New-York tribune., 1900-07-27
THE NEGLECTED OPPORTUNITY

AN OLD REMEDY. PRESCRIBED AGAIN.
10 the Editor Of The Tribune
sir; Two great political parties are conteuaing
LOT supremacy. They are so equally balanced that
ie result is doubtful Four years ago twenty-three
states gave their electoral votes for Mckinley;
"ei'E-t"o States for Bryan. A change of fifty
''ousand votes for Bryan distributed in five States
le'eln me contest was close would have turned
'He scale Every effort is now being made to draw
- the respective parties all classes Of voters The
Ii7iueFs' the Germans, the Irish, the Canadians
are each and all appealed to for support. Farmers.
miners, merchants. bankers. manufacturers opera
uVes labor unions. made the subjects OF i'm
passioned deelamatons. But fourteen million Amer
Ich cltlzens Of the United States Of voting
"nolIy overlooked because they are women.
hese fourteen million American citizens may be
made voters in any Presidential election in every
state by legislative enactment without any change
OF constitution State National Each State
shall appoint in such manner as the Legislature
thereof may direct the Presidential electors. Even
without votes women 50 numerous and so in
tmately associated with voters that they could
easily turn the scale in every community between
the parties struggling for supremacy. Their mere
sympathy and goodwill. If enlisted would insure
the success Of the party which should earnestly
espouse their cause They of our own race,
most Of them educated civilized. enlightened re
sponsibe persons, graduates of schools and col
leges, readers OF newspapers, members of
churches, taxpayers, property owners, moral, law
abiding; they comprise three-fourths OF teach
ers; our mothers, sisters wives and daughters.
Ihey only wait to be asked vote. and they Will
respond with alacrity and enthusiasm, as Is evi-
denced by the fact that in the four States where
they are already enfranchised they habtually vote
more generally than do the men
The faulty Of party leaders in ignoring this great
body Of estmable citizens is simply amazing, It is
the most surprising instance Of arrest Of political
thought ever manifested We talk OF Chinese stu
pidity, but that is far easily explained Never
having voted themselves. they know nothing Of the
power OF registered public opinion. They have had
no experience Of represen attve government. Not
so with Americans Our politicians are fully aware
OF the power Of the ballot. Their trade is the
manipulation Of votes. They stand or fall by their
success or failure in securing majortties
A frank, outspokeu declaration Of purpose TO en-
franchise the qualified women Of America would
be in direct accord with the professed principles Of
both the great National parties. Eight years ago
and again four years ago. the Republican party in
its National platform declared in express terms its
purpose TO secure a vote for every citizen Of the
United States" OF course that phrase includes
women, for every woman native or naturaltzed. is
a citizen Of the United States. But the men Rho
adopted this platform probably did not mean 10
include women. The Democratic party this Eear
declares "anti-npe 10 be the dominant
issue. Now, the disfrauchisement Of women is the
most fagrant form Of Imperialism. But the
despouc government which is considered unjust for
the semi-ctvilized Filipino is thought good enough
for an American woman
This absurd inconsistency Is not intentional dis
honesty II is simply prejudice and inherited routine
One Of these days some great party leader will
have the sense and courage to sound in a National
platform the trumpet of woman's euan ncipat ton,
and the walls Of the political Jericho viii fall for
ever. HENRY p RI ACE-V-ETT
Dorchester, Mass. July @ 1900.
I'VE think the above mistaken both as to the
situation and the remedy. We DO not believe
the two parties to be so equally balanced at
present that with the reasonable exertions
which are to be assumed. the result can at
present be fairly considered doubtful We do
not think If it were that the remedy proposed
would meet the case. The people in favor Of
good government vote now far less generally
than their opponents, and only after they have
been aroused by campaign appeals and alarms
verging on hysteria. To double their number
by adding a class less habituated TO public af-
fairs, and taking less interest in them would
only double the danger.
These points have beer discussed over and
over again until We believe the larger part of
the public TO be weary Of them. But Mr Black
we'll is an earnest and sincere Republican Of the
old-fashioned type and it would be an I'll day
for the Republican party if the voice Of such a
man should be suppressed merely because an
organization majority didn't agree with
him. So Just once" We make space for his
letter.