The St. Charles herald. [volume] (Hahnville, La.) 1873-1993, 1920-05-29

1t was in this year that Miss Alice Paul and
Miss Lucy Burns identified themselves with the
national association. Miss Paul made chair
man of the congressional committee and Miss
Burns her chief assistant. The former young.
pale faced girl, third suffrage fighter
of American Quaker stock. had served q term
in Holloway Jail for her militant activities under
the guidance of Mrs. Emmeline Pankhurst, then
the head of the Womens Social and Political
union of Great Britain
Miss Paul and Miss Burns did not long re-
main with the national association. They organ
lied the Congressional union lines similar to
those which the Pankhurst organization was
formed In 1916 this became known as the Ma
tonal WOman's party.
The Woman's party leaders. the ''pckcting suf-
fragists" as they were often called began to
work for the passage of the eighteenth amend
ment, but they followed an entirely different
course They adopted militant tactics. they staged
the spectacular. Their success lay in a psyche
logical analysis of mems character hitherto not
considered In the suffrage campaign. s'hey
derstood the dislike. almost fear that MEN have
of being rdculed. And the Womans party lead
played that fear. They caused senators
and representatives to be laughed at and riti-
cued whenever they could, and they did not
draw the line at the president.
The WOmans party organizers went tn prison.
and Miss Paul forcibly fed. Her followers
were ready and willing to submit to the same
treatment. Many of them did go to Otcoauan,
where they were treated like ordinary prisoners.
They told of their treatment in detail after they
were released, and later they organized the "Prts-
on Special" train which toured the country
and carried most of the women who had been i'm
prisOned for having pcketed the White House
Both organizations have had representatives
in each of the states where the eighteenth amend
melt to come before the state legislature
whether in regular or special session.
The League of Women Voters has been crtti-
cized as tending to keep women out of the pnr-
ties. At the Chicago convention Mrs. Gait said
in reply:
For 60 years we have been appealing ~ the
parties for the vote. Is it possible for us now to
remain outside of those parties and obtain the
things wish without petitioning them?
IF we are still to be petitioners, what was the
idea of getting the vote?
More and more the parties are becoming the
powers in this country. Instead of appealing to
them 1t is better get on the inside and get the
things you desire.
You'll discover that your Illusions win be
shattered and. if you not careful. you'll re
ued into the satisfaction IF having reached the
political penumbra' where ,nost of the men are.
But if you keep going you'll find q little densnr
thing farther That is the 'numbra' In that
you'll find the men who doing things fortn-
ing the platform, directing tee policies You will
not be so welcome there, but that is the place TO
go. You'll find the real thins in the center with
the door locked tight. You VIII have to open it,"
OF the long hard struggle Tor woman suffrage
Mrs. Gait said in part:
I'VE should be glad and grateful today hut
more, we should he proud-prDud that the years
of organized endeavor have BEEN clean, construc-
tive, Conscientious
"In every corner it sowed TIE seeds of Justice
and trusted to time to bring the harvest. It has
aided boys in high schools with their essays In
debates and later heard their confident votes Of
YES in legislatures. Reporters assigned to our
Washington conventions went on the first day
with contempt and ridcule in their hearts, hut
went out the last day to our cause and later
became editors of newspapers ans spoke to thou
sands In behalf through Influential editorial
columns. Little girls to our meetings lis
tened and accepted and later mature women
became intrepid leaders.
During these years it has rar,ly had a sal
aried officer and then she has been paid less
than her earning capacity elsewhere 1t has
been an army of volunteers who lave estimated
sacrifice too great no service too difficult
1T has had great. peerless women in its ranks
all down the decades. Brave Abigail Adams with |
her gentle threats of rebellion Ernestine Rose
striving for property rights for women ABBY |
Kelly fighting for free speech against a mob |
armed with rotten eggs. The Grimke sisters pro-
testing against taxston without representation |
Silvervoiced Lucy Stone lacking up her own |
handbills for meetings of her own arrangement |
Dr. Elizabeth Blackwell pretending not to care
although the women of Geneva scorned Der. tire |
first woman medical student
VERY gentle and winsome Artoinette Brown |
standing unmoved before the convention of cler- |
gymen transformed into dIsorderly mob because
woman had been duly elected a delegate to |
their temperance convention.
elizabeth Cady Stanton. with her matcnless |
state papers Glorious Susan 3. Anthony whose
ndomitable will kept things stirring for 10 wears
and more. And greatest of them ALL with her
transcendent gifts. Anna Howard Shaw