Clearwater Republican. [volume] (Orofino, Idaho) 1912-1922, 1916-11-03
Sef-COvernment
Before Good Gov.

ocracy before its ma ntenance'' are
what Mrs. Sara Bard Field is urging
in her speaking tour through Idaho.
The 9 re the rincil ais upon which
the Woman's Party h;s been built.
We would have been overjoyed IL
the emocratic party had lert itself
to the further. nee of these e.s,
We have given them every chance''.
She was one of two democratic
women sent as ENJOYS year ago to
the President and Congress from the
voting woman's CONVEX ton, and has
been in the clio est UGH with all the
active work of the past year for
Nation wide Suffrage. She is heart
and soul for federal action, instead of
continuation of the hopeless state
method.
In some quarters it is said that
since seS eral states have ALREADY
given the franchise, let the rest of
the women get theirs the same way,
This is never the sentiment, however,
of those who have analysed the diff
culties and unjustness of the Estate
by state method and who sir ,rely
bel eve that women should vote. 1t
should be observed that men have writ
ten themselves into the Constitution
of the United States, and the same
legal method exists whereby women
may receive similar leatment-the
passage of the Susan B. ANTHONY
Amendment for which they are ask
G. This is tie method which Mr..
Wilson, with his reckless regard for
human liberty" has prevented being
used during his -dmin's tion.
According to those who have worked
in suffrage campaigns in various sec
tions of our country, those of the
West have been successful because
the people are in larger numbers more
liberal minded, and because their state
constitutions were SO adopted as to
permit of reasonable alteration W tn
changing conditions. Not so with the
constitutions of some nineteen other
states which are practically impos-
sible Of amendment because of the ma
jorities required and other technical
ties. Notable among these states is
Indiana, which has rever passed an
amendment of any kind because
favorable majority of all the qualified
voters is called for whether or not
they ever vote on any question or for
any officer. Twenty-six campaigns
have thus far failed because many
conditions combine to prevent even
amendment. Prejudice. extreme con
servatism, ignorance, high PERCENTAGE
of foreignborn voters lin Nebraska e.
g. immigrant men after six months
residence were entitled to vote on
the suffrage amendmenD, organized
o, position from ~ Gus interests, OPP
osi ions fr m certain kinds of indus
try which reap profit because of the
e plotted tlis of voteless wage-earn-
ing women, manipulations by political
bosses, etc., make an unsurmount
able combination in popular referen-
dums.
The oft repeated expression, "Suff-
rage is coming FAST is far from true
| if left 20 the men voters in general.
And it will come nationally only when
the women who already have the vote
make this power felt in national cleo
ems. The party now in power is OPP
p sed to the political freedom Of
women, and hence should not be re-
turned. Should they. however, go
back to power, but. " it'll the votes of
the states where women vote notic-
ably against them, there would then
be every certainty that the woman s.
measure would receive attenti IN.
And if defeat comes to the Democratic
party because of t e woman's vote on
this issue, then the most conservative
of the Republican party would see a
light that would bring them into line
with t. sp on of Mr.. Hughes and
the me re progressive members of that
party.
''if you love and respect your sister
women, said Mrs. Boissevain, envoy
from the unenfranchised, in her rous-
ing speech at the Pirney Theatre last
week in Boise, you must send the
Democratic party, which has abused
the interest of women, down to defeat
in the suffrage states. Show united
front and whatever the result in
November, there never again will be
a political party that will dare to ig-
more our claims