Every evening, Wilmington daily commercial., 1918-03-09
ANTI-SUFFRAGISTS APOLOGIZE TO
WOMAN'S PARTY.

the National Woman party WAS correct
IN declaring that the President had been
won To support of the amendment before
the vote in the House
| Miss Alice Paul. The Womans Party,
Washington, ID. G.
Dear Madam: Will you permit me,
through yourself. TO apologize to the
Woman's party the Socialists, and Mr..
victor Berger, for having publicly ques-
TONED the truth of the statement that an
cmlssary Of President Wilson visited you
| IN Occoquan Jail and promised that the
President would secretly assist the pas
sage of the Federal suffrage amendment
| THIS story was circulated throughout the
United States, and appeared in the
Milwaukee Leader Socialist organ edited
by Victor Berger, of December Is, 1917,
| under the signature of John ID Barry. as
follows
While Miss Alice Paul was in Jail
hunger striking, SAID Miss Maud Young
| or, of San Francisco mt the great meeting
| III Washington recently of the National
| Woman = Party, where $50, 900 was raised,
| she received visit one evening Mt Q
O'Clock, an hour after the time when all
the prisoners were supposed 10 bc IN bed
from a gentleman known to be closely
associated with the Administration
q If he hadn't been closely associated
| with the Administration, he couldn have
got into tho prison.
i" The attorneys of Miss Paul had been
forbidden TO see her even during visiting
hours
i" Although it was understood that
| none Of our women should be visited in
prison without their consent, Miss Paul
was not consulted, and she WIS very
| much astoniehed to see the man standing
Mt her bedside He stayed for two hours
talking over the situation
/" lie asked Miss Paul how long she
and the other pickets would give the
| Administration before they began picket
ing again She said it would depend upon
| the attitude the Administration and
Congress seemed 10 be taking toward the
| Federal amendment He SAID the prohibl-
tion bil would be brought up and passed,
| and after that was out Of the way the
| suffrage bill would be taken up
" lie asked if We would be content 70
have if 20 through one House this session
and wait TIL tho next session for It To pass
| fhc other House Miss Paul said that II the
bill did not go through this session, the
| Woman's Party would not be satisfied
Then the man said the President
would not mention suffrage in hrs message
at the opening Of Congress. but would
make IL known to the leaders Of Congress
that he wanted it passed and would see
that IL passed
The inference contained IN this article
| that the President Of the United states
would under cover assist proposition
which he had publicly and unquallhedly
rrpudiated seemed TO us unworthy OF
| his high office, and We felt justified in de-
Tending him from what seemed an un-
warranted and unbelievable accusation.
/ However, the President subsequent
public support Of the Federal suffrage
amendment, his announcement coming
| on the eve Of the vote in the House Of
| Representatives, indicates the truth OF
your original assertion, and we therefore
/ deem il incumbent upon ourselves to
apologize for having questioned Miss
| Youngers 5 statement.
We arr sending a copy Of this letter to
| the President and members OF Congress
Very truly yours.
Signed MINNlA BRONSON.
General secretary, National Association
Opposed TO Woman suffrage.
Miss Paul commented on the apology
TO the organization OF which she Is CHAIR
man in the following statement:
:. We appreciate very much the public
| withdrawal Of the accusation against the
! National Womans s Party. However, |
differ from Miss Bronson as TO the Presl-
dents position His Endorsement Of the
| Federal amendment Was not sudden
| change on MS part but . position which
| he has been gradually approaching for The
| last four wears.
1t will be remembered that at the time
/ of his first Inauguration he stated 70 q dep
utation OF sutfraglsts that suffrage Was a
| question 10 which he had gwen no thought
and on which he had no opinion.
| Bv the winter Of 1914, after repeated
deputatlonS had waited upon him, and
| after the mobilization OF the women
! voters had been begun, he had reached
! the point where he congratulated the
suffrage leader in Nevada on the winning
OF that State.
"Bv the autumn Of 1913, immedi; tel,
after the calling of the first woman voters
| convention in support OF the national
| amendment, ne came TO the point OF vot-
ing for suffrage in New Jersey. though
stu maintaining that suffrage should be
settled BY the States and not by the
national government.
BY December Of the samc year, when
the representatives sent by the woman
voters convention IN San Francisco
reached Washington with their message
asking for full political liberty for women,
the President had evolved to the point
where he had an open mind on the
Federal amendment
Ky June. 1916, the President caused
the principle OF suffrage to be recognized
in the party platform. though the Federal
amendment was still not endorsed.
Finally, however, the President let II
be understood in private interviews that
he stood not only for suffrage, but also for
the Federal amendment. and his reply 10
the last deputatio January 2, 1911,
indicated the same position
81 shall continue to DO my best, he
said, TO concert it party action in the
interest of a cause in which | personally
believe referring apparently 10 the
Federal amendment, as his party had al
ready, through its platform, declared its
support of suffrage by State action.
'He has now at last translated INTO
action the private belief in the national
amendment which he has apparently held
for some time
Since the beginning Of the war every
condition Of political life has been altered,
woman 5 position In the world is now a
wholly different one, and the question Of
States rights has undergone a complete
change. President Wilson's Endorsement
OF the national suffrage amendment,
therefore, late as it was, shows that he is
in close touch with the public sentiment
of this country and possesses mind
happily able to change its opinions with
J. 4. - IL