The sun., 1918-09-01
BUT ARE WOMEN PAclF1STs
A Writer'S Assumption Of Peril In In
mediate Double Suffrage.

m0Ohnbo UOubho buuEbHos
To THE EDITOR OF THE SuN-str.
wonder IL the readers of THE Sum have
given heed to the startling significance
Of the Washington despatch telling the
purpose OF the mission to England Of
Samuel Gompers. president Of the Ameri-
can Federation of Labor. ! hope and
believe they have. But permit me to
place special emphasis on II here. This
despatch read. in part:
The osncisi statement announcing his
toompers's) departure was made last
night. II said: president oompers 10
now on his way to Europe to confer with
the British Trades Union Congress and
the International Labor Conference OF the
ALLIES on the war for the purpose of OPP
posing the plan OF Arthur Henderson. the
British labor leader. and others 10 elect
900 labor men to Parliament and make
Henderson Premier for the purpose OF ef-
fectins q speedy peace with Germany"
Thus we have the first great calamity
threatened by . vote Of women In Great
Britain, with its insidious concomitants
Of socialism. pacifsm and general radi-
calism and emotlonalism. And at the
same time here in the United States
the strongest efforts are being made to
force woman suffrage upon the country
by Federal amendment In q time Of
great national stress, even after large
part Of the country has registered
emphatic objection to the disorgauiza-
ton Of our social and political life and
stamina through woman suffrage and
the many excuses OF feminism.
Every observer realizes thai the mani
festations in our municipal election not
long since OF the extreme Of socialism,
paciflsm and other perfervid expressions
OF feminism going hand In hand with
woman suffrage were such as to cause
the greatest distress and concern to the
patriotic American interested in our
future social and political stability.
Since then. further manifestations Of
the kind have been saddening. Only .
few days ago. the most enthusiastic sup
porter Of the woman suffrage cause
among the New York newspapers con-
spicuously displayed the following head
lines. Fifteen New York Women Run
ming on Socialist Ticket Two out
for Supreme Court Justice and Four in
Congressional Race Six for
State Senator Miss Jane Olcott
OF Ninth District Is Only Aldermanic
Candidate"
Here We arc fighting q colossal war
to make the world safe for democracy.
and behind tho lines we are building
a bonfire under the structure OF democ-
racy that, II allowed full flame. will
spread into hideous connagration. AL
ready its sinister glare startles US in
many places.
In 1887 Lord Macaulay. writing to
an American friend. said:
I seriously apprehend that you will. In
some such season OF adversity as I have
described. do things which will prevent
prosperity from returning: that you will
act like people who should in a year of
scarcity devour all the seed corn. and thus
make the next year not Of scarcity but of
absolute famine. There win be, fear.
spoliation. The spoliation will increase
the distress. The distress will produce
fresh spoliation. There Do nothing to stop
you. Your Constitution 10 all sail and no
anchor. When a society has entered on
this downward progress. either civili1a-
ton or liberty must perish. Either some
Cesar or Napoleon will seize the reins Of
government with a strong hand or your
republic will be a. fearfully plundered and
laid waste by barbarians In the twentieth
century as the Roman Empire was In the
Nth: with this difference, that the Huns
and Vandah who ravaged the Roman
Empire came from without. and that your
Huns and yandals will have been ensen.
dered within your own country by your
own institutions
A writer in the Nineteenth Century
has said. I'm playing with democracy.
politicians have played with fire and
now shrink helpless before their own
conhagration."
My voice lie but a feeble one in this
great country, Mr.. Editor. but It is that
OF a devoted American who will not be
swayed by shallow emotions or a false
sense of chivalry into pouring COM
oustibles upon the rising flame of social
and political upheaval burning under
this woman suffrage movement. want
to sound the warning of danger as
loudly as my small voice can express II.
FELIX ORMAN.
NRw YOpK Anc1,ot