Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1918-10-01
Party. DOOM SEEN
# SUfFRA!GErAns
Will Result in Democrats
Losing Control Of Senate,
Mr.. Lawrence Says. -.
BY DAVID LAWRENCE.


Copyright, 1918, by n. Y. Evening Post, Inea
An extraordinary political situation
has developed in the United States
Senate. Just as has happened so fire.
quently in past years, when elections
have been decided many weeks in ad-
vance of the balloting by the action
of one or the other Of the two big
political parties, so may it be said
that on today's vote depends in a
large measure whether the next Sem
ate will be democratic or republican.
When these lines appear in print,
the vote on woman suffrage will have
been taken so it is not with the pur-
pose of influencing any votes for or
against the federal amendment that
this canvass of the political aspects
Of the suffrage question is presented.
But it is fact that with the defeat
of suffrage. the control of the Senate
Is more than likely to pass from demo-
cratic to republican hands. The test
of whether the democratic party can
be depended upon as an instrument for
reform and progressive measures,
whether it can over ride the handicap
of southern bourbons, or whether the
republican party is after all the only
hope of the progressive elements In this
country and by a cleaning-out OF its
own reactionaries can expect the liberal
elemenss Of the population in the west
and north to rally to its support test
Of this kind is involved in the suffrage
vote.
The northern and western democrats
realize this. President Wilson himself
did not touch on this aspect when he
addressed the Senate, as he made a non
PARTISAN appeal, but 1t is an open secret
that the@estern and northern senators
ed and that the Senate can no longer
remain democratic if suffrage is beaten.
Democrats Would Be Blamed.
1t isn't that the question Of suffrage
inherently is a part Of the democratic
platform and not the republican. It
isn't that the defeat Of suffrage will
not have been accomplished without
republican and But the. democrats
know that whereas a victory for suf-
frage would mean at least credit di-
vided with the republicans, the defeat
sponsibility and blame will be put
suuarely upon the democratic party.
The fact that President Wilson
espoused the cause Of suffrage 60 ear
nestly win not avail. for the re-
publicans will only use it as an added
argument to their already announced
slogans that the republicans in Con-
Eress give Mr.. Wilson better support
On war measures than do the demo-
Gratis. 80
out Of the forty-four republicans in
the Senate thirty-two arc in favor of
suffrage and twelve are opposed. Out
Of ffty-two democrats thirty are in
favor and twenty-five are opposed. In
other words, the republicans will have
given more votes in favor of suffrage
and ten less votes against it than the
democrats. This gives the women the
opportunity to go out in the western
states and campaign against demo-
cratic candidates. 1t similarly gives
them the chance to do SO in eastern
states, and the campaign will be con-
Quoted. no doubt. against democratic
members of the House as well as the
Senate, for the amendment must be
voted on all over again In the House
il it fails to pass the Senate this
session If the woman vote h cast
solidly for the republican party in the
dozen states where they already have
(Conunued on Fourteenth Page)