Jailed for freedom - 1920 Author:Doris Stevens Purchase of this book includes free trial access to www.million-books.com where you can read more than a million books for free. This is an OCR edition with typos. Excerpt from book: CHAPTER 2 WOMEN VOTEKS ORGANIZE IT can't be done." "Women don't care about suffrage." "Once they've got it, it is a dead issue." "To talk of arousing the W... more »estern women to protest against the Congressional candidates of the National Democratic Party in the suffrage states, when every one of them is a professing suffragist, is utter folly." So ran the comment of the political wiseacres in the autumn of 1914. But the women had faith in their appeal. It is impossible to give in a few words any adequate picture of the anger of Democratic leaders at our entrance into the campaign. Six weeks before election they woke up to find the issue of national suffrage injected into a campaign which they had meant should be no more stirring than an orderly and perfunctory endorsement of the President's legislative program. The campaign became a very hot one during which most of the militancy seemed to be on the side of the political leaders. Heavy fists came down on desks. Harsh words were spoken. Violent threats were made. In Colorado, where I was campaigning, I was invited politely but firmly by the Democratic leader to leave the state the morning after I had arrived. "You can do no good here. I would advise you to leave at once. Besides, your plan is impracticable and the women will not support it." "Then why do you object to my being here?" I asked. "You have no right to ask women to do this. . . ." Some slight variation of this experience was met by every woman who took part in this campaign. Of course, the Democratic leaders did not welcome an issue raised unexpectedly, and one which forced them to spend an endless amount of time apologizing for and explaining the Democratic Party's record. Nor did they relish spending more money publishing more literature, in short, adding gr...« less