Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1918-01-05
PUT WOMEN IN THEIR PLACE

|f day, the House will vote on the pro
h 1ssexless" democracy. who constitute now,
We believe, n great majority of the people
of the United states, are enthusiastically
optimistic over the prospects. At one
time their great problem was to convince
4 the country that woman suffrage was a
! d6sirable as well as a just thing; now the
orgument is not as to the value of the
poIicy itself, but as to the method of
putting It into effect
n We were for some time inclined to the
! beIief that progress by States was the
ketter method. A victory once won In
ony state can never be lost. II is a move
msnt. therefore, which has to he forward,
Or cease to be a movement And We have
been the more convinced since the mag
nifcent victory in New Yorl that even the
mpet backward Commonwealths must, in
sslf-defense IL for no other reason, soon en-
tend the franchise to women. on the other
hand, since success Is certain in any event
why object to incorporation of the principle
In the Constitution? That was the method
considered imperative when 1t became ma
tfonal policy to enfranchise the negro. The
precedent for franchise extension calls for
constitutional revision. particularly when
the extension is by negatives rather than
positives. IT is not proposed to compel
every woman, but to inhibit any State
from denying the right to vote to a person
simply because that person is a woman.
s4he proposed amendment, it appears, Is
n1erely an extension OF the Bill of Rights.
that this Is no time TO bring the matter
before Congress. IT has been brought
there and II takes no more time to record
76Qnfirmatory vote than it does one OF
denial. We doubt If there are any women
who are neglecting their duty to the
ration In order to fight for the amend
iuent. but we are convinced that many
Thousands of women will be little prouder
In doing their war work and "a little more
enthusiastic,. say. when they know that
their own Government has taken one more
step to accord them the privilege which
Il is wagng II great war to accord to the
people of other nations.
t Mr.. Hughes in his candidacy for Presi.
dent dedicated the Republican party to
1gpport of the amendment. The women
md the country have right to anticipate
t6erpfore. that virtually unanimous Re.
D1blican vote will be cast favorably. As
4br the Democrats, their clamorous appro
bRtion of the Prohibition amendment still
echoes through the capital, and we believe
INT men wl> were incited by grca,
31npral issue to go the length Of approving
'41e Incorporation in the Constitution of SO
violent an innovation will not be deaf to
{ 19e prayer of millions of people who go
pfore them to ask only that the protec-
Ton afforded the black race by constltu
\ tlonal means be extended to them also
\ Color. the nation has determined, should
baf no one from the franchise; let sex
|<Ier no one.
Wy ~ woman sits in the House now. Shall
n be said that though women are com.
&ent to represent men in national coun-
~ they are not competent to vote for
ttr own representatives in the same
ansils? We think not, and the very
&o(nce Of Miss Rankin on the floor
4 SuId be an argument in favor of the
cndment SO eloquent as to assure con.
netory action.
real democracy is '"sexless" democ.
III neither the bride of man nor the
1n Of woman. but the creature and
- OF both. serving both because both