Richmond times-dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1914-current, 1918-01-04
SUGGEST WOMEN VOTE
ON SUFFRAGE RIGHTS
Leaders Declare Such Plan Would
Place Congress in Position Of Rec
ognizing Woman's Rights.
SOUTHERN WOMAN SPEAKS
Mrs. GuiIford Dudley Says That
There Is Intense Feeling Of HUI
initiation Because Of Opposition to
Amendment.
fRy Associated Prss..l

fBy Associated Press.1
WASHINGTON. January 3.-Arsu-
ments by officials Of the National Amer
lean Woman's Suffrage Association &C.
| cupicd all of the first day of the hear
ing b. tho House Suffrage Committee
on the constitutional amendment res
olution. which the House has agreed to
consider next Thursday. Opponents oc
the measure. who confined their ef-
forts to-day to circulation at the Cap
itol OF statement by Mrs. James w.
Wadsworth, Jr., will he heard to-mor.
row, and representatives OF the Wom-
ans Party viii make their statements
Saturday.
Or. Anna Howard Shaw. honorary
president. and Mrs. Carrie Chapman
Gait, president ot the suffrage. asso-
citation. wore the principal speakers
I to-day They vigorously opposed a
suggestion by Representative Clark, of
Florida. that before Congress acts. the
question he submitted to vote of
the women OF the country. declaring
tfat this method was illegal and un-
necessary. and would put Congress in
the position OF saying that 1t recog-
ni2fd womcn's right to vote, but had
proposed the most difficult methods OF
having that right registered.
The antisuffraGists set forth their
principal argument in a prepared state
mont by Mrs. James W. Wadswortl1,
Jr.. president of the National Asso-
citation Opposed to Woman Suffrage.
The argument for the ants declared
that suffrosist3 and Socialists. seek
ing TO destroy the right Of each State
TO settle the question by popular vote.
had resortcd to "the lowest political
methods" It charged them with cir
cuiatins canard that President Will
son had promised Alice Paul leader
OF the White House piclsets, that he
would secretly aid the amendment.
such statement, the argument de-
ciarcd, was an insult TO the prcsf-
dents character" and added that the
PRESIDENT had been the foremost friend
OF woman suffrage because of his we'll
known preference to have the States
settle the question for themselves.
SOUTHERN WOMEN ARE
INUNDATED, SAYS SPEAKER
Mrs. Guilford Dudley, OF Nashville.
president Of the Tennessee Equal Suf-
frage Association. and member OF the
executive board Of the National Woman
Suffrage Association. urged adoption of
the amendment.
II wonder IL you have any concep-
ton OF the intense feeling Of humilia-
ton Southern women experience, when
they discover that the greatest opposi-
ton to the submission of our Federal
suffrage amendment to the States
comes from Southern Representatives
in ConSress?" she said.
They have withheld our cnfran-
chisement for two reasons. which we
for time accepted-the States rights
doctrine and the negro problem. From
the States rights ground OF opposition
the Southern men have themselves re-
treated. and We now stand face to face
with this bare and ugly alternative:
either our men feel they cannot trust
us with the ballot or we must feel
that we cannot trust their sense OF
Justice"
Mrs. Dudley declared the negro
phantom has outlived it's time. In the
nfteen Southern States the excess of
white women alone over twcnty-one
years OF age. above all negro men and
women Of like age. is 1.12o.477. she
said.
Furthermore, during the past year
alone $4,000 negroes have left one
southern State to go North. and $4,000
have gone from three others