The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1896-06-14
EQUAL SUFFRAGE PLANK
Will the Democratic State Con.
vention Put One in It's
Platform 1?
Arrangements Being Made for the Com.
ing Campaign by the Woman
Suffrage Association.

What will the Democratic State Conven-
ton do with the woman suffrage plankP
This is the question that is heard on every
side. Will it be like the case of the little
boy who watched another eating an apple
and asked if he might have the core {?
There amt going to be any core" was
the reply. Perhaps there isn't going to be
any plank. Perhaps after all the others
have been hewn and whitfield into shape
to suit the great body who will vote upon
them there will not be so much as a
splinter left to make plank for the poor
disfranchised woman to stand upon.
What chance would body of men have
who should go before a convention for
political favors without single vote at
their back? What opportunity have
women in convention where every dele
gate has fight of his own on hand; where
there are contested delegations struggling
for the supremacy, factions arrayed
against each other, personal animosities
to be satisfied, every man with knife up
his sieeve2
Yet this was the case at the Republican
convention, and we not only got our plank,
but lot of pleasant courtesies and strong
manly encouragement, and we came away
with our little suffrage badges futtering
in the breeze and hallelujah singing in
our hearts.
Why should the result be any different
at the Democratic Convention? What has
this Democratic party done, in times past,
that makes every body excain with one
loud voice, at will do nothing in favor of
woman suffrage" The newspapers. the
politicians, writers (such as Arthur Nc
Ewen), all warn US in the most solemn
~.
ocratic Convention. People seem aston
ished when we tell them we expect to take
portion of our very limited means and
90 to Sacramento. But that is exactly
what we shall do. The small unterrifed
will 90 to the great unterrihed. No poIit-
ical party shall say it was sighted by the
woman suffragiSts. We will have the
same headquarters, make the same efforts
and Miss Anthony and Miss Shaw will ad-
dress the platform COM ittee if allowed
Then, il we are turned down, " refused
recognition, sent home empty handed,
the Democratic women of the State will
know that we did all we could; that the
party which their fathers and husbands
and sons support has no use for the
mothers and wives and daughters, who
also would Loyalty support it. They will
understand that it is from one or all OF
the other parties they must receive their
political liberty.
But do not believe the convention will
dc this unjust and impolitic thing. There
are no greater sticklers for the "constitu-
ton" than the Democrats. The State
constitution of California, article J. section
2, declares, "All political poweris inherent
IN the people" If we admit that women
are "people" and the Supreme Court of
the United States has so decided then
political power is inherent" or Unborn,
or as much the property OF women as of
men. The men have usurped it and the
women are unlawfully deprived of it. Sec
ton q of the same article declares
.'Nor shall any citizen, or class of citizens,
be granted privileges or immunities
which, upon the same terms, shall not be
granted to all citizens" Women have
been declared citizens by the Supreme
Court of the United States. and, therefore,
according to this section, they should have