Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1916-08-08
WOMEN ENTITLED
TO USE OF BALLOT
Miss Sarah c. Grant in Street Meeting
Says They Have Earned Right
10 Become Citizens.
FRANCHISE IN TWELVE STATES
Urges Passage Of Susan B. Anthony
Amendment to Federal COnstitu-
ton as Proper Measure.

"The time has arrived when women
should become citizens of their own
country" argued Miss Sarah c. Grant
booster for the national wOman's
party, in an address given last evening
from an automobile on Nineteenth
street near the intersection of Third
avenue. Miss Grant comes from Min
nesota and is in charge of the work of
organizing an active committee for the
Congressional Union for WOmen's Suf-
frage in the Fourteenth congressional
district
THE purpose of the national wom-
ans party is to secure suffrage by fed
eraI amendment" explained Miss
Grant. BY putting suffrage first and
maintaining d nOn-partisan position,
women can be the deciding factor in
the next presidential election.
over 100000 women, citizens Of
II states, can now vote in national
elections. These states elect one
fourth Of the senate and one-sixth of
the house. They cast one-fifth of the
electoral vote and One-third of the
votes necessary to elect a president.
The number of votes now held by wom-
en- is more than One-fOuTth of the total
popular vote cast in 1912
Gives Interesting Figures.
TN 1910 at the time the census was
taken there were 3.665445 women of
voting age in the i suffrage states.
Based on the rates of increase since
that time there are now 4,396,333 woTn-
en- over q years Of age in these states.
Leaving out of count all Indian and
oriental women and all alien women
in America, who have resided here less
than five years, there are still 4,1OS,514
women voters eligible to take part in
the next presidential campaign"
Miss Grant then gave some inter
esting figures to refute the argument
of the ants that a federal suffrage
amendment would cOmpIicate the race.
She stated that in all Of the 10 south
ern states, except Mississippi and
South Carolina, the white women out
number the negro women; that in nine
Of these states white women Outnum-
Der the total negro population; that
there are in the southern states 2,617,
2S6 more white women than negro men
and women put together.
THE platform of the national wOm-
ans party states, The national wom-
ans party, convinced that the enfran-
chisement Of women is the paramount
issue, pledges itself to use its united
vote to secure the passage of the Susan
B. Anthony amendment, irrespective Of
the interests of any national political
party: and pledges its unCeasing OppO-
sitiOn TO all who oppose this amend
ment' That is the position we assume
toward all political parties. If the
present congress does not pass the fed
eraI amendment we are seeking, We
will be compelled to throw our SUP
port to Mr.. Hughes, who has given his
emphatic endorsement Of the proposed
measure"
NTTCnF,
In declaring that President Wilson
opposed the amendment, Miss Grant
left the inference that President Will
son is opposed to wOman'S suffrage,
but this is not the case. He has stated,
however, that in his opinion this is a
matter for each state TO settle. Miss
Grant also failed TO make clear that
the federal amendment TO the consti-
tuition could not be passed except by
ratification of the various states.
Miss Grant left the impression that
she is simply campaigning for Mr..
Hughes. If she had been entirely non
partisan, she would have given Gov
ernOr Dunno credit for giving the
women suffrage in Illinois.
Miss Grant is a graduate of the Uni
verSity of Minnesota with the class of
1902 and for several years was inter
ested in social work in Boston. Yes
terday she and Miss Elsie Hill, daugh-
ter of Representative +. J. Hill of Con-
necticut, addressed a street meeting in
Davenport and today at noon Miss
Grant spoke in Moline This afternoon
she left for Colorado Springs, where
she will attend a conference of the ma
tiOnal WOman's party.