Richmond times-dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1914-current, 1918-05-22
TELLS WHY SENATE DID
!. NOT VOTE ON SUFFRAGE
Failure on Group of Men of
Both Parties.
CALLS 1T SORT OF SABOTAGE
Administration and Lower House
= Committed to Amendment, but,
She Says, Senatorial Obstruction
= lists" Combined Against Reform.

w.. NEW YORK, May cl.-That the
100000 enfranchised women OF Great
I Britain are looking anNious!y 10
I America 10 know what's wrong with
the American Federal suffrage amend
stment is suggested by letter 20 the
j. National American Woman Sunrasc
Association from Mrs. Millicont Gar
rett Fawcett, president OF the National
Union OF Woman Suffrage societies OF
Great Britain.
we arc drcadfully afraid some thing
has gone wrong about your vote in the
Senate. We have not had a word re-
speeding /: in our papers not since
January: we knew YOU would cable II
i, had really come on
According 10 Mrs. Carrie Chapman
Gait. just returned from Washington.
this is What is wrong.
The amendment was not voted on
by the United States Senate says Mrs.
Gait. some pro-suHrase men were
absent. Some disadvantages IL pair
ms were a. the moment insurmount-
able. But the real. the monumental
reason. was that there arc in the
United States Senate a group OF men
OF both parties determined 10 hold the
world back from complete democracy
long as they can. They hear the
worlds. imTassioncd cry for democ-
racy. they see the world aaane for
: u
bite their finger nails and say that
neither the cry nor the fame is any
concern OF von,ar's.
And they Withstand tho Federal SUI
frase amendment and Will withstand
il as long as q .nuch-tr!ed. puo!ic can
:oa tAs Democratic side there are
the ha'nted men. Men who think
p-ovinciaily, pat section before couu
;-y. individual advantage before party
advantage and a local prejudice before
a wor'6-wide principle. Their number
is considerable. AID the Democratic
pa-ty has before now had 10 recognize
them as load to Re caryied-with
grave menace u party prestige.
ON The Republican side there arc
the s;aHG-pat men. react!oNarics. cap
itaNs:!c IN rscsua sion. conservatives
In the world ot ?o!iI!Ca! economy. Men
whose thought and feeling and amhi-
tion are bound UP in the fortunes o:
the so-calied interest; men Who want
things 10 stay as they are. men who
fear change. Their number is rela-
lively small, hut theirs i the tsnacity
of the old order in the death erapple
with the new.
And then there is the man who
strikes the iad!v!dual!stic attitude, VINO
that he is heart and soul for sufraGe
but by some other way than the only
economic and sensible way 10 set ii.
1t is not likely that he fools himself
Certainly he fools no one else.
And these three kinds OF men to-
Eether have formed 4 combine which
IS temporarily inicrposing between
the world and IN" worlds progress.
For when the sphere OF action is
limited as in the Senate. there is &C
tual locking OF the wheels and the
world is literally held back.
Loosely speaking, these men can b.
called Democrats or Republicans. Ac-
curately speaking. they are men with
out n party. AS parties, Democrats
and Republicans are both commit ed
to the Federal suffrage amendment.
The administration is committed
to it,
independent Republican leaders arc
committed to it.
The lower house of Congress is
committed 10 il.
at is sort of sabotage that the
combination OF senatorial obstruc-
tionists is pcrpetrating within the
political machinery OF both parties.
1T has somehow to lie stopped"