Daily Kennebec journal., 1918-01-12
Saturday, January II, 1918.
The Suffrage Vote.

The advice of the President seems
not to have changed as many Demo-
cratic votes in the National House on
the suffrage question as confidently
expected by the suffrage leaders. OF
the total membership of 453 there were
4l0 members who voted. OF those
voting for the resolution, there were
104 Democrats and 165 Republicans.
miscellaneous 5, total 274. Against the
resolution, 1O2 Democrats and 33 Re-
publicans. Progressive l, total 1856.
leader as expected after the utterance
"i the President on Wednesday, the
vote would have been overwhelming
Instead. the Democratic vote was
evenly divided while the Republican
vote stood just five to one in favor of
the resolve. 1t is gratifying to very
many Of our readers that every Maine
representative voted for the measure.
Suffrage leaders are confident of
ate. Perhaps there the Presidents IAN
act Of justice to the women of the
United States and of the world" will
be taken mr-o to heart. We sincere
ly hope so.
Like other ,-'eat triutnphs OF wis
dom and justice equal suffrage must
come in America as it has in other
lands. To starve it off for little
while longer is the part of selfish in
tcrests and those who can he made to
see black as white. The utterance of
Mrs. Wadsworth. wife of L. S. Sena-
tor Wadsworth, after the vote, is il
Illustrative. Sho said:
we thank the men who Stood by the
people of the local self government
against the policy Of surrender to suf-
frage threats and we are proud that there
:'re stiIl some American men who vote
according to their convictions and not ac-
'ordng To command. We consider the
Icsult very close in view of the pressure
brought TO bear ON the members"
Perhaps she referred to the pres
sure" brought by the President upon
advice. But the attempt to convey to
the country the impression that the
men who voted for this measure had
no sense of right and justice of their
own but voted against their convic-
tionS to please some one, savors of
childish pouting. To our mind the
words of DR.. Anna Howard Shaw, in
their fush-of- victory tenor, were al
most al cXtravagant:
In future generations when the name
OF Wilson Is mentioned the thought of
the world will bc that the women of the
nited states We're cnfranchised during
his administration and largely through
his assistance"
We consider President Wilson fortu
nate in being President when the
march Of human progress enveloped
him and compelled him to do things
contrary to previous acts and ex-
pressed convictions.
We hope hoth Maine senators will
follow the example of the representa-
tives and vote FOR the resolve when
they have opportunity. 1t should pass
the Senate by good margin. To de-
feat it now would bc almost an act of
teachCry to the majority in this coun-
try 1t is companion to and in har-
inony with the moral advance toward
national prohibition which got a vote
of which VIC arc proud. And Just how
such advances Ivy Congress are looked
upon by the people may he seen in the
act of the Mississippi legislature where
the prohibition resolve for constitu-
tiona amendment was taken up and
ratified in IS minutes with only eight
members voting against it.
II this resolve also passes the SEN
ate by a tWo-thrids majority it must
then be ratified by three fourths of all
the states of the Union. as in the case
Of the prohibition resolve. The amend
ment fixing term of years in which
the states must ratify. as tackled upon
the prohibition resolve, was voted
down on the suffrage measure