The Twin Falls times. [volume] (Twin Falls, Idaho) 1905-1916, 1916-10-24
WHY W0MAN'S SUFFRAGE MUST
COME THROUGH STATE ACTION
Bv JAMES d. WHELAN

Senator w. II. BarOh said in a re-
cent speech that owing to the attitude
of the south toward woman's suffrage,
votes for women throughout the ma
ton can be more quickly secured
through state action than through fed
eral action. Senator Borah, who has
been life long believer in votes for
women, is opposed to the submission
of constitutional amendment for that
purpose at this time The reason sug-
gested by him is a good one. In order
to secure a constitutional amendment
for woman's suffrage, three-fourths of
the states must endorse it after it's
submission by two-thirds of congress.
Only a limited amount of work can
be done in the furtherance of any one
cause, and when constitutional
amendment is submitted, work done
for its triumph must to a certain ex-
tent detract from the work done to
| extend the ballot in the individual
states. In order to secure woman's
suffrage some of the southern states
must vote for it. At present the south
ern states are opposed to it for several
reasons. The first of these springs
from the social relations and social
environment of the people. Women
take less part in business and profes-
| sional life in the south. Socially the
ideas and manners of the age of Chi
valry prevail south of the Mason and
Dixon line, and are indicated by the
! Difference paid by men to women.
Whether this is or is not the best
social atmosphere is immaterial 1t is
fact Men and women alike general
ly shrink from the idea of women en-
tering the turmoil of politics. But
IA; 4o1l e..
if the women of the south become CON
WINGED that they ought to vote. If the
women there asked the ballot tomor-
row, special election would be called
in every southern state before Novem-
Der T. in order to give it to them, be-
cause the men of the south would not |
know how to refuse anything that the
! women might ask
BUT-Votes for women in the |
southern states must come through |
state action, for two reasons.
In the first place, the people of the |
south of all sexes are opposed to the
extension of federal legislation unless |
convinced that it is absolutely neces-
sary. Under the constitution, the |
states haye a right to regulate their
own elections, subject to such special |
provisions as have been put in by |
amendments. The women and men of |
the south would alike resent forcing |
the ballot on the women thereby the |
votes of other states.
The second reason, and the one |
which is of even greater Importance is
the fact that federal interference with |
elections always carries with it the |
dread possibility of negro domination
In one way or other, the majority of
l.
states, and some Of the black men in |
all of them are disfranchised. To fully
enfranchise them would mean negro
domination in some states. Every fed
eral amendment to the election laws |
carries this spectre with it. No south
ern state will vote to make changes in
the election laws, extending federal |
power, when they have the right to
secure the same thing themselves, and
the women of the south will agree
with men in this matter, regardless of
whether they are convinced that they |
should have the ballot or not
Hence, any effort to secure woman's |
suffrage at this time through national
action must result in delaying it's
triumph.
AS far as advancing the cause of
submission of a suffrage amendment
through the election of Hughes is con-
cered, the Statesman on August 4,
showed its futility forcibly in the fol-
lowing words:
I'm avowing his belief in the prin-
ciple of the suffrage constitutional
amendment, Mr.. Hughes expresses his
personal dissent from the official par
ty program. A Republican congress,
if elected, is pledged against the suf-
frage amendment and with constitu-
tional amendments the executive has
nothing to do, only congress and the
state legislatures having power to
adopt or reject them Mr. Hughes
views on the proposed amendment are
thus purely personal, in no way af-
fecting the carrying out of the party IS
avowed principle of RELOCATING the
question of suffrage to the respective
states"
And applying to the Democratic
platform as we'll, it's reference to the
Republican platform | for once find
myself in hearty accord with the
Statesman when it says in the same
editorial:
1--WE think the principle laid down in
the Republican platform that the be-
stowal of the franchise is a matter for
each state to determine for itself, is a
principle of wisdom that has stood tie
test of experience and marks out the
path along which enlarged suffrage
will naturally and healthfL ',y ad-
vance"
Though he has not hesitated to
question the honesty of those differ
ing from him, l hate to charge Mr..
Hughes with deliberate bad faith but
his own anti-suffrage record and the
arguments of some of his eastern
hackers would lead one to suspect that
he is advocating an impracticable me-
thod of supporting the measure for
the double purpose of defeating it and
securing his own election as its al
legged friend.