Richmond planet. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1883-1938, 1918-10-05
CRlTICISING TILE PRESIDENT.

The Richmond, Va, Times Dispatch
il, its issue OF the End inst, under
tie cap. ion, "Over-stcpE.4.< - 3oIli>.o
OF propriety" says:
BY appearing before tho Senate to
urge the passage OF the woman SUI
fruBc Federal amendment resolution
the President has subjected himself
to the legitimate criticism Of having
overs cppcd the bounds OF official
propricty in an effort to force The
executive will upon Il coordinate dc
partmcnt OF government in matters
which vitality upScts the whole plan
upon which the Union was formed,
and from which it derives its maxi
mum OF strength to perpetuatc its OK
iStCnce.
AS communicating chief or the army
and. navy, engaged in IL great war,
there is no additional power which
the President might ask as necessary
TO the successful prosecution of the
struggle the people would withhold
from him during the emergency which
demands it but when he assumes, by
virtue Of his position the rii.ht to in
flucncc action on Il policy, based oh
an assumed condition whose gravity
rs he views ii is contested that pro.
poses permanently to undermine the
basic structure Of our government by
removing from it the foundation stone
upon which rests its greatest weight
the right Of the States to regulate
their own franchiSc--ho uses the pow
CT Of his position in a manner that
80 open to challenge, both With regard
to the propr.cty Of such interference
and the wisdom of the policy which
he seeks to force upon the country
against the Judgment Of Senators
sworn to uphold the fundamental
rights Of the States they represent.
This is not only strong language,
but ii is harsh language rs VOL. 1t
continues:
The Presidents argument that no
disputablc principle is involved in
the question Of suffrage which tho
amendment proposes to determine by
Federal authority, but only qucs-
ton OF the method by which the
suffrage is TO be extended to womcn
strangely enough for one of his depth
OF thought and soundncsS of reason
ing, ignores the essential fact. or ut
least min,miZcs it that III the meth
cd Is to be found the vital principle
in whose proposed abandonment is in
VolVcd The greatest menace regardless
of tho issue Of extended suffrage it
self the republic has yet faced in the
various innovations which have been
advocated affecting the balanced pow
crs of State and Federal authority by
which its strength is preserved For
il the STATE by Federal action can
be deprived against its consent of
the right to regulate the franchise OF
its own citizens the source from which
it derives all Of its powers to function
as sovereign member of tie Union
OF States from whom the grant was
obtained that resulted in the csab
1ishmcnt Of the general government
with defined and limited powers then
the political boundaries by which the
States arc differentiated on the geo
graphical map might as we'll be oblit
Grated and the farce OF maintaining
separate State governments be aband
oned altogether. For it logically fol
lows that political entity with no
control over its own franchise would
be helpless in the attempted exercise
or Sclf.government power, the authori
W Tor which it would have to seek else
where than from it's own citizenship.
There can be no doubt ,as to the
soundness of the position assumed
by tho Richmond, va. Times Dispatch.
The principles Of States Rights is
not only attacked but an attempt is
being made to annihilate 1t.
The Timcs-Dispatch seems TO have
become obliyious 10 passing events.
States Rights were eliminated from
our scheme of Government, when
President Woodrow Wilson entered
upon his second term and he found
a Democratic Congress to support
him. He is now acting in accordance
with the principles of the u. S.
Grant Repubicanism The nation IS
now spelled with big IN" States
have been relcgatcd to the standing
of town councils.
President Wilson was at first I'm
favorable to action upon the Woman
Suffrage question by the Congress
of the United States and advocated
the granting of this privilege to the
women by the respective States. But
he has changed now. He is n master
politician. The coming elections are
Of interest to him. He has lost out
in the Senate, but the decision as to