The Liberal democrat. [volume] (Liberal, Kan.) 1911-1924, 1913-08-15

can be urged with even greater force
In this connection | desire to read
few sections from the Constitution
of the United States bearing out this
contention.
Section 2 of Article w provides:
All persons born or naturalized in
the United States, and subject to the
jurisdiction thereof, are citizens OF
the United States and of the State
wherein they reside. No State shall
make or enforce any law which shall
abridge the privileges or immunities
of citizens of the United States nor
shall any State deprive any person of
life, liberty, or property without due
process of law; nor deny to any per-
son within its Jurisdiction the equal
protection OF the laws.
The fifteenth amendment provides:
The right of citizens of the United
States to vote shall not be denied or
abridged by the United States or by
any State on account of race, color,
or previous condition of servitude.
1t will hardly be argued by anyone
that women are not citizens. If they
are admitted to be citizens, their le-
gal right to vote is already clearly
established by law.
While | believe no constitutional
amendment is really necessary to give
the right OF equal suffrage, yet II 1t
will aid in any way to bring about
equal suffrage throughout the United
States | am certainly in favor of the
proposed amendment. The only rea-
son we have not enjoyed woman suf-
frage throughout the United States
is because the men have originally
assumed the right and the power TO
deprive the women of this legal
right of suffrage. In the early days
the men in my State, wno perhaps
were not then as just and chivalrous
as they are in this day. met and
framed the constitution OF the State.
In doing SO, while under the Consti-
tuition Of the United States the wo-
men were equal citizens with them,
they deprived them of their most
sacred right of citizenship, that OF
voting.
have often wondered what the re-
suit would have been had the women
assumed this right and met and
framed the constitution of Kansas,
and deprived the men of the right to
vote. feel that the men judges of
the various courts would have held
long ago that such action would have
been unconstitutional. So IL it would
have been unconstitutional for the
women to have framed the constitu-
ton OF Kansas and to have deprived
the men of the right to vote, say il
Is unconstitutional for the men to
have met and denied the women this
right and privilege. To use a rather
but forcible, familiar express
sion: What is sauce for the goose
should be sauce for the gander." III
1t would have been unconstitutional
for the women to have done this, Il |
was also unconstitutional for the |
men. | believe that under the fund |
amental law of this land and under |
the highest authority we have-the |
Constitution OF the United States
they are legally entitled to vote, and |
should not longer be deprived OF that
right by the men.
shall gladly support the consti-
lutional amendment, and hope later
to take more time to discuss the
question from moral standpoint,
it will secure equal Justice.
nobler purposes. better government,
and the highest and purest citizen
ship. l ask that the petitions be re-
erred to the Committee on Woman
Suffrage