The Birmingham age-herald., 1918-02-03
WHAT EVERY WOMAN
 WANTS TO KNOW

eThis column is conducted under the auspices of the press and publicity coun- ell of the Birmingham Equal Suffrage association. Questions about government and politics will be welcomed Answers will appear every Sunday in The Age Herald. Please address all questions temporarily in care of Mrs. Maurice Lenk, Birmingham, Ala.)
 Now that she has the vote, how sflal she go about using 1t? asks the New York Times.
 When she tried to visualize herself using the vote, it dawned on her that she did not know how. She listened to lectures on her civic duties and civic opportunities, but they did not tell her the things she wanted to know. At first she was ashamed to ask her friends about them, because they seemed so ele- men.ary and small when she listened to the lectures. The lectures always pre- supposed more knowledge on her part than she had But when, driven by des- peration that her friends did not know the answers. either
 Then came a still more surprising dis covery. She was driven to ask the questions of the men she knew, and she found that they did moot know either. Or if they did, they couldn't explain. She had supposed that man who had been voting for 20 years or so must kEow all about 1t. But when she asked one of them how constitutional amend ment was adopted, he said: Congress passes it." and she knew that wash right. She asked another to tell her why it was that the President and vice pres ident were elected by the same vote in- stead of separately, and all he could tell her was that it was because they were both on the same ticket" which, she felt did not explain anything. She asked him if it applied also to the governor and lieutenant governor, and when he said II did not, she asked: But they are ooth on the same ticket, aren't they?" lie looked a little foolish, and said vaguely: .Yes. but it's different with state cleo tion.'
 why Is it different with state cleo tion?'' she wanted to know.
 And he explained to her that the nation and the state each had its own way of conducting elections. But she knew that before. He seemed perfectly able to ex- plain the things she knew already.
  lege. don't your" he asked, putting d wrong interpretation on her silence; and without waiting for an answer he told her some more things that she knew already. What was worse, ev- cry man of whom she asked that ques- tion seemed to think that to refer her to the electoral college explained ev- erything. But she did not see why the fact that the President and vice presi- aI,@ hxvn Al n1 a necessary for them both to be voted for as if they were only one. She did not pursue the subject that far. because she was afraid it was a fool ish question. and it was not till later that she found out that it was sen- sible one. and that in times past the electors had voted separately for Pres ident and vice president, just as the people now vote separately for gover- nor and lieutenant governor. But that discovery was still in the future for her.
 After a few experiences of this kim. voting seemed in one way a simpler thing that she had thought. and in an- other way much more difficult If men could go on voting year after year without knowing any more than they did. it was simple enough On the oth- CT hand. she was conscientious. being a woman, and she could not rest sat- isfed with that slipshod way of de- ing business. A man seemed to go about voting very much in the same way he would probably go about cleaning the house. if he had that to do. She was determined to know some thing about it before she undertook the job. And the ignorance around her seemed so dense that it was not going to be easy.
 Whom do you vote for in a city election?' she asked woman friend.
 For the mayor, of course,'' was the