Every evening, Wilmington daily commercial., 1920-03-20
ANT|-SUFFRAG|STS
Con tinued from page !


suffragists, challenging them To run for
office against anti-suiirage supporters, to
debate the question and the statement
was made that Viii Hays, the national
Republican chairman III his eagerness to
gain the vote of the women was really
splitting the Republican party wide apart
in many states.
Applause interrupted the speakers as
each of these points as they were pre-
sented. Notwithstanding the fact that there
was q large number Of s,lffraglsts present.
Mrs. Lawrence Lewis and Miss Caroline
katzenstein, experienced workers IN the
cause OF suffrage, both from Philadelphia,
and who are here helping their colleagues
in the battle for the amendment adoption,
heard what their opponents had to say OF
the methods of the suifragists but there
was but one attempt at heckling. That
was at the conclusion Of the address OF
Mrs. Henry b. Thompson, President OF
the Delaware Women Opposed to Sui
frare A woman arose and asked Mrs.
Thompson why she is opposed to suffrage.
Mrs. Thomson courteously stated that
Just then, was not the time to debate the
matter, that an opportunity would re
gwen later The incident was received
with the greatest humor, particularly
an hour later when tins same heckler
rose and left the room, as the tactics OF
the s,lffragiss were being ridlcuied by
another speaker, who was being loudly
| apulauded by the audience.
There were small delegations of anti
s,Iffrarists present from several towns IN
the southern end of Delaware and also a
delegation from Baltimore headed by Mrs.
Rufus Gibbs, President of the Maryland
anti's With Mrs Gibbs were Mrs. w. Y.
Wise, Mrs. W. l.. Marbury, Mrs Herbert
Tiffany and Miss Horton.
BIPARTISAN MEETING.
That the meeting was a success as an
anti-sufirage asSemblage could not be
doubted. That the women of Delaware
are not united IN favor of votes for women
was evidenced by the large number pres
ent That the men of Delaware realiye
| this fact and wanted TO learn what the
! anti's had to say about the question, was
! also evident by their attendance. Leading
! men Of both the national parties, either.
occupied seats or stood about The room
! IL was bipartisan meeting IN the true
sense of the word. Every speaker ad-
| vertiscd to speak was there.
! Following the speaking a reception was
! rendered to Miss Mary G. kilbreth, the
! President of the National Association
! Opposed to Suffrage. Assisting Mrs.
| THOMPSON in receiving were many ladies
/ who are energetic members OF the anti S
organization and for more than an hour
| the men and women, prominent socially,
/ and present daY voters, who are leaders IN
! business and professional life taTied 70
express their congratulations to the women
who are contesting the Anthony amend
rnent and to bestow congratulations upon
those who spoke at the meeting. There
appeared to be an atmosphere of optimism
prevalent, that the Delaware legislators
/ would not adopt the amendment without
giving the people OF the State the night
to express their opinion on IT at the polls
Mrs. Henry Is. Thompson opened the
meeting greeting her friends and guests
and introducing Judge George Gray the
eloquent tribute.
Mrs. Thompson said:
Years ago when we were all young
we used to discuss marriage. Some gIrl'
said they would not mind being married
If they could get the right man but they
had never seen him. / always said my
trouble was that they were all so nice i
was hard TO make a decision. That d
the wav | feel now. The Republican,
and Democrats are both so attractive
and have been so good TO me ! could no'
decide tomorrow, if / had the vote, which
party | would belong to.
1T is a strange think how the suffra
gists IN other States seem 10 be able "a
coerce the men into submission by
threatening that when they have th'
vote they will knife any man ii be ever
runs for Office unless he votes for suffrage
so the poor creatures give in and vii
probably get knitted anyway.
The suffragists cannot coerce on
legislators.
ssWhv is il the politicians never seem {.
realize that the ants will have vote
too. and when the time comes the gentles
anti NAV turn. particularly IN Delaware
where they abound in great numbers
''Suffrag1sts claim political success
for those men who advocate suffrage
this is not the case. Some of our mos
prominent men have been defeated b,
affiliations with suffrage. and those mel
who are not afraid to declare their con
victons to the world are admired ant
respected by all and win the people b
their side.
'fSome five wears ago the Deiawar
. Association Opposed TO Woman s Suhrag
; raised the money TO take an impartla
, poll of the adult women of the State. W
found il was eighteen TO one opposed T.
suffrage.
From the reports Of the sentiment i
Kent and Sussex we have reason TO behev
that that ratio still exists. 1t will no
change Delaware women do not wan
20 vote: no political coercion can prov
otherwise; no highly paid organizers ca
force it; no suffrage propaganda can brea
our morale We are opposed TO suffrage
; We. the majority, demand fair play
Delaware men will respect that demand
DON'T WANT OUTSIDE INTERFERENCE
I'VE have been very patient in Dels
ware but at last our patience is wearin
4breadbare. Our Legislators are tire
of outside interference, of kilograms an
: secret instructions They know the wfshe
OF their constituents. They resent beln
dictated TO by some politician who send
a telegram TO a Delaware legislator t
! ratifv the Nineteenth Amendment, com
fortabIy seated in his Office In Washington
! absolutely ignorant and indifferent +
conditions here, only hoping for the womal
/, vote at the next electIon--lf he can get II
! Thank God, those times are past whe
the crises of the worlds war called fo
amendments TO the United States Const
tuition. We arc now in the serious rt
construction period after the war whe
we must act sanely and with judgment
"The United States is the balance whe,
e of the world. All Europe turns TO us {
be steadied. This demand for votes fc
D women has come after every revolutio
z after every great war. The pendulum ha
r swung forward. When the pendulum
ea;Dos hack that restless wave viii rO