Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1913-06-05
N GOVERN RETURNS
SUFFRAGE MEASURE
GOVERNOR WITHHoLos APPROX
Al ON BILL FOR EQUAL
RIGHTS TO WOMEN.
OPPOSES HASTE IN MATTER
Governor Declares He Can See No
Good Reason for immediate Resub-
mission Of Proposed Amendment
and Asks Delay Until 1915.

Madison, May Ex-Governor Mccoy,
ern today sent to the senate the fol
lowing communication on the bill pro
yiding for resubmission to voters OF
the state of the question OF granting
equal suffrage to women:
return herewith without approval
Bill No. 225-S, entitled An Act to
amend Section y of the statutes, ex
tending the right of suffrage to WON
en-
At the recent presidential election a
proposal to extend suffrage to women
was defeated in this state by a ma
jority of over $4,000 votes. Imme-
diately to resubmit precisely the same
question for determination by the vOt-
ers at the approaching state election
cannot be justified.
Article 3, section l, of the Constitu-
ton of Wisconsin enumerates the
classes of persons entitled to vote and
continues as follows:
Provided that the legislature may
at any time extend by law the right
Of suffrage to persons not herein emu
merated; but no such law shall be in
force until the same shall have been
submitted to a vote of the people at
a general election and approved by a
majority Of all the votes cast at such
election"
The method whereby a change in
this part of the constitution may be
secured thus differs from that for
bringing about amendment of any 9TH
er portion of our fundamental law
mainly in requiring favorable legal
action at a single session of the leg
islature, instead of by the concurrence
of two succeeding legislatures in sup
port of joint resolution. But here as
in other cases the popular vote must
be taken at a general election-not
necessarily the next succeeding gen
eral election, but any general election.
In other words, this legislature may
provide by law for the resubmission
of this question at the November cleo
ton in 1914, 1916 or any later time
1t seems to me no good reason can
be given for the immediate resubmis-
sion of the proposed amendment Since
the decisive vote of last November the
general situation with respect to wom-
an suffrage in Wisconsin has not
changed. At least nothing has oc-
CURED to justify a belief that if this
issue were Immediately resubmitted
to the people the majority against it
would not be even larger than before
The result of the recent election in
Michigan is some indication that this
would be the case From the vote
taken here it is evident that our peo-
pie do not consider the experience of
the Rocky Mountain states, such as
Colorado, Idaho and Wyoming, rele-
want or even enIightening Very re
Gently however other states compar-
able to our own in population, social
conditions, and Industrial development,
such as Kansas, California and Wash
ington. have decided to try the ex-
pertinent. But their experience is vet
altogether too brief TO afford any in
dicatiOn of what we should do. If
this question be again forced upon
the people of Wisconsin for decision
at the election in November, 1914. they
will be compelled to act upon it with
no more information to guide them than
they had last year If, however, the vote
be deferred until 1916 or later there
Is chance at least that the experience
of other states similar in many re-
spects to our own may furnish guild
ance not available now. 1t would
seem therefore to be the part of wis
dom to wait until we can avail our
selves of the instruction to be derived
from the trial OF woman suffrage in
these states before we again vote upon
this question.
But this is not all Wisconsin
stands for popular rule We have faith
in the Judgment and good sense of
the average voter. We believe in the
initiative and the referendum. Rut
if the referendum is good thing
manifestly the results of a referenduD7
vote should be properly respected
Such respect will not be shown if al
most as soon as the\ outcome of last
years vote upon this subject has been
announced exactly the same proDosaI
be Immediately resubmitted without a
single new fact or argument to sun
port it. Such action by the legislature
can have but one tendency-that OF
speedily bringing the principle OF the
referendum into diSrepute.
An additional reason against hastv
action in this matter is. that an ex-
tension OF suffrage such as this bill
proposes once made is practically ir-
revocable. 1t is a step that once
taken cannot easily be retraced. No
matter how erroneous such a decision
may later prove to be, no matter how
soon the people may discover it to be
mistake, or how clearly its unwfs-
dom may be demonstrated. the privfl-
ege Of suffrage once conferred cannot
readily be recalled. Opposed to such
a repeal would stand not only most
of its former champions and support
ers but all the newly enfranchised
voters. whatever their opinions might
have been prior TO the change. who
Charity