Chicago Tribune
Suffrage Body Suggests
Stand Against Union
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American Association Wants Members Barred from Congressional.
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DEPLORES MILITANCY
Members of the executive council of the National American Woman Suffrage Association came to the conclusion yesterday, during an all day executive session, that there are fundamental underlying differences between the national association and the Congressional union. But just what those differences are and how they should be expressed was left to the national board, a considerably smaller body of women, to determine.
A resolution was passed authorizing the national board to draw up the articles of belief and the findings of the conference regarding the union and its tactics.
What Was Suggested
It was suggested that the statement contain the following provisions.
A recommendation that no official of the national association or of any of its auxiliaries be allowed to remain in or to join the Congressional union.
A clause emphasizing the fact that the national organization is not in sympathy with the militant tactics of which it accuses the union.
A statement deprecating the heckling of President Wilson by members of the Congressional Union.
An article regarding the alleged interference in the state campaigns for suffrage, which the national association declares is detrimental to the success of the campaign.
All Members Present
All the members of the state board were present at the meeting of the executive council, and some of them were responsible for the formal statement.
Mrs. Antoinette Funk of Chicago presented a statement called "findings and facts," but the council decided it was entirely too drastic and voted to allow the national board to act on the language.
Mrs. Nellie Nugent Summerville of Greenville, Miss., the new member of the board, was responsible for the movement to prohibit officials in the national body from belonging to the union.
There was no opposition to the proposal expressed. Mrs. Henry M. Youmans of Waukesha, Wis., who started the row over the Congressional union, at the first session of the conference, said she had been put in the wrong light. She said she was not in favor of the union, that she deplored the anti-Democratic policy and the heckling of the president, but that she could not agree with the national officers on supporting the Shafroth amendment.
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At the meeting of the national board last evening the question of Prof. W. I. Thomas' sex talk on Tuesday evening was discussed and the talk was not altogether approved. The following resolution was passed:
"Resolved, That the official board of the National American Woman Suffrage association wished to express its warm appreciation of the thoughtful and considerate way in which THE CHICAGO TRIBUNE reported this morning the somewhat sensational and all too easily misunderstood remarks made by one of the speakers at the banquet given by the Chicago Equal Suffrage Association. While we do not wish to criticize the speaker's remarks as such, we heard them with profound misgiving as to their effect on the cause of suffrage in the campaign states and it was with relief and gratitude that we observed this morning the refusal to exploit his speech. That is a very real contribution at this time to our cause.
The resolution was introduced by Mrs. Susan Fitzgerald of Boston and seconded by Mrs. Orton H. Clark of Michigan.
