The Washington herald., 1918-07-14
OPPOSED TO SUFFRAGE.
Reader Answers Attack Of "one Of
the ShackIed."

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To the Editor Of The Washington
Herald: II the fruits of feminisim have
not yet destroyed the decencies and
courtesies hitherto existing in the edi-
torial rooms Of every real newspaper,
the writer would like to pair In
your columns. with "one Of the Shack
led,r who so bitterly attacks United
states Senator James W., wadswortn,
jr., in your Issue OF June q
.One of the Shackled." who Is in
deed In chains of cowardice If she Is
afraid to use her name when publicly
attacking another by name, declares
that "only fools and jackasses are
consistent" and invites the Senator
from New York to walk out OF the
jackass, camp" Purified politics!
What beautiful language-from a lady
who hides her name.
But her real point is that one must
be inconsistent to get into the "puri-
fed politics. camp. Undoubtedly.
Law, order. science, morality, cour-
.tesy are consistent.
Mathematics and mechanics. the
only absolutely accurate sciences. are
consistent. On the word OF an ln-
known and "shackled" mind. all these
must be placed "in the tackass camp.
Virtue, under woman suffrage, con-
sists OF inconsistency!
Senator wadsworth swore to uphold
the Constitution of the United States
the present Constitution-which dis
tinctiy provides that "all powers not
delegated to the United States by the
Constitution, nor prohibited by II to
the States, are reserved to the States
respectively, or to the people"
Senator Wadsworth is consistent.
He believes that the Constitution he
swore to uphold meant what 1t said.
The voters of New York have hao
two chances to adopt or reject woman
suffrage at the polls. On the. first &C.
casion, they defeated woman suffrage
by $4,000 majority. On the second
occasion. the majority Of the Demo-
Gratis and Republicans OF New York
State voted against woman suffrage,
as the official election figures positive
ly prove; the State, outside of New
York City, defeated the measure; but
l45, 900 pro-German Socialists and paci-
fists, who voted solidly for woman
suffrage in New York City, succeeded
in putting it over" last fall by 10S. 900
majority. Without these Socialist. pro-
German. pacifist votes woman suffrage
would have been defeated in New
York again last fall, as even the spe-
cial contributing editor Of the official
suffrage organ has admitted.
But Senator Wadsworth is consis-
tent. The people of his State have
had the chance to vote on woman
suffrage. He believes that the people
of any other State should have the
same right to adopt or reject woman
suffrage that his State has had. He
believes that he has no right to force
suffrage in Ohio. which has defeated
woman suffrage three times by popu-
lar vote, merely because the Socialists
forced II upon his own State.
Until consistency is made a capital
crime by the"purifiers" of politics, and
the weather vane becomes our nation
al emblem, Senator Wadsworth will
proba bly, continue to be consistent.
As for the "jackass," or donkey, he,
too, has his virtues. The faithful. So
Der, Woodworking donkey has long
served as as emblem of the steadfast
principles of the late lamented Demo-
cratic party. Even the Bible Is not
too proud to give him honorable men
tion.
But he is too consistent! He plods
forward. He won't back up without
a kick. He is not easily handled by
women. ..a
Hence, let us discard him for the
beautiful little chameleon.
1t may be worn on any 1ady's coat.
It changes color every time she
changes her dress-which is equivalent
to every time she changes her
mind. With such party en-
blem. no candidate could be ac-
cused of consistency. Women could
be elected, then, ION the same terms
as men" Consistency could be cut
lawed, and a suffraist could talk on
and on about democracy" while try
ing to rob each State of its Constitu-
tional right to ''self-determination."
majority rule and local self-govern-
ment, the fundamental principles of
democracy.
In those happy days the Jewel"
of consistency will be more than ever
conspicuous by its absence. And the
party which runs against the cha
meleon candidates can select for its
emblem the king-glass-which re-
fleets anything in front of it.
The strong and steady elephant and
the determined donkey were mere
mans" political emblems. unsuitable
indeed to the woman voter
Let US bury them in the gone-but-