The Washington herald., 1918-01-07
WARNSHOUSE
DEMOCRATS TO
AID SUFFRAGE
Rep. Cantrill Says South
erners May Lose Posts
by,Adverse Vote.

Southern Democrats stand to lose
their control OF committee chair
manships in Congress by any sus-
tanned opposition to the Federal
woman suffrage amendment ac-
cording to James c. cantriil. Of
Kentucky.
Representative Cantrill. in q
statement given out yesterday.
points out that ten Southern States
are now in control OF 81 OF the go
committee chairmanships in the
House. Four of these ten States
control Is OF the 81 chairmapships.
That the South would like to keep
this control goes without saying.
But IL won't be able to do so in
face of the opposition 1t will en-
counter IL these ten Southern States
vote almost solidly against the Fed
eral suffrage amendment" says
Representative Cantrill. These ten.
Southern States have but 11o cleo
toral votes, as against 1913 electoral
votes possessed by the IS States
that have given women the suffrage
for presidential electors.
south would Lose.
Now for these ten Sourhern States
to vote almost solidly against the suf-
frage amendment, as it Is reported
that they intend doing, would. In my
opinion. be very grave political mis-
take. The South has everything to
lose by such a short-sighted policy.
The eighteen suffrage States have
thirty-six Senators. while the ten
Southern States. which are reported
as being against the suffrage amend
rThn
fact that the Congress is now almost
evenly divided between the Democra-
tic and Republican parties It seems
to me should force Democratic MEM
bers from the South to give heed to
the situation.
This statement is based on the sup
position that each Democrat in Con-
gress is looking to the welfare Of his
party in the nation, and that he Will
not be governed by local conditions
in his own district Conditions often
arise where the member Of Congress
must look beyond the confines of his
own district and take a stand for
those things which are for the good
of the Democratic party in the ma
tion, and for the good OF the nation
itself.
THE public discussion recently of
the national woman suffrage amend
ment has brought to the surface the
fact that the Republican leaders IN
Congress are doing everything in their
power to line up the full Republican
vote in Congress for this amendment.
1 sincerely hope that the Democrats
in Congress are alive to the situation
and that they will not permit the Re-
publican party to get any political ad-
vantage from the passage of this
amendment.
Il speak as Southern Democrat.
who expects to vote for the suffrage
amendment. The Democratic party
is now in control OF all branches of
the Federal government. Almost
every committee assignment so far
as the chairmanships are concerned
is held by Southern Democrats. who
thus practically dictate the legisla-
tion of the nation. We have this
control, as everyone knows, because
the woman suffrage States in the last
Presidential election voted almost
solidly for Democratic electors and
candidates.
For the Democratic party In Con-
gress to vote against the States that
gave them this power would in my
A0AhblO OPAlAAOh pO POlAlASdl
For the Southern Democrats in Con-
gress to say to the millions OF pa
triotic women of the nation that suf-
frage shall not be given them would
bring down upon our heads such con-
demnation from the suffrage States
that we would be driven from power.
why should We not view the situa-
ton as our Republican friends are
d0fney nd Hnn Nfr, he Of
the amendment? If this plan Is pur-
sued then the suffrage question can
not be made a political and partisan
issue. On the other hand, the DEM
ocratic party can not go into the cam
paign next year with any hope OF sue
cess with a large Republican vote in
Congress in favor of the suffrage
amendment, and a large Democratic
vote in Congress against the amend
ment.
How can we of the South expect
the confidence of the nation in con-
trolling the great committees of
Congress unless we are willing to
trust millions of citizens in suf-
frage and non-suffrage States who
are asking US at this time to show
our confidence in them by granting
the right of suffrage to millions of
sincere, intelligent and patriotic
women? The men who are in the
trenches carrying the burden of this
war, when they were given the
chance to vote on the question of
woman suffrage, voted two to one
in favor of it. If the boys in the
trenches who every day risk their
lives for the national defense, are.
willing to trust the women to vote
as to their welfare, certainly the
men who are fighting the war be-
hind mahogany desks can trust the
American women with the ballot"