The Birmingham age-herald., 1915-12-19

representative saunders or virginia said: How then can this resolution be critically assailed as an invasion in any proper sense Of the states rights, when it is proceeding under the constitution, and ill conformity with the constitution to amend the constitution conformably to reserved right contained in that very instrument? We talk as if some outrag- eous thing were being done today, as if | the states were to be robbed of some pre- cious rights in defiance of the law Why we are proceeding in conformity with one of the rights of the states, namely the right to approach this body and call upon us to exercise our constitutions function by affordng to the states of this union the opportunity to determine wheth- CT or not they will amend the organic law That is the proposition with which we are dealing today"
 Said Representative Howard of Georgia: Tt is question pure and simple: Are We as representatives of American people, so cowardly as to re- l fuse to submit the question to them , that they may, through their regularly elected legislatures, express the will of a majority as to this great national problem?'
 l MT Stevens of Mississippi expressed himself thus; Even though an amendment shall have the effect of de- priving a state of some right that it | now possesses, the state has no l grounds of complaint and there is no 1 infringement of the doctrine of the states rights if such amendment is adopted in the manner prescribed by | the constitution. I contend, Mr. i Speaker, that this is not an invasion | of states rights. Three fourths of the ! states are given the right to amend the constitution, and it is the denial of constitutional right granted that number of states if we assert that an amendment shall not be made to the constitution because some state op- 1 poses the amendment
 1 Still another southern representa- : l tive, MT. Tribble of Georgia, spoke as | follows: "Mr. Speaker I shall not ar 1 bitrarily shut the door on my con stituents who should also be granted | the privilege of expressing their
 wishes If two thirds of the states de- ! sire this amendment then the one third should not complain, but the people not agreeing with me would have a right to complain if I should l force my personal views on them."
 Of course, these gentlemen were dis
 cussing the great question of national proho obtion.
 I do not presume, gentlemen, to
 speak for all the women of the south but for a large part of them, who
 value consistency.
 The great democrat, Thomas Jeffer-
 son, is said to have advocated a new
 constitution every 19 years for he
 held the belief that such alterations
 as changed conditions necessitate
 should be put into effect by changing
 the organic law; and another grea
 democratic party leader has said more
 recently: Each generation is capable
 of self government and must suit to it:
 peculiar needs. the machinery of gov
 ernment and laws"
 If this amendment is adopted 1t il
 no wise regulates or interferes w1tl
 any existing qualifications (eXcep
 sex), which the various state consti
 tutions now exact. It leaves all othe
 qualifications of the voter to be de
 termined by the various states
 through their constitutional agencies
 It does not inject any new problem
 into the franchise problems of tn
 states it does not complicate any eX isting problem It is a fa1lacy t. contend that the inhibition of discrimi nation on account of sex would involv the race problem or any other com plication. Both sexes will be oblige to meet all requirements of citizen ship imposed by the state and eac state can still protect the exercise o the franchise to the fullest extent 0 it's power.
 The actual working out or applica l tion of the principle would be. in tn south, to enfranchise a very large mum | Der of white women and the same sor | of negro women as there are negr | men now permitted to exercise tn | privilege.
 | | In the 15 states below Mason an l DiXon's line, there are S,7SS,901 whit l women and 4,316,565 negro women, o | 4472,236 more white women than ne l gro women, which is nearly 100000 l 4o1 ,1ot inn ho I is both men and women, in these state | is S,294274, so that whiteAwomen alon ] outnumber the total negro populatio | by 494,627. In Mississippi and Sout | Carolina there are more negro wome | than white women. but the same con dition exists as regards the men c l those states and there is no reaso | to assume that the negro women C ! these states would be able to meet tn . state qualifications in any larger mum
 bers than the negro men of thos .t states.
 ,s In my own state, there are 142,45 l. more white women than negro womel $. So that if the wish of the souther
 people Is to maintain white supremac.
 according to Chief Justice Waite 2. Clark of North Carolina. the whit , women of these states must at leas be elevated to the same political plan = as the negro man. Says Justit , Clarke: Tt has been stated as an or Z lection to woman suffrage in the sout that our negro cooks could vote. W cannot justly disfranchise white wome l to keep their cooks from voting whe we do not disfranchise white men ! keep the cooks husband from voting | There can be no violation of al | state right in your adoption of tf \ resolution. for the states themselv' 2 have entered into a voluntary agre = ment that the constitution may l
 amended under certain conditions. Flu
 thermore, it is possible for the legisl
 lures of any l3 states to block it's inco
 poration into the national constitutio
 so that if there be that many stat
 unwilling to ratify the amendmer
 they are not deprived of that resour
 by your action.
 THE NEW CHIVALRY
 Perhaps you think we do not ne
 the ballot for our protection As ol
 flowery Alabama orator exclaimed la
 year in these halls, "Woman is u = ward of the manhood of the cou
 try Why, then, does she want to exc
 else the right of suffrage? The gre cry is, the women should be allow' to vote to protect themselves. Again , what? We show them every consider; . ton. provide for their safety, prote . their interests always and every where