The Ocala evening star. [volume] (Ocala, Fla.) 1895-1943, 1919-01-18
Is IL Fair?

For several weeks the doings of the !
militant suffragists" at Washington
have been heralded far and wide thru
the state. Two of the big dailies have
seen fit to feature them as leaders Oh |
the front page, and have striven to
create in the public mind. the inn
preston that these silly women are
the representative suffragists of the ]
country. AS a matter of fact these
same women were ruled out of the
American Woman Suffrage Associa-
ton two years ago-ruled out on ac-
count of the militant methods that
they insisted on pursuing. What more
could the A. w. S. A. do than dismiss
them from the organization! The au-
thorities at Washington with the u.
S. government behind them, have so
far found no legal way of stopping
them. Is it fair to expect the A. w.
S. A. to do what the u. S. government
has failed to do? AS a matter of fact,
the A. w. S. A. has done all it pos
sibly could in this direction, and has
condemned these women and their
methods over and over again, but
news of such action on the part of the
great regular organization has been
religiously suppressed all thru this
section of the country Nearly all the
Florida newspapers have striven in
dustriously 20 bring discredit on the
suffrage cause by holding the suffra-
gists all thru the country responsible
for the doings of these few notoriety-
seeking women, characterized by DIR.
Shaw in her Orlando address as "the
fringe of fools that is found attached
to every reform movement"
A conviction is growing in the
minds of the thinking women of
Florida that the newspapers of the
state are fighting their cause by the
use of unfair methods. The editors
of these papers must know that the
maniacs at Washington represent but
an infnitesimal part of the great
woman movement that is rising like q
tidal wave across the land, and yet,
because it suits their personal pre-
JUDGES and political affiliations, they
camoufiage and distort the real truth
| by giving the greatest publicity to
the militant foolishness of handful
| of unimportant women, while splen-
did exposition of the whole suffrage
situation like DR.. Shaw's Orlando ad-
dress, goes absolutely unnoticed!
When the government needed the
help of our women to win the war for
freedom, did it call on the petted lap
dogs of society to mobilize the wom-
an power of America? No. President
Wilson said to this same Anna How
ard Shaw, who had lead the suffrage
cause for forty years: 81 need you;
your country needs YOU, and appoint
ed her chairman of the Woman's
Committee of the Council of Defense.
And, altho' seventy-two years of age,
| this woman responded to the call of
her country, and modified the woman
power of America-how well we all
know. With DIR. Shaw stood up that
whole group of splendid suffragists
whose wonderful work at home and
abroad has made the American wom-
an the admired of all nations. Who
were the leaders of war work here in
Jour own state? Mrs. John Fuller, Mrs.
William Hooker, Mrs. w. S. jennings,
Mrs. Edgar Lewis-suffragist every
one. Is the work and sacrifice Of
these women-of the canteen workers
Ijust.back of the front line trenches
of the Red Cross nurses, those targets
for German guns, and of millions of
other toiling, thinking, law-abiding
and patriotic women of Americas
noy him. 1t took the rough-necks
all this to be discounted and discredit-
ed because few silly, wrong-headed
women make a spectacle of them
selves at Washington? If such thing
can be, then may we women of Amer
lea well say with the despairing
Prince of Denmark: -"Oh judgment,
thou hast fed to british beasts and
linen have lost their reason!"
$50
Who Have Done the Greater Harm?