The sun., 1919-04-30
.CLUBWOMEN CLASH
OYER G. 0. P. ATTACK
Mrs. Laidlaw's Demand for
Declaration on Labor
Bills Starts Row.
SPEAKER SWEET RAKED
Partisanship Tilt Threatens to
Wreck Consumers League
Meeting.

What the old masters thought about Il
| no one knows. for they behaved with
their accustomed reticence, but 1t "a a
fact that the picture gallery in Vincent
| Astors home, at $40 Fifth avenue, was
the scene yesterday OF one OF the liveliest
! little political rows that Miss and Mrs.
! New Voter have had since they obtained
| the franchise in this State. II was all
among the Republican women: Demo-
Gratis were there. but they contributed
nothing but few Kisses when some
! verbal bombs riccochetted Off the ele-
| plant and hit them. Mrs. Astor had
! nothing to do with It, she wasn't even
there, and the New York City Consumers
League, which called the meeting, said
afterwsrd that nothing was further from
that ORGANIZATIONS intentions than to
have parttsanship show its horrid head
| in their midst
1t was Mrs. James Lees Laidlaw, suf-
fraBist and protagonist of the women's
joint legislative conference who spilled
the beans, as an irreverent male peek
! ing In ut the door put It. Knots of Re-
publican women told each other after
ward that IT really was a great pity
and II should have been prevented. but
who is to head of Mrs Laidlaw when
! they do not know what she is going to
| do? And Mrs. Laidlaw. as the French
! would say, Is OF an impetuousness when
the cause Is as dear to her heart as
were the women's labor bills, which suf-
| fered such a debacle at Albany this
| spring.
: The meeting began in a slow and DIG
| nif1ed way, suited to the surroundings,
the high groined room and the Murlllos
and Rembrandts looking sol.mnly down.
| Mrs. Frederick Nathan. honorary p-es;-
dent of the Consumers League, read a
typewritten speech about the necessity
OF keeping up the fight for the women's
| labor bills. At first all was calm, but
presently Mrs. James Griswold wentz,
president of the Woman's soublIc,n
Club. and other ardent G. o. P.'s were
observed to move uneasily. Mrs. Ma
than was paying her respects to Speaker
Sweet. though she said later she wasn't
attacking him as a Republican, but sim
ply as a car whom no self rospe sting
American woman could feel anything
for but contumely.
| Albany Rule Raked.
we And that although our Govern
| ment IL supposed to be conducted along
democratic lines We really have an au-
| tocrRtic form Of government In Albany
she said. Speaker Sweet, the leader of
the Republicans in the Assembly. re-
fused to allow some bills. which had the
support Of very large number Of voters
| throughout the State. to emerge from
| committee. 1t was stated IN the papers
that he asserted he feared II he allowed
them to come to a vote they would pass.
| Would Speaker Sweet care to have
his daughter work longer than eight
! hours day" inquired Mrs Nathan
poignantly. and Mrs. Wentz was heard
| to suiff scornfully. Then turning to the
minimum wage bill. Mrs. Nathan OBJ
| served:
Speaker Sweet claims that In oppoe-
| ing this bill he ia standing for the pro-
| tection of American working men and
women and Industries from subtle foe
He seems to be frightened at the idea
| of Bolshevism invading this country,
but in my opinion nothing is so CAL
culated to nourish that serpent as the
methods INDUCED in by Speaker Sweet "
| When Mrs. Nathan had ended with
| an appeal 70 the club presidents present
TO appoint legislative chairmen In their
organizations TO cooperate in the
campaign to push the women's bills
through the next session Mrs. Laidlaw
| jumped up.
| II think" she said, since II was Pc.
! publican opposition that killed these
bills. II would be fitting for some Re
| publican woman here to put a motion to
ask the Republican State Committee how
| II stands on these bills. We have not
heard from that committee. only from
the Assembly party caucus and the
Speaker. Will some Republican woman
put the resolution j call especially or
the Republican women to find the truth
| about Speaker Sweet and his alleged
Republican stand In the hands OF the
women OF that party rests the duty OF
protesting against his reactionary meth
DDS and of finding out whether he has
party sanction"
Il will put the motion" cried a small
but determined woman at the rear. She
was Mrs. Francis Thurber. Jr. Il blush
to admit that am an enrolled Republi-
can. With all the fire Of my nature l
repudiate the actions of that party at
Albany"