The Donaldsonville chief. [volume] (Donaldsonville, La.) 1871-current, 1914-10-17
AN AMENDMENT THAT De
SERVES SUPPORT.

1~'O
In asking the voters Of the state
to cast their ballots in favor OF
amendment 1877, the women of Lou
isiana are only asking to be placed
on the same plane with the women
Of all the western states and nearly
all the northern states. Amendment
1877 is to change Article 210 of the
state constitution, which says: mo
person shall be eligible to any office
in that state, judicial parish, munich
patty or ward who is not a citizen
of this state and duly qualified
elector Of the state
1t was not until the women Of that
splendid organization in New Orle-
ans, the Era Club, tired of trying
to patch up through charity the
wrecks made by industry, asked for
woman and child labor law and a
woman factory inspector, that it was
found that Article 210 blocked every
effort of the women Of this state to
serve in any capacity whatsoever.
Thereupon started an effort to
have the article amended and each
successive legislature since 1904 has
seen a patient, weary group of Wo-
men sitting day in and day out ask
ing the legislators to submit to the
voters this amendment which will
give them the right to serve on school
boards and boards of charity, where
they are now serving Illegally if any
one wanted to question their right
to be there.
t., ,a1o ,.-ac me-
allow the state to appoint woman
factory inspector and the splendid re-
suits obtained in the city of New
Orleans, where the entire manage
ment of the enforcement Of the child
labor law is under the jurisdiction of
women, cannot be disputed.
Last year before the National
Child Labor Association held its
tenth annual convention in New Or
leans private detectives were sent
to all the large manufacturing cities
from these detectives was that the
law was better enforced in New Or
leans than in any city in the coun-
try. Let US be grateful that Louisi-
ana leads in the protection Of her
children in industry. Now if a few
women can DO such splendid work
for the children in industry, why
should we deprive the children in
the schools Of this same protection?
1t is only in the southern estates,
where the percentage of illiteracy is
SO heavy, that women are not allow
ed to serve on school boards. II
there is one place where the moth
er's interest does centre, Or should
if it does not, it is in the school
house, for we men may as well ac-
knowledge it that the women are
more interested in the children. They
get the little ones up in the morning,
dress them, fix the lunches and start
them off. How many fathers in this
parish do this? We consider the
care of the children the mothers job
in the matrimonial partnership, and
why we only allow her supervision to
go as far as the schoolhouse gate is
beyond this editors ken. We have
allowed her to vote to tax her prop
erty to build better schools; why
should she not be allowed to have
some say in the management of the
school?
1t is not a mere coincidence that
Kentucky is the only southern state
that compares at all favorably with
the northern and western states in
the matter of education. The reason
is that women have for years had the
right &e@yote for school directors.
In 49, western states, where the
perez re Of il1iteracy is almost nil,
the conduct of the schools has been
turned over almost entirely to the
women. See what Mrs. Ella Flagg
Young has done for the schools of
Chicago!
One word to the statement so often
heard from some teachers, Il do not
want women on the school board
meddling in what does not concern
them" Beware of that teacher! If
she has nothing to hide she will wei
come the interest of any woman In
her work. When she objects to hon
est criticism or supervision she
knows there is something lacking in
her methods Or ability.
Therefore, men Of Louisiana, read
the letter sent to the press of Lou
isiana and signed by the Era Club,
the Sophie Newcomb Alumnae and
the Associated Teachers League ask
ing for your votes, and we are sure
you will grant this little right. Re-
member, there is no question of wo-
man suffrage in this. No woman can
be elected to serve unless majority
of the voters of her parish vote, for
her, and everybody should be willing
to allow the majority to have what
they vote for Thia amendment does
net allow the women to vote for any
thing or anybody. It only allows
them to serve On certain boards if
Of the male voters so de-
eide. Let the slogan for Nov. be