New-York tribune., 1919-04-08
Ianitor Turns Out
LIGHTS on Women's
Protest Meeting
Two Leagues in Clash at
Cooper Union Over Laws
Pending at Albany; One
Criticises Republicans

Mrs. James Lees Laidlaw. pounding
with her gavel. ard Mrs. Ella M. Sher
win. shouting at the top Of her lungs
each trying TO drown out the other
brought the woman's protest meeting
at Cooper Union to tumultuous con
clusion at l0:S0 last night. Then tne
jsAitor turned out the lights
Mrs. Sherwin is president OF the
organization known as the Women
League for Equal Opportunity, wnlcn
sent representatives to protest against
the meeting. :,
While Mrs. Laidlaw limited each
protester and friend alike 70 one in.n-
ute Mrs. Norman de r. " nltehouss
Kent time with her wrist watch, ana
above the tumult, as feelings "aFeo
fiercer, could be heard her voice:
"One- quarter of minute OF Tor
Kissing"
Mans Speech Starts Trouble
John BOYLE, Of the Federated Union
of Rrooklvn. created the turmoil by
attacking the sincerity Of the lobby
ists who are opposing the women's
hills at Albany. Half a dozen mem
hers Of the League for Equal Oppor-
tunity jumped to their feet with shout
ed denials.
They're just few dsgruntled
womenl" shouted some one.
ave we're put out of good jobs. We
don't want an eight-hour day. We
want a six-hour day" shouted Mrs.
Sherwin.
The climax came at the end OF a
long and indignant but decorous pro-
vramme, in which the women declared
thew would hold the Republican party
responsible for defeat of the reform
hills in case they were 'strangled' in
It was the first meeting of the newly
rsoreanized New York State League for
Women Voters, in accordance with the
action taken at st. Louis last week,
when the National American Woman
Sucrsge Association organized all its
voting members into league of Wo-
men Voters.
Prominent Women Speak
Miss Mary Garrett Hay, chairman
of the New York City branch of the
league. presided and delivered one of
the principal addresses. Other speak
ers were Mrs. Norman de R. White
house, Mrs. William Adams Brown, of
the Young Women's Christian Associa-
ton; Miss Mary Gof. of the White
Goods Workers Union; Edward |.
Hanna, president of the Central Fed
Grated Union. and Abram l. Elkus.
Miss Hay explained the meeting was
not called to discuss only the merits
Of the bills. The purpose at present
was to see that the "autocratic" prac-
tice OF allowing bills to die in com
mittee, when they were unpopular with
some of the members, is not followed
in this case.
Mrs. Whitehouse, who returned from
Switzerland only q short time ago, de-
ciared times were altogether too criti-
cal for state Legislatures, and particu-
lsrly those Of so powerful state as
New York, to attempt arbitrarily to de-
feat the will o. the people. 1t is such
methods, she declared, that nourishes
Bolshevism. The bills under discus
sion, Mrs. Whitehouse said, would not
be considered radical in Europe, yet
legislators at Albany declare they fear
them to be too radical for this country
1T was like going back 100 years to
step from Switzerland. to Albany" she
said
Democratic Example Urged
"If we in this country would do moth
ing to encourage Bolshevism," said
Mrs. Whitehouse, "the first thing we
should do would be to see to it that
our democratic institutions prove salts
factory to the people. If the Bolshevik
leaders are able to point to New York
State and say, "See, there is how your
democracy works; the people can't have
their own way at ALL it would not be
If people should be anxious
to try something else-for example,
Bolshevism."
Mrs. Whitehouse was named as
chairman of the leagues legislative
committee to take the place Of Miss
Mary Dreier, who resigned to go to
France for the Y. W. C. A.