The Bossier banner. [volume] (Bellevue, Bossier Parish, La.) 1859-1952, 1914-04-02
Senator Thornton Sound Views on Suffrage.

Senator Thornton's Sound Views on Suffrage.
Mr.. President, after continued illness
of seven weeks have neither the physical
nor mental ability to speak on this subject
in the manner its great Importance de-
mands, but feel it due to myself as well
as to the State have the honor to repre-
sent in this body to protest, by voice as
we'll as by vote, against what consider an
unwarranted and unjusthable attack on
one of her most important constitutional
rights.
In fact, | am not able now to say much
more than repeat what said on this floor
on July 31st last in presenting, by request,
a petition from some Louisiana ladies ask
ing for the passage of this resolution.
said then was opposed to the passage
of the proposed amendment because the
effect would be to deprive my State of the
constitutional rightin that respect she now
enjoyed
said also that | had not the slightest
objection to other States comforting the
privilege of suffrage on their women if they
so desired, but | was unalterably opposed
to allowing other States to force the State
of Louisiana to do SO without reference to
her own wishes in the matter.
l repeat now what | said then, and l be-
Iieve now as then, that as a citizen Of
Louisiana have no moral right to interfere
with the determination of this question by
the people of other States.
Those few words then uttered seemed
to attract more attention in some quarters
than had expected, for afterwards | was
requested by different female anti-suffra-
gists to speak against woman suffrage gen.
orally in other States and also in this city.
Trefused all of these requests, saying
that could not justify myself in doing SO,
as it would run counter not only to my
convictions that this was a question that
should be settled by the people of the re-
spective States without outside interference
but to the plain inference of my previous
remarks in the Senate on July 31st.
To the few remonstrances received from
Louisiana women against my position an
nounced on this floor, and the request that
| should reconsider it and vote for this res
clifton, replied that under my convictions
in regard to the rights of other States on
this particular matter could not so vote
even if was personally ever so much in
favor of woman suffrage in Louisiana Or
elsewhere.
l have used these illustrations to show to
my brother Senators that my subsequent
course in this matter proved the sincerity
of my previous utterance on it.
| now declare, and mean it when | say
it. because otherwise | could not say it,
that if Louisiana was woman suffrage
State and all of the white women in the
State asked me to vote for this resolution,
| would refuse to do it, because could not
do SO without gross disregard of most
vital and fundamental right of the other
States Of this Union.
The distinguished leader of the Demo-
cratic party in the House of Representa-
tives we'll said in that body on the 4th of
February last:
If the Democratic party stands for one thing
above all others in reference to local self-govern-
ment, it is that the right of franchise should be
governed by the States of the Union and not by
the National Government.
That is an absolutely correct statement,
and marvel that Democratic Senators at
least can consent to uphold by their their
votes the opposite view.
| wish to add further, that while in my
judgment the denial of this principle
through the adoption of this proposed
amendment will have no good effect any
where, am absolutely certain that in the
near future it will have a positively bad
effect in many Of the Southern States, in
GLIDING Louisiana, by adding to the per-
plexities of problem connected with the
suffrage that has long troubled them and
will continue to trouble them for some time
in the future.
This is delicate subject that do not
propose to discuss more than to state my
conclusion.
If these States are left in the enjoyment
of their present constitutional rights in the
matter of suffrage, they can grant the
privilege to their women in the future if
considered desirable without mourning the
risk to which they will be subjected if it is
forced on them in this way.
| do not believe that single Southern
State would deny the privilege of suffrage
to its women whenever the white men of
that State know majority of the respecta-
BILE white women of the State desire that
privilege.
In the name of the State of Louisiana
protest against the passage of constitu-
tional amendment which would deprive her
OF one of the most important, if not the
most important, constitutional rights she
now possesses, and absolutely deny the
moral right of any Senator of another
State to seek by his vote on this resolution
to deprive her of that right.
Lake Providence Banner Democrat:
Mrs. Ada Sanders, wife of Ex-Governor
j. Y. Sanders, was granted divorce in
dacraa handod down IN tho rhonoor,, ro,,nt