French Broad hustler. [volume] (Hendersonville, N.C.) 1916-1919, 1918-05-30
WHY o NOW?
Some Reasons Why Congress Should
Grant Women the Ballot as Seen
by Mrs. Barnwell.
By Lila Ripley Barnwell.

The fate of the Federal SUFFRAGE
amendment now lies in the hands OF
tho Senate, To secure the ballot for
women by means of a constitutional
amendment is direct, effective and
easily understood. By way OF each
State acting separately it is long
drawn out and discouraging. After
an amendment has been refused sew
eral States fix a term of years, vary
ing in from four to ten years, before
it can be brought up again. Eleven
States require a majority of all the
votes cast at an election, not merely
a majority of votes cast for or
against the amendment. Four States
restrict the number of amendments
to be submitted at any election.
In thirteen States successive legis-
latures must first vote favorably on
the amendment, a two-thirds vote OF
both houses being required in some
instances.
So by means of States action the
way is best with constitutional entan-
clements and difficulties.
Women are asking now for a Fed
eral. amendment, and if need be will
! continue to do so until the end of
time, because we know that it is the
surest, quickets, most direct and
practical way of securing the ballot.
In our fight we have to combat
many time worn objections, to begin
with that of States rights. Represen-
tatives from the South who so siren
uously advocated the Prohibition
amendment, cannot consistently use
this argument against the Suffrage
amendment, for while that of prohi-
bition restricts individual action, the
latter greatly enlarges it. Prohibi-
ton interferes far more drastically
with States rights than the extension
of suffrage to women.
New York has recently been
added to the list of equal suffrage
States, but during the campaign it
was frequently said that it would be
unfair to a great State like New
York, because a small State like Ne
vada would have an equal power in
passing it. ~~sS Ana4 > S$ar7~
That is not strictly true, for Ne
vada has but one vote, New York has
forty-three votes. But why hold wo-
men responsible for State lines? She
did not admit Nevada to the Union.
Is she to be debarred until these
States r equal in population? We
have to accept States as they are,
not as our desires or political afilia-
tions wish them to be.
Then there is the argument of the
increased colored vote.
The enfranchisement of women
will NEAR Anglo-SaXon supremacy in
the South. The last census shows
that in the fifteen Southern States
there are 100000 more white wo-
men than colored women, and 2,OOO,-
600 more white women than colored
men and women combined.
Again suffrage should not depend
upon ability to fight, although the
European war has demonstrated that
thousands Of women can and will
bear arms when necessary. Here in
our own country the strong and the
weak, the young and the old, the
aged and the infrm are upon an
equality in their right to the fran
chise.
1t is said that Elizabeth Cady
Stanton was once urging woman suf-
frage when Horace Greedy brought
up this same contention and asked if
there were a call by the government
for troops what she would do. In
stantly she replied, 81 would do ex-
actly as you did in the Cicil War, Mr..
Greedy, hire a substitute"
Then the foolish argument con-
corning the vote of immoral women.
Not more than one-half of one per
cent of women are immoral, about
one in every two hundred. It is a
we'll known fact that these women
shrink from taking part in anything
that would bring them in touch with
the law. They dislike to register, or
to give their names or addresses an6
many of them are disqualified by
frequent change of habitation.
Anyway why a certificate of good
character from women unless the
same is demanded from men?
Time and again it has been claimed
that equal suffrage will produce dis.
sension in the homes. Facts do not
!. prove this to be true. ,Judon Allan