New-York tribune., 1920-10-04
SchurnnanDupe
OF fWadswOrth.
Says Mrs. Gait
Declares the President of
Cornell Cleaned His
Facts From Senator's
Campaign Document
Quotes Roosevelt Attack
Suffrage Leader Asserts
His Reelection Would
Be Calamity for State

Mrs. Carrie Chapman Gait, president
of the National American Woman Suf-
frage Association, yesterday replied to
the defense of Senator James W. Wads-
worth by DR.. Jacob Gould Schurman.
president of Cornell University.
Mrs. Gait reviewed Senator Wads-
worth's record at Albany and at Wash
ington, declaring that he opposed everv
piece of progressive legislation if It
was opposed by special privilege seek
ing interests. After enumeratine the
progressive measures killed in the AS
semby during Wadsworth's term as
Speaker-which she charged him with
killing BECAUSE of his power as Speaker
Mrs. Catt said:
at was this never-varying record of
support for the interests seeking spe-
cial privilege and of which the above
is only an excerpt that made Theodore
Roosevelt say: But it is rarely that
a public man champions the right of
big business to do wrong as openly as
Mr.. Wadsworth.'
The Child Labor Bill
ain Washington he continued to re-
spond to the call Of the interests and
opposed the welfare of the people with
out pause. Only twelve Senators
voted against the minimum wage COM
mission for women in the District of
Columbia, and he was one, although the
others were mainly Southern Demo-
Gratis.
"He takes great pains to explain his
absence when the child labor bill came
on for vote, and he may have satisfied
the distinguished president Of Cornell
but he very naively forgot to mention
that by failing to pair for childs labor
he was counted as half vote against
it. Thus with his right hand he as
slsts the manufacturers and with his
left he waves aside his failure to vote
with smiling plea Of absence.
"Voters of New York, including Re-
publicans who are well-wishers of their
nation, should understand that vote
for Wadsworth is vote to block all
progressive legislation in the United
States for the next six years, and no
superficially informed themselves can
make his election anything but ca
lamity for the Empire State"
Mrs. Gait charged that during his
term as Speaker of the Assembly in
this state Senator Wadsworth killed
the following progressive measures
Direct primaries and other election
reforms, the bill wiping out racetrack
gambling, ratification of the Federal
income tax and woman suffrage.
The woman suffrage measure killed
by Senator Wadsworth while Speaker, -
said Mrs. Gait, merely provided for a
tcmpts to explain his anti-suffrage at
titudc by the plausible excuse that it
is a matter for the several states to
decide. But When it was a state ques-
tion pending in the Assembly Speaker
Wadsworth saw that the bill was killed
in committee and the Legislature never
fad a chance to vote on it while he was
Speaker"
Says Schurman Is Duped
Mrs. Gait said that in every legisla-
tive battle between those factors which
compose invisible government and the
people he has aligned himself against
the people.
CDR. Schurman has himself been
duped into believing the contrary. He
apparently CLEANED his assertions from
Senator Wadsworth'5 main campaign
document, which is a reprint of his
own letter to The Tribune dated JULY
81
"In that letter Mr.. Wadsworth takes
exception to the above charge made
by others and in his defense says: 4
invite youi attention first to the rec
ord of the Assembly during the time
was Speaker We passed a long list
of child labor bills during the sessions
Of 1906 '09 and 10 They marked
a most bstantial advance in legisla-
ton of this character and put New
ork to the front. in the protection OF
women and children in Industry
"Mr. Wadsworth's memory is not
clear The facts are that the only
child labor law of any importance
passed during his time was forced
through the Assembly in 1907 by Gov
ernor Hughes, who sent a special mes
sage to the Legislature urging it's pass
age. This law forbids the employment
of children between IA and IS years of