The Washington herald., 1914-12-27
BY IDA Hustled HARPER.

The Committee on Elections of the
Lower House of Congress granted a
hearing last week to delegates from
the Federal Suffrage Association,
whose object is to obtain the legisla-
tion necessary to enable women TO vote
for Senators and Representatives. They
hold that under the First Article in
the Federal Constitution Congress has
power to control the election of Rep
resentatives. and under. the Sixteenth
this power was extended to the election
of Senator'S, and that ii can secure the
right of women TO participate in these
elections without any further amend
ing OF that instrument. Doubtless the
courts would sustain this opinion, but
not the one'slso held by this organIza-
tion that women really are entitled to
exercise this right without further Leg
islation. 1t was for voting for a MEM
Der of Congress in her district in 1872
that Miss Susan 3. Anthony was
charged with a crime. arrested, tried
by a Federal Judge and declared guilty.
This association also hold that the
National Constitution now guarantees
full suffrage to women. and one of its
officers, Mrs. Clara Bewick Colby. is
reported as saying in her public ad-
dresses that a test case to prove ii
should be brought to the Supreme
Court of the United States. This has
been done. In 1879 Mrs. Virginia L.
Minor. of st. Louis, attempted to regis
ter, was refused by the inspectors.
brought suit against them and carried
the case through the lower courts and
to the United States Supreme Court.
The legal argument of her husband.
Francis Minor, to prove her right will
never be surpassed. but the court rem
dered an adverse decision.
Congress Must Authorize.
While in the effort to prevent women
from exercising the suffrage the Su-
preme Court several times has reversed
its own decisions, it may be accepted
as final that they will not be permit
ted to vote for members of Congress
unless that body specially authorizes
them; and States that wish to do so
can continue to deny them the fran
chise until an amendment to the Ma
tiOnaI Constitution forbids it. Perhaps
before this is read the Lower House
of Congress will have defeated a reso-
luton for such an amendment, just as
the Upper House did last winter.
During 1915, therefore, the suffra-
gists will have no. recourse but to
carry on their work in the individual
States. The legislatures of New York,
Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Massachu-
setts, Iowa. and North Dakota have
ordered the submission to the voters
of an amendment to the State consti-
tuition giving complete suffrage to
women. This will have to be ratified
by the legislatures this winter to make
it effective, and in many other States
also the women will endeavor to OBJ
tain a referendum to the electors.
The defeats at the November election
have not diminished in the slightest de-
gree the courage and determination of
the suffragists. In Ohio they have just
held their State convention with a rec
Ord-breaking number of delegates pres
ent. They had no evening meetings for
the public. nothing but purely business
sessions to arrange for beginning at
once another campaign, and Mrs. Har-
riot Taylor Upton again was elected pres
ident No time was consumed in consid-
rring the recent defeat, beyond hearing
an analysis OF the returns. These show
ed 335.S9O in favor of the amendment
about I.50O less than the negative vote of
1872. and nearly 5000 more than the af-
firmative vote of that year. There was a
gain in every county and the defeat was
crease in the opposition, 52S, ,295.
This was due primarily to the unparal-
IeIed fight between the temperance and
would have defeated 1t even at an ordi-
nary election.
Hamilton County Baked.
The greatest opposition came from
Hamilton County CCincinnatD. and the
next heaviest from Pike County, motor