The Detroit times. [volume] (Detroit, Mich.) 1903-1920, 1912-11-08
100000 WOMEN
GET VOTES IF
SUFFRAGE Wins
First Opportunity to Exercise
Franchise Will BE in Spring
Primaries
AMENDMENT Is LAW
WHEN VOTES CERTIFIED
National Anti-Suffrage Associa-
tion Caught Mapping in
This State

The woman suffrage amendment.
II the count shows that ii is adopted,
gives the right TO vote to over COO, 600
Michigan women, OF whom 100, 600 live
IN Detroit and Wayne county. No
-olher-state- has eyer enfranchised at
one time so large a number OF its
citizens. The other suffrage states.
Colorado, Wyoming, Utah, Idaho,
Washington. California. Oregon. Ari.
zona and Kansas, are all smaller thar
Michigan
The amendment goes into effect as
soon as the secretary of state certifies
the count-providing OF course. that
a majority of those who voted are III
favor OF the measure.
The first election in which the wo-
men can use their new right Is the
primary in March. 1913. when several
state and city officers are 10 be nom
mated. including two justices OF the
supreme court, two regents OF tho
University OF Michigan, superinten-
dent of public instruction. member Of
the state board OF education, two
members of the state board OF agricul.
a. "
tice Stein. and members OF the Board
OF Education in the Ninth to the
Eighteenth wards.
II is also probable that the charter
revision commission will be nominal.
ed at the same time If the piecemeai
plan isn't adopted.
Now that the amendment has been
voted on, hidden history is coming 10
light. One incident is related which
concerns the National Anu.Suffrage
association, whose headquarters ~
in New York The officers of this
body made mp their minds that SUI
frage had little chance in Michigan
and that II would not be necessary 10
do more. than make a show OF work
Ing against II. Nevertheless. they
decided TO be forehanded and they
sent investigators 70 Michigan TO sur.
Ney the field and line up the interests
for the campaign in 1914. when they
thought. The equal suffrage party
would be strong enough TO make a
good fight.
N was a long time before the In
vestigators could persuade the heads
OF the association that the suffrage
Cause really had chance TO win, aud
when they at last succeeded, II was
too late for effective work.
X The real reason why the brewing
and distilling interests are against
equal suffrage is said TO be not SO
much the fact that they are afraid
the women will vote for clean gov.
eminent. since II is claimed that iE
every election thus far held in equal
suffrage states the women have
shown themselves more liberal" than
the men: but because granting the
franchise to women doubles the cleo
torate, and makes it just twice as diff
ficult and twice as expensive for tho
liquor interests TO control an election.
The consensus OF opinion seems to
be that the victory OF woman sui
frage adds 10 the rolls large num-
Der of potential voters who will ap.
pear at the polls only in times Of
great excitement to vote on great
moral issues. The same situation
exists now in an electorate Of men.
for the voters. at any election rareIy
exceed so per cent Of the number
registered and the vote in the state
shows wide fluctuations from year TO
year. For instance. in 1910. an Of
year. the state vote was only 3S3,76Z;
while in 1908, presidential year, it
was 54t,767.