The Washington herald., 1914-11-01

OF citizens in the several States" When
women ask for the suffrage as right
they are solemniy assured that 1t Is not
a right, but a privilege" How then can
these thirty-elght States justify their ac-
ton in thus violating the Constitution OF
the. United States2 If@it were done In
the case Of millions of men Congress and
legislatures would remain in continuous
session until the great wrong was
righted. .-....
The leaders OF the movement for
women suffrage are making no positive
claims of victory in the seven States
that will vote on amendments Noyem-
Der 3, but In several of them the pros
poets are very good Canvasses made
among the women themselves have
shown in all the States a large majority
in favor, in South Dakota, s. per cent In
the Ohio State headquarters at the be-
ginning Of the present year, they had the
names OF more than 10000 women asking
for the ballot. The house-to-house can
vass has been continued and II 10 thought
the number will now reach 10000. IN
sixteen counties, thirteen Of which voted
against the amendment in l9l2, two-thirds
of all the women over twenty-one gave
their names in favor and less than one
fourth of l per cent were opposed. IL
the men defeat II again in 1914 they can
do not want it." Reports from Nebraska
show a fair prospect of success. Miss
Jane Adams and other national speak
eTs are making a tour of various states
and DIR. Anna Shaw, national president.
is speaking in all of them. After can
vassing North and South Dakota and
Montana she spoke in ten places in Ne
vada, reaching at least 1000 people. Its
president. Miss Anne Martin. has travel
i . Tafnag nd farm
ing districts in the northern part OF the
State, where the houses are often twenty
or thirty miles apart. 1t will be serious
reflection on Nevada men II they give
majority against the amendment.
Calls Remark Rank Satire.
In his farewell to President Wilson last
Underwood, reviewing its work, said with
JUNCTION: 1--WE have established on firm
foundation individual liberty and business
freedom for our people" To talk about
individual liberty for citizens deprived Of
the suffrage is a rank satire, and Mr..
Underwood, as the leader Of his party in
the House OF Representatives, used all
his powerful influence TO prevent any
action that would tend to relieve women
from this intolerable condition.
Nevertheless 1t is a mistaken policy for
because of the attitude Of some OF its
leaders At this most critical moment in
the whole history Of the suffrage move
ment, when the question hangs in the
balance in seven States, and when II can
not be carried in any Of them without the
aid of Democratic votes. 1t is heartbreaklng
to have the organization known as the
Conversational Union hard at work in
those States where women have the vote
TO defeat the Democratic candidates. All
Of these men have been consistent friends
Of woman suffrage, and Senator Thomas,
of Colorado, imperiled his political future
20 obtain II in his own State twenty years
ago. More than $4,000 copies of the
speech Of Edward 7. Taylor, representa-
tive-atllarRe, before the Judiciary Com
mittee in 1912. have been circulated as
most important suffrage document, and II
has been translated into French and Ger
man, but the union Is trying to persuade
the women voters to defeat both Of these
men. Doubtless il can be shown after the
election that in the States where the
amendment was lost 1t could have been
saved had the thousands of dollars been
used to help 1t that have been expended
in this anti-Democratic campaign.
In many States women are standing as
candidates for office. even in those where
they are not voters. The principal objec-
ton to giving suffrage to women used to
be that they would go into politics and
run for office. They are already doing
both and will do so henceforth to the end
of time. All of the objections have been
by the siege guns Of facts
and the enemy may as well surrender
now as later.