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LEAGUEt1I-ii1iIIA Representative Audiencei Heard Miss Gertrude Watkins Speak Here.Some seventy odd persona, mostly ladies, assembled in the Superior Court room at the Court House last night to hear Mis Gertrude Watkins’ views on the suffrage question andwhile a general air of expectancy per-iivaded the spacious auditorium nothing ; t occurred that would tend to create excitement and the address of Miss Watkins' which was delightful and most « refreshing, was heard with evident £ pleasure by her audience. Charmingly I gowned in a piuk dress the speaker would never have been taken for a suffragette because in localities wherelittle is known of the movement on the j j part of women to gain the ballot the i 1 average man imagines that all women seeking the franchise are doing so in an effort to gain recognition and not Ji because they really care to go to the polls and vote. Miss Watkins began i with an Irish joke as an illustration i of the fact that the women, in their fight for the franchise, are at least holing their own and concluded by saying she would be ashamed of her- ]self if she were anything other than lt;a suffragette.The speaker of the evening was introduced by Louis Goodwin, Esq., who referred to the contributed article inyesterday’s Dispatch that asked the women of Wilmington to turn a deaf ear to the voice urging the formation , of an equal suffrage league and con-J tinued by saying that the President of the United States should thank his ! lucky star that the women of the West enjoyed the privilege of the ballot or else one Charles Evans Hughes would now be arranging to take up a four-year residence in the White House as the next President of this country. Mr. j Goodwin declared the woman vote ofthe West turned the tide in favor of the President, adding that Democracy had that much to thank the lady voters for.The first utterances of Miss Watkins’ was that all move closer to herfor as she explained, “this is a question wre all want to get together on 7”She traced the growth of the great. suffrage movement and explained howit had grown and prospered until now it was a factor in the lives of all.The suffrage idea, according to the [speaker, originated in the minds of four women and now there are 4,000,-000 enlisted in the fight.The suffarge movement is comparatively young and if as much is accomplished by the women in the coming fifteen years.as has -been in thepast fifteen its*ranks will stretch from the Atlantic to the Pacific and fromMaine to the Gulf of Mexico.- ■.Miss Watkins pointed out that mankind had not always enjoyed the privilege of voting but she added “to hearthem talk one would think that it was a special right, handed down fromtime immemorial.” Another fact stressed by the speaker was that the Supreme Court had handed down decisions to the effect that women were actually people and that this great law making body later decided that I ^woman possessed a soul. Miss Wat-)( kins declared that her sex was deeply j ^ appreciative of all this from the law-. v making uouiea uuuipusfi vi meposite sex.Another bit of interesting Information given by the speaker was that )0 per cent, more girls graduate from the High Schools each year than boys which would indicate that the girl’s mind is quicker and more able to I grasp things than the mind of the ryoung man. rMiss Watkins told of the convertion L of William Jennings Bryan to the|0 cause and she quoted Mr. Bryan aa |a saying he was obliged to change his a views and align himself with those jjj fighting for woman’s freedom when I he began noticing that the insane L. asylums and penal institutions contain- ^ ed fewer women and more men and ^ that just the opposite condition exist- ^ ed in the churches. She stated that L Mr. Bryan declared himself for suf-L, frage for this reason and while per- v haps the Great Commoner is not the p powerful figure he once was there is a no denying the fact that Bryan is yet|p a man to be reckoned with and the I pvery fact that he Is for equal suf- Uj frage will cause many skeptics to jj change their views relative to the | _ question that is claiming the attentionof the American people today.In addition to making an unusually interesting address Miss Watkins answered all questions put to her, touching on chaotic conditions that existed in England while the fight was bitter there, and adding that window breaking was an English custom for getting what was wanted since time immorial. She declared that the bombs thrown were of pasteboard and * practically harmless. She declared the Miss Pank-hurst possessed a beautiful character and stated that her life in her home was one that could be used as a modelby anyone.She made a strong plea for the millions of working women of the United States, who by reason of the changed economic condition have to earn a living. Miss Watkins thought it but fair that they should be given the privilege of the ballot.Miss Watkins declared that Congressman Webb would change his views when “he learned that the ‘people back home” let it be knownthat they want women to have the{fttItrtc10pfda(
Newspaper Details
Wilmington Dispatch
Wilmington, North Carolina, US
Sat, Dec 09, 1916
Page 5
Full Page
Clipped by
Anonymous
USA 12 Nov 2019
Other Publications Near Wilmington, North Carolina
Wilmington Journal
The Semi Weekly Messenger
Wilmington Dispatch
Wilmington Post
Wilmington Gazette
