Evening star., 1915-01-12
SUFFRAGEF|GHT
WAGEDAT CAPITOL
Constitutional Amendment
Giving Ballot to Women
Brought Up in House.
SPECIAL RULE ADOPTED
BY Overwhelming VOTE
But Many Favoring Present Con.
sideration Oppose National Action.
Debate in Progress.

By a vote Of 209 to 81 the House to-
day adopted the SPECIAL rule making
privileged the Mondeii resolution pro-
viding for woman suffrage through an
amendment to the federal Constitution.
The count was taken on a rising vote
without roll call, whereupon debate
started again on the suffrage resolu-
tion itself and a record vote on the great
issue may be expected between and
o'clock tonight. The figures of the vote
on the rules are not an indication Of
how the House will vote on the Mon
dell resolution. as many members who
voted for the rule will vote against
woman suffrage.
Following the adoption of the rule.
Representative Webb of North Caro-
lima took the floor in oposition to the
amendment The crowd in the gall
leries settled down for the long six
hours Of talk, but the attendance on
the floor began to thin out. Members
wandered in and out, and many left
the chamber. to return only when sum-
moned for the final vote.
Denies It Is State Question.
In the principal speech for suffrage,
Representative Mondell of Wyoming,
author of the resolution. said:
I'VE are told in high and influential
quarters that this Is a question for the
states and not for the nation. That
seems to be the favorite pretext Just
now for the sidetracking of great ques-
tions. The nation has seen fit to pro-
hibit discrimination on account of race.
color or previous condition Of servitude
The nation may with equal or greater
propriety prohibit discrimination on ac-
count Of sex. 1t has been said that
the charter of the black mans rights
was shot into the Constitution. Be
that as it may, we seek to give the
people Of the states an opportunity, in
a peaceful and orderly way. to write
into the Constitution the charter OF
following constitutional precedent. and,
except as a matter of personal opinion
or preference. no one Is justified in say
ing that the Question~is one for individ-
ual action in the states rather than for
concerted action by the states.
THE stupid and threadbare argu
ment that the exercise of the elective
franchise will have an unfavorable ef
feet upon the character of women, ex-
pose them to undesirable contact, de-
stroy the finer fiber of the sex, and put
in jeopardy their natural charm has
been utterly refuted by the experience
of every state and nation which has
enfranchised its women. If political
methods anywhere are brutalizing and
communicating. they ought to be reme-
died in the interest of all the people.
found in the enfranchisement Of
women.
IF there are women anywhere SO en-
shaved of drudgery. so engrossed in
time nor the inclination for the brief
duty of casting a ballot. enfranchise-
ment will afford a blessed occasional
respite for the one and new and
h hSerH Inv fvns 60
| the other. If some fortunate women
are so happily content under present
conditions that they do not desire the
ballot. that fact does not constitute
| an argument against allowing those
women to vote who desire so to do.
The experience of every suffrage state
is that practically. all women, when
granted the franchise. value and exer-
else the privilege"
Dies Speaks in Opposition.
! The anti-sunragists pinned their hopes
| on the rollicking speech of Representative
Martin Dies Of Texas, who opened the op-
position with the statement:
Il am opposed to this resolution be-
cause I do not want Montana and Colo
RADIO to have it in their power to cram
woman suffrage down the throats Of the
people Of Texas.
Il am opposed to it because it would
thrust the ballot into the hands of mil
lions of ignorant negro women in the
south, south: and force unsought political
ers throughout the land who are at
present more profitably employed than
in running after politics I still adhere
to the old-fashioned belief that the hand
| that rocks the cradle wields a better and
stronger influence upon the nation than
the hand that writes the ballot. To nv
mind. training voters is more important
| than casting votes.
"A nation that has good mothers to
mold the boys will never want for good
men to make the ballots. I wish to
speak against this amendment on he
half Of the millions of American moth
ers who are detained at home on more
important business.
| Mr. Speaker, the man mind and the
woman mind are essentially different.
This organic difference has been ac-
centuated by centuries Of training and
practice along different lines. The
mind OF man rather runs to prosaic
reasoning, while the mind of woman
is given to poetical idealism. It is in
evitable that woman's natural bent of
nina should incline her to socialism.
ana nothing would set socialism up in
business as quickly as woman suf
frage."
Record Crowd at Capitol.
| A driving rainstorm failed to dis
courage record-breaking crowd. At
o'clock this morning the first arrivals
went into the House galleries to await
the beginning of the debate. An hour
before the session opened practically
all the unreserved seats for women
were filled with suffragists and anti
sunragists. In the mems gallery, how
ever. there were vacant seats a-plenty.
| When the women doffed their water
proof coats the purple and yellow ban.
ners and sashes Of the suffragists were
disclosed. filing the galleries with a
wave of color. whole block of re-
wearing the broad satin ribbons. Many
brought their knitting and needle work.
and passed the time by working on
| garments for the war sufferers in