Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1919-01-27
PRESIDENT SAYS SUFFRAGE
IS A. DOMESTIC QUESTION:
Replies to Working Women of France, Who
Asked Settlement of Voting Privilege.
Issue By Peace Conference.

PARIS. Saturday, January 25-The
text of President Wilson's address to
a delegation representing the work
ing women of France. who called on
him today at the Murat mansion to
urge that the peace conference include
woman suffrage among the points to
be settled by the conference, fol-
lows:
"Mademoiselle Thomson and ladies':
You have not only done me. great
honor but you have touched me very
much by this unexpected tribute, and
may / add that you have frightened
me. because, realizing the great con-
fidence you place in me, I am led to
the question of my own ability to
justify that confidence?
You have not placed your conf
dence wrongly in my hopes and pur-
poses, but perhaps not all of those
hopes and purposes Can be realized in
the great matter that you have SO
much at heart--the right of women
to take their full share in the political
life of the nations to which they be-
long. That is necessarily a domestic
question for the several nations. A
conference of peace settling the re-
lations of nations with each other
would be regarded as going very
much outside it's province if 1T I'M
dertook to dictate to the several
states what their internal policy
should be.
Applies Also to Labor.
eat the same time these considera-
tions apply also to the conditions of
labor; and it does not seem to be un-
likely that the conference will take
some action by way of expressing its
sentiments, at any rate with regard
to the International aspects at least
of labor, and I should hope that some
occasion might be offered for the case
not only of the women of france, out
of their sisters all over the world, to
be presented to the consideration OF
the conference.
The conference is turning out to be
rather unwieldy body, very large
body representing a great many ma
tjons, large and small. old and new;
and the method of organizing it's work
successfully. am afraid. will have to
fore, L have no confident prediction to
make as to the way in which it can
take up questions of this sort.
Apply Also to Labor.
But what I have most at heart to-
day is to avail myself of this opportu-
nifty to express my admiration for the
women of France and my admiration
for the women of all the nations that
have been engaged in the war. BY
the fortunes of this war the chief bur-
den has fallen upon the women of
France. and they have borne it with
a spirit and devotion which have COM
manded the admiration of the world.
L do not think that the people of
tensity of the sympathy that other ma
lions have felt for them. They think
Of us in America, for example, as a
long way OFF And we are in space,
But we are not in thought. You must
remember. that the United States is
made UP of the nations of Europe; that
French sympathies run straight across
the seas. not merely by historic asso-
Citations, but by blood connection, and
that these nerves OF sympathy are
quick to transmit the impulses of one
nation to the other. 49,.
I'VE have followed your sunerings
with feeling that we were witness
ing one of the most heroic and, may
add, at the same time satisfactory
things in the world-satisfactory be-
cause it showed the strength of the
human spirit, the indomitable power
of women and men alike to sustain
any burden II the cause was great
enough.
TN an ordinary war there might
have been some shrinking, some sink
ing Of effort; but this was not an or
binary war. This was a war not only
to redeem France from an enemy, but
to redeem the world from an enemy.
And France, therefore, and the wom-
en- Of France strained to their utmost
to sustain the world. I hope that the
strain has not been in vains / know
that 1t has not been in vain.