16 



ANTI-WOMAN-SUFFRAGE MOVEMENT, THE. 



ward voluntarily to record their dissent. We re- 

 spectfully submit that, notwithstanding the vig- 

 orous agitation of the question and the attempt 

 by suffragists to arouse public opinion through 

 the press and otherwise, there is among the 

 women of this State a profound indifference on 

 the subject, and that until a practically unani- 

 mous expression of opinion in its favor is given 

 the convention will not be justified in considering 

 the radical change demanded by a small number 

 of women who regard themselves as the special 

 advocates of the rights of their sex." 



This statement was signed by Mrs. Francis M. 

 Scott, Mrs. Clarence E. Beebe, Mrs. David H. 

 Greer, Miss Eleanor G. Hewitt, Mrs. Arthur M. 

 Dodge, Mrs. George White Field, Mrs. Richard 

 Watson Gilder, and Miss Florence Lockwood. 

 The convention decided not to submit the amend- 

 ment. 



In April, 1895, the Association Opposed to 

 the Extension of the Suffrage to Women came 

 into being in New York city. The reason there- 

 for is set forth in its first annual report, which 

 says : 



" It is just two years since the energetic labors 

 of the woman suffragists to induce the Constitu- 

 tional Convention to pass favorably upon a suf- 

 frage amendment first roused he women of this 

 State into active protest. When the deliberations 

 of that body resulted in a decision to abide by 

 the existing suffrage regulations the storm and 

 stress of violent discussion which had wearied 

 the minds and ears of the community was fol- 

 lowed by a sudden quiet. The fact that a con- 

 stitutional convention is held only every twenty 

 years led to the mistaken statement, made in 

 newspapers and elsewhere, that this vexed ques- 

 tion of woman suffrage would not again be pre- 

 sented for legislative action for that period of 

 time. 



" In spite of the decision of the Constitutional 

 Convention, the work of the woman suffragists 

 upon the Legislature was begun early last year. 

 Very little attention was paid to their quiet prose- 

 cution of their work, either by the general public 

 or by those women who only a few months before 

 had emphatically put themselves on record as 

 against the false idea of progress indicated by 

 the course of these same woman suffragists. It 

 was not until the fact that the suffrage amend- 

 ment, or concurrent resolution, as it is called, had 

 passed the Assembly and reached the Judiciary 

 Committee of the Senate, with every prospect of 

 passing there, was brought to the attention of 

 the original Executive Committee who had charge 

 of the protest sent to the Constitutional Con- 

 vention, that it was realized that our work was 

 not finished, but only just begun. A meeting of 

 the disbanded Executive Committee was hastily 

 called, and it was determined to oppose the con- 

 templated action of the Legislature. After ad- 

 vising with a member of the Senate Judiciary 

 Committee, it was considered best to send one of 

 our number to appear before them. This was in 

 response to the statement that no woman had 

 ever been heard in opposition to the proposed 

 amendment in all the years it had been before 

 the Legislature, leaving us to infer that the 

 Legislators could not be blamed if they believed 

 those who did appear when they asserted that 

 they spoke for all intelligent and educated women. 



" At the meeting of the original Executive Com- 

 mittee referred to the necessity of organization 

 was appreciated, and the determination reached 

 to form a permanent association to take charge 

 of the work which again pressed upon us, and 

 thereby to create a channel into which should 



flow naturally that gathering flood of strong feel- 

 ing, opinion, and judgment which demands that 

 woman should be left free to develop along the 

 lines indicated by Nature and its logic; free to 

 exercise the qualities specially hers; free to sup- 

 plement or lead the work of her brothers in all 

 the ways from which Nature and its logic have 

 shut them out. 



" Twenty out of the 45 States have already 

 written, asking information, expressing sympathy 

 and encouragement. The interest aroused in our 

 own State was so immediate and so great that it 

 was found that some system of organization was 

 necessary in order that our association should 

 grow symmetrically. The simplest, and so the 

 best, that was suggested was to take the already 

 defined eight judicial districts of the State as a 

 first form of division. Each one of these judicial 

 districts is formed of a number of counties, ex- 

 cepting the First, which comprises only the city 

 and county of New York. This plan was adopted. 

 In each one of these districts a prominent city 

 has been selected, and there the association 

 formed is called an auxiliary, and is numbered 

 according to its district. The other associations 

 formed in cities and towns are called branches. 



" We have subdivided this First Judicial Dis- 

 trict into a number of branches, eight of which 

 have been successfully formed, and more are pre- 

 paring to take up the work in the near future. 

 The result of this general organization, which 

 was begun in January, has been a great increase 

 of interest and membership. On Jan. 1 we had 

 532 city members; we now numbe*- 1,406. 



" This encouraging result makes it plain that 

 when the women are reached quietly and sys- 

 tematically they are glad to record themselves on 

 our side, and have heretofore only lacked the 

 opportunity. In the nature of the case the 

 women who feel with us are not an aggressive 

 sisterhood. They are not clamoring for anything; 

 their every instinct is against loud and public 

 demands. But once approached, and the need of 

 concerted action made plain, there has been gen- 

 erally found a willing, and sometimes an eager 

 desire to give us the weight of their names and 

 the encouragement of their sympathy. The in- 

 terest, as expressed both by letters and inter- 

 views, is very great, and in an emergency there 

 are large numbers of women who, while now pre- 

 ferring simply to register themselves as members 

 of the general association, are ready to take up 

 the active work necessary to defeat legislation 

 should an emergency occur. This association has 

 as a reason for its existence the determination 

 to make such emergencies impossible. It is our 

 desire never again to let it happen that a small 

 proportion a bare 10 per cent, by the largest 

 claim the woman suffragists ever made of the 

 women of this State shall assume to speak for 

 all, or even a majority. We believe, and might 

 almost say we know, that this association is the 

 voice of the majority of the intelligent and think- 

 ing women of this State, and as such is prepared 

 to stand between the unwise, socialistic, and il- 

 logical demands of the woman ^ suffragists and 

 the unwise, hasty, and inexpedient action of the 

 Legislature. 



" During the year we have received 500 letters 

 from 200 different people; we have sold 360 sets 

 of pamphlets and given away 41 more, each set 

 containing 9 different pamphlets; of single pam- 

 phlets, 5,412 have passed from the hands of our 

 secretary into those of eager readers. Since our 

 appearance before the Senate Judiciary Commit- 

 tee last spring this matter has finally begun to 

 be recognteed as not a joke or a bit of harmless 



