New-York tribune., 1918-11-16
German Women S Appeal to
Mrs. Wilson Is Called Trick
Branch of American Defence Society Wires President
Wife and Miss Jane Addams to Disregard Plea of
National Council Of Women of Germany

CharacterIzing the appeal of the Ger
man women as another piece Of Ger
man trickery, the Women's National
Committee OF the American Defence
Society yesterday wired Mrs. Woodrow
Wilson and Miss Jane Adams. urging
them to disregard the plea OF the
"Naional Council of Women Of Ger
many The text of tn telegram reads:
The Women's National Committee Of
the American Defence Society respect
fully urges you to disregard the mes
sage from the German women reported
IN tie newspapers OF Friday. It is the
belleI Of the memDe-5 of this organi
zatlon that the German people, includ-
ing the women must be made to realize
their now position in the world. 1t is
undoubtedly the intention Of the Allied
leaders to deal with the German people
IN just manner and to relieve the dis
cress in Germany. 1t seems evident
that this is just another piece OF Ger
man trickery and has some Interior
motive'
The telegram was signed By Hiss
tlisabeth Marbury. president: Mrs
" llllam Scranton skinner. chairman;
Mrs. Alex o: Ihlseng, Mr.. John Mar
shall Gallagher, Mrs. T. L. Bradner,
Mrs. George Evans, Mrs. William Elm
gene Grant, Mrs. Edward Dakota Mos
ley, Miss Teresa r. O'Donohue Mrs.
Laurent Oppenheim, Mrs. William Ger
~ Slade, Mrs. NJ. McAllister Smith,
Mrs. William J. Smyth and Mrs. Will
lam Sporborg.
Stable Government Needed
That mercy must be tempered with
caution was the general feeling among
women suffrage leaders yesterday, in
discussing the appeal Of the German
women.
Mrs. Carrie Chapman Gait, president
OF the International Woman Suffrage
Association, and of the National Amer
lean Woman Suffrage Association. said :
~ Tor no reason save our own self
interest, we should wish to see the
German people fed. People come into
stable government more quickly
to see stable government in Ger
many"
DR.. Anna Howard Shaw, chairman Of
the Women's Section of the Council Of
National Defence, said she was willing
the German people should be fed under
Allied supervision. "Tf thine enemy
hunger, feed him; if he thirst, give
him drink That's good advice, isn't
w she said. "CertAinly, we must not
allow the German people to starve, but
when we send them food we must be
sure it is the German people who need
the food most who get it, not the Ger
man soldiers, nor the strong men who
can work and earn their living, even
II they have to work for us. We must
supervise the feeding in order that
there may be no profteering. 1t is
bad enough to nave profitcers in this
country.
Mrs. Laidlaw's Reply
Mrs. James Lees Laidlaw, vice eha;r-
man Of the New York State Woman
Suffrage Iarty, said: "If President Will
son can say that our quarrel is not
with the German people, we can almost
say that our quarrel 10 not with the
German women. For the sake of those
women and their new-found hopes to-
day VIC must give them sympathy, but
very guarded sympathy. We are not
in q position to embrace any German
people. even the German women, while
the delicate relations between us and
our enemies are still under process of
adjustment. Even in the plant of the
German women we must beware Of
their old propaganda"
There is only one portion Of the
German vomen's appeal to which we
cannot subscribe. That is where they