New-York tribune., 1921-01-28
Finds
Evil in League
Of w m e N
CONTINUED from mana ana,

sE-~"' 4" VIC success OF the prln-
clples to which it is devoted. Of
course you cannot secure unan:mitv of
cp'nlon as to any great mass of prin-
clples. There must be compromises.
Every one cannot have his or her way.
l, you are to have concert Of action
tne lndavidual has to subordinate some
views 70 meet the views of the others
ana SO you accept that set OF princi-
PIES, which for the most part. or as
nearly as it is possible to attain, rep
resent your views and accepting them
Ecr helH~" we will say to one party
or the other.
so much now from .he standpoint of
nelng able to exercise the influence in
tne community that you ought to exer-
clse. One word upon the other side.
Comedies Right to Organize
Il said that any body not organized
as po.itlcal party which seeks to
exert political influence is a menace.
~ Is strong statement. Notwith-
standing the fact that the two-party
system is, as l assert, necessary to
the proper working of our institutions
any group or set of people have right
TO differ and to believe that something
else is the all-important thing which
neither of the two parties stands for
NOW l am not gong to ask the
League of Women Voters to disband.
because 1T is hone of my business. This
is Tree country and any two or more
people have a right to form anv kind
of league that they wish, SO lonr. % of
course, as they obey the law.
"Our institutions were so framed
mat party government is essential to
ehelr perpetuity, and two-party sys-
tenn, II our representative system is to
endure, is necessary.
~ you are to have the influence
which yoX ought to have, and l want
70 pause1ere long enough to say that
spsct for the ability, the patriotism
the, capacity for public Service of the
rlsh-minded women in this league of
yours, and l say to you if you are to
exert the influence that your ability
anu your standing in the community
entities you to exercise, you must do
1T through the medium of a political
party"
Responsible to No One
Elaborating on his declaration that
an an organization such as the League of
women voters was menace, the Gov
| ernor said that such a body was re-
sponslblc to no one and that thew could
appeal to the weakened and the spine
less to carry out that for which they
stand, regardless of the public good.
1T may be that the thing you stand
for is in the public interest, but YOU
are not to be the Judge Of that" added
the Governor. "No group except
through the medium Of an organiza-
ton which can be made responsive and
responsible can undertake to exert
political power for the purpose of
securing the adoption Of measures
Wh1Nh nr l.
adoption of measures which they op-
pose without, in my judgment, consti-
tutlng what | say is a menace to free
representative government"
The Governor then analyzed some of
the measures advocated by the league
to justify his assertion that no organ
izatlon now recognized as an out and
out political party has the right to
exert political influence The first he
TOOK was the night statute for women.
he declared that there could be hon
est differences of opinion as to wheth-
er 1T was fair or not, and said that it
had worked hardships in the cities to
, many women who wanted to work at
night whose health did not need pro-
lection by the law.
Opposes Old Age Pensions
The Governor then took up health
insurance and old age pensions, saying
that there was no such insistence for
their enactment now as there was a
year or two ago.
Now, / assert that the function Of
the state is to prevent sickness and
not to put a. premium upon getting
SICK" he said. ~ assert that it is the
function of the state not to make life
comfortable, not to remove these cares
which the scntmentalists say affiict the
poor working people, not to make it
certain that, regardless of their indus
try or their thrift they will be taken
care Of, whether they are employed or
not. | say that if you are to have the
stimulus which is necessary for human
progress you must leave to the indi-
vitual himself the provision for his
old age, or for his Unemployment, or
| for his Sickness"
The women, after the Governor fin
ished, applauded him heartily-not that
they agreed with him, but they admired
his courage. And after the meeting
some of them commented on his speech.
at will take us long time to appre-
ciate the amount Of compliment Gov
ernor Miller has paid u.s." said Mrs
F. Louis Slade. "Our program this
year is so to live that Governor Miller
will ask to come to our next conven-
tion. Our real purpose is to live so
that in America we will have q democ-
racy that functions"
Mrs. Catt's Reply
Mrs. Carrie Chapman Gait, in answer
to the Governor, who had left the room
Immediately after he had finished
speaking, said she did not believe that
any honest group of citizens trying to
get better government were a menace
to the country.
II want to tell you why Governor
Miller had some suspicious about u.s."
said Mrs. Gait.
''Thc League Of Women Voters is
| the remains of that army which for
fifty years in the State of New York
4oushv the battle for the enfranchise-
ment Of their sex They stood fast
and strong until the State Of New York
caught up to them and until the nation
caugnt up with them. The majority
surrendered, but a minority remains,
| still bitter because we are women.
Some of US labored long in the
cause, longer than we should have been
forced to do. In the last year l was
called more bad names, was more mis-
represented, than in all the twenty
nine years in which / mad labored for
suffrage. 1t seems that the hostility,
hatred and bitterness were all coming
to climax--because we were women.
The minority are still full of hate
Since that time criticisms of little
kinds of those who fought that battle
have been whispered about