Harrisburg telegraph. [volume] (Harrisburg, Pa.) 1879-1948, 1919-04-02
SUFFRAGE URGED
AND ATTACKED
Lively Hearing Held in the
House on the Pending
Resolution ..r ..

After nearing on the Ramsey
joint resolution proposing a woman
suffrage amendment to the State
constitution before the House ju-
dietary general committee, Chair
man Dithrich of the committee said
last night that it was probable the
measure would be favorably report
ed. The committee will not meet
until next week but no time has
been fixed for action on the bill in
the committee.
Opposite opinions were given by
speakers on the resolution as to
whether the women of the United
States want the right to vote. Mrs.
Horace Brock, of Lebanon, a leader
of the anti suffragists declared that
the number of women in favor of
equal suffrage was small, while Mrs.
Beatrice Forbes Robertson Hale. of
New York, was equally positive that
the women of the country are in
favor of ii. She said there was not
one national, state or local organi-
zation of women in the country with
the exception of the National As
sociation Opposed to Woman's Stuff
suffrage movement and that on the
other hand virtually all women's or
ganizations favor it.
1t was argued by speakers OPP
posed to suffrage that the movement
in favor of votes for women tended
toward socialism and bolshevism.
The organization of the women
voters league at st. Louis last week
was characterized as "feminism
4 4 -. 4 -
itical sabotage" and if the move
ment is not checked would lead to
a condition resembling symptoms
of degeneration" in this country.
The suffragists denied that they
We're exploiting war work among
women as a price to get equal suff-
rage and it was asserted that any
woman who performed war service
for the purpose of winning the vote
was "ignoble" and beneath ones
notice"
Mrs. o. D. Oliphant, of New Jer-
sey. speaking for those opposed to
suffrage, said the women of the
country resented arguments that be-
cause women endured hardships
during the war that they should be
given the ballot. The women of the
country, she said, did not give their
services for war work for the price
of the ballot but gave them free
and willingly and for patriotic mo-
tives. 1t was an insult, she added
to exploit war work in order to win
suffrage.
Mrs. Hale in denying that the
suffragists were exploiting womens
war work to gain the vote, said it
was the esprit du corps and the
spirit of cooperation among women
with the men during the war that
was winning them their ballot. She
said she had travelled much during
the war throughout the country and
found that opposition to votes for
women was melting away" and
she was surprised to see the ''antis"
in the Pennsylvania capitol.
Mrs. j. O. Miller, of Pittsburgh,
president of the Pennsylvania Suf-
frage Association, spoke in rebuttal.
Miss Charlotte Rowe. New York,
summing up for the opponents of
the resolution. said the National AS
sociation Opposed to Woman's Suff-
rage has a membership of 625, 900.
She denied that virtually all wo-
mems organizations have endorsed
suffrage. She devoted some atten-
ton to the organization of the wom-
en- voters league and said that it
confirmed the suspicious of the
antis that the suffrage movement
was n gathering up of women as a
sex for political purposes. 1t is the
climax of the feminist movement, a
trend toward political sabotage, a
symptom of degeneration and femin-
ism rampant.
The luckiest man in the world"
exclaied Miss Rowe, 'is the one
whose wife is a good housekeeper."
"Bolshevism." she said later, needs
strong hands to control it and it
needs the hands of men,"