Atlanta Georgian. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1912-1939, 1913-07-04

BY refusing the perfectly reasonable !
request. legitimately entered, Of GER
tain advocates of woman suffrage in
Georgia that they be permitted to
use the Senate chamber for a meet
ing. at a time definitely sure not to
conflict with any bushes Of the Sen
ate. it is extremely doubtful whether
the Senate has covered itself with
any amazing amount Of glory or
| erected a perpetual monument to its
common sense.
That is the way a great many peo-
pie appear to view the matter, any
wayl
Moreover, II the Senate is opposed
to woman suffrage. which it is agreed
all around it has a right TO be, it
doubtless has helped the cause rather
than injured it in Georgia by refus-
ing the request noted
Woman suffrage may not be popu-
| lar in GeOrgia-on the contrary, 1t
may be more popular than some folks
! imagine-but certainly its advocates
thus far working in the open are
women OF extraordinary intelligence
and marked conservatism Of action.
To deny them a request that would
have been granted, readily enough, to
/ the State Democratic executive com
mittee, say, is not particularly con-
vincing in the minds Of some people
that woman suffrage is either an err
ror or monstrous wrong.
To be sure, the women may hold
their meeting elsewhere, but in view
of the fact that all sorts of political
meetings have been permitted in the
Senate chamber-which is a public
place-and all sorts Of people per-
mitted to speak therein. in season
and out, the needless turning down Of
a handful Of women, DESTROYS OF hold
ing a welfare meeting in hehalf of
their own organization. seems to
have been rather out Of place, II not
1 absolutely cheap
The Senate OF Georgia before this
time, however. has strained at gnats
only to swallow Camels subsequently,.
It appears that the present Senate
was not loathe TO let It be known
that It could do that old act itself, If
occasion seemed to require the per-
Torrance.
1t is the opinion Of a number of
people that the Senates refusal of
the request of the women involved
was extremely ungracious, TO say the
least of 1t!
II should be borne in mind that
neither Representative Macarthur nor
Representative Browning, OF the new
counties Of Wheeler and BleCkley, re-
spectively, were expelled from the
House.
Both gentlemen had been sworn
in. but that fact did not make them
members de iure of the House, neCes-
sarily. The Constitutionality of their
titles to their seats was raised and
sustained by the House. and their
seats therefore were declared vacant,
or. rather, their seats were declared
never TO have existed.
Both gentlemen are very popular,
and are citizens Of the very highest
integrity and standing Indeed, as a
purely personal matter the DISPOSE
tiun of the House undoubtedly was to
seat them However, the House, after
thrashing the matter out exhaustive
~, decided that the law plainly was
against them and very properly 1t
acted accordingly.
| Discussing this matter to-day Rep
reseutatiVe Hardeman, who made a
speech denying the right of the gen
tlemen to their seats, said: 'lt is a
tribute to the patriotism and genuine
worth Of the House that it acted as
it did In this matter, despite its heavy
personal inclination to vote otherwise.
| NV own vote was emharraS Sing, in a