like suffering should visit the
| world again. And therefore, on the
| basis of human sympathy, they woulC
| be opposed to an ill-advised peace.
The charge that the majority of
women are pacifists in the sense In
which that word is used at the present
time is absolutely disproved not alone
in the countries of our allies, but in
our own country by the zeal with
which women have thrown themselves
into war service"
VIII Make Devoted wives.
Can you. gentlemen" asked Mrs.
Henry Ware Allen, of Wichita, Kan,
another speaker at the hearing, real
ize what il means TO women to feel
that the men With whom they spend
their lives are chivalrous enough. and
have faith enough in their intelli-
gence and integrity to recognize
them as political equals?
Can you not see that men and
women under such conditions are
firmer friends, more devoted husbands
and wives, that all family relations
are closer when the big affairs of
the city, the State and the nation
are matters of equal importance to
all the adults of the household?"
Mrs. Travis Whitney. of Brooklyn,
analyzed the New York vote in an
swer to Mrs. James ". Wadsworth's
contention that suffrage won in New
York by the votes Of the enemies
of the country. Mrs. Guilford Dud-
ley, of Nashville, Tenn, president of
the Tennessee Equal Suffrage As
sociation. and member of the exec
utive board Of the National Woman
Suffrage Association, was another Of
the speakers at the hearing on the
Federal woman suffrage amendment,