The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1895-04-05
TO DEMocRAr1o DELEGATES.

GRAFT. except the three or four who
voted for separate submission of the
woman suffrage article in the COM
mittee Of the whole. are swerved from
their right position on the final vote
We are told. however. that the Repub-
licans who have set themselves to de-
feat the incorporation of the article in
the Constitution of the State. have
succeeded in. wheedling over a few
more Democratic delegates to favor
their scheme.
We wish to say to those gentlemen
that they are making a grave mistake
and that it is bigger than they at
present appreciate. If they continue in
that line they will come to "a realiz-
ing sense" of the blunder later on.
The agitation now being aroused
is obstructive. and is promoted by the
clique that has taken a course to try
to undo the work of the past few
years in uniting the elements in this
territory which were formerly so dis
cordant. It is almost entirely Re
publican agitation. The Democrats who
join them are simply their tools.
If there IS anything on which the
great body Of the people of Utah were
agreed when they elected delegates
to the convention. it was the equal
suffrage promise of the respective plat
forms. To bring UP a popular dispute
on this matter now is needless, and
not intended for the good of the peo-
pie or the success of the convention.
The Republican plank. 1--WE favor
equal suffrage for women was 50
flimsy and fabby that it became an
object of derision. The Democratic
plank was so broad and deep and
comprehensive that the contrast was
immense. 1t meant to secure equal
political rights to citizens of both
sexes. That can only be done in the
Constitution. The Democratic party is
virtually pledged to give that secur-
ity to the people to whom it was held
out as an incentive to their votes.
We are sorry to see any signs of va
cillation and weakness on the part of
Democrats. We expected to see anti
suffragists on the Republican side. be-
cause. while they meant to convey
the idea to the people that they in
tended to give women equal political
rights with men. they did not say so.
but spoke ambiguously. and favored
suffrage of some sort. but covered up
their real purpose in meaningless
phrase.
Democrats who are joining in sup
port of the policy of delay claim to be
equal suffragists. If they are. why do
they not stand to their guns and defeat
the foes of the measure? There has
been too much parleying. There has
been too much costly pyrotechnics.
Oratorical defamation has been in
dulged in to the waste of public time
and money. and now further delay
with further fireworks is demanded
by the enemy and Democrats yield as
though they were afraid of something.
It is a plain proposition that the
qualifications of voters in the new
state should either be provided in the
Constitution or be left for the legisla-
ture to provide. If the latter. then the
pledge to the people made by the
Democratic party will not be fulfilled.
Equal suffrage will not be secured.
Their will be no guaranty that the
legislature will provide for it. or that
it will be continued if it should be
provided for 1t could be changed from
time to time at will
A separate article would be slur on
the women who have been promised
the suffrage. 1t is. a pandering to those
who consider her political nonentity
or at best a political inferior. If the
principle of equal suffrage is correct.
no Democrat ought to hesitate about
embodying it in the fundamental law.
This bowling and scraping to the min
GRITTY on this question is sickening to
the masses of the members of the
party.
If minority or a majority of Re
publicans choose to support a half
way. hating measure on this import
ant question. let them do so. That is
no reason why they should receive
help from Democrats who are fairly
committed to a more manly and Wig
orous policy. Delay is the trickery of
those who desire to defat the main
proposition. Democrats should stand
together in support of the article
Those who do not want to do jus
tice to the women of Utah stand in
a different position to the great major
ity of their party. Let them give aid
and comfort to the enemy if they
choose. But let those who are true to
their pledges and their convictions
cease all further submission to the
other side. and push the matter to an
issue in its regular course. Democratic
delegates. do not be shaken in your
purpose or persuaded into weakness
and folly. Put the suffrage Article
where it belongs and have done with