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Show mm are URGED TO PISS ' EOUALSUFFRAGE Mrs. Lily C. Wolstenholme of Salt Lake Addresses National Committee in I Washington. WOMEN APPLAUDED BY PARTY LEADERS Speakers Declare Nation ! Looks to Democratic Party ! to Champion Federal Amendment. WASHINGTON, Pee. 7. Women suf-frac:?t? suf-frac:?t? and nnti-su (Tracts in stirring 4 speeohes debated the question of votes for women for an hour today before the national Democratic committee. The couiniiitee held public session in a ho-t ho-t 1 ballroom to hear the women and :he place was packed to the doors. Six suffrage leaders told the committeemen commit-teemen that the women of the nat ion were looking to the Democratic party to champion a federal suffrage amendment, amend-ment, either in the present congress or in the platform of tho next Democratic national convention. Two leaders of the national society opposed to suffrage argued that the party already had declared de-clared that suffrage is wholly a state question, and that, moreover, a majority of American women did not want to be enfranchised. The committee took no action, but the members appeared to enjoy the debate de-bate thoroughly and applauded each speaker liberally. Utah Woman Speaks. The hearing was arranged because the Congressional Union for Woman Suffrage, in convention here this week, l wanted to tell the committeemen that xVsuraK nad become a national issue. i When the union 's request went in the 'j -" National American Woman Suffrage as-V as-V sociation asked to be hea rd and then the National Society Opposed to Woman Suffrage sent word, to the committee that they could not allow the claims of ttee suffragists to go i-nchallenged. Speaker Champ Clark was seated in the front row of the committeemen when the first suffrage delegation went to the platform. A committeeman proposed pro-posed tnat he be escorted to a pla -e of honor on the platform. 'V Not on your life."' said Mr. Clark, and he remained on the floor. Airs. Florence Kelley of New York, president of the National Consumers" league, began the debate, speaking brieilv of the desire of thousands of American women fur the. vote. She then introduced Mrs. Lily C. Wolstenholme. Wolsten-holme. a member of the Utah lecisla- i tnre, who declared that no man in Utah desired the franchise to woman ie-called. ie-called. Demand Amendment. Miss Frances Jolliffe of San Fran-cisco, Fran-cisco, Cal.. and Mrs. Sara Hard Field of Portland. Ore., the two women who, brought across the continent in an auto-; mobile the petit ion from the women j v voters of the west asKing a federal suf- : fj1 frage amendment, came next. They de- '. manded that the Democratic congress pass the Susan B. Anthony amendment. Mrs. Antoinette Funk, vice chairman of the congressional committee of the i National Woman Suffrage association, ; pleaded with the committee to write, into the next Democratic platform aj plank pertaining to suffrage. i Mrs. Kate-Gordon of Ne-.y Orleans. a prominent worker in the Southern I States Suffrage association, said that the Democratic party held the whole southern situation in its hands. "Give. . us a hearing before the national Dem-! ocratic con entioiv ' she risked. j k'-N. As Mrs. Gordon concluded, the solid j ''ranks of standing women wearing the purple, white and gold of the suffragist?' parted and Mrs. Arthur M. Dodge of j N"w York, president of the National A-ociation Opposed to Mirlrage. made! her wav to the platform. In a brief prepared address she declared that the administration had announced that suffrage suf-frage was not a question fur federal action, ac-tion, and concluded : "Having in mind this definite an- nouncement. e ronfidently coTint upon j the refusal of this committee to further1 ; the propaganda of any group of suf- j i fraists. " ' ! ! Woman Is Hissed. ! Mrs. A. J. George of Bn.-tnn. chair-! chair-! man ol tiie congressional coninuttee ol the arti -suffrage organization, made a long argument against suffrage and told ; the committee that the only states I where Democratic losses were hown in . I the last election were in states w here the congressional union had been working. work-ing. Several suffragists hissed th1 state-! ment and Mrs. (.ieorge remarked: "Sometimes we have the f it ness of women to go into politics illustrated to us. ' Tonight a reception was hpld" at the headquarters of the congressional union un-ion for Mrs. O. H. P. Belmont of New York, a prominent member of the national na-tional executive committee. Among those in the receiving line was Miss Margaret Wilson, the president's daughter. |
