The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1918-08-29
TOPEKA STATE JOURNAL
INF M A TON
BUREAU
FREDERIC ]. HASKIN. Director.
Washington. D. c.
THE ALMOST FORGOTTEN
WOMAN VOTE.

eraI times or late a very orderly Ilttfe
| drama has been enacted in Lafayette
park, this city, without attracting
much more attention than a dog fight.
1t always proceeds thus:
A group of well-dressed women
parades soIemnly across the park. and
stops before a statue. One of them
ascends the pedestal and assumes an
oratorical attitude.
A grou. of. blue-coated policemen
with equal Solemnity and dignity has
| approached from another direction.
| and now surrounds the feminine group
like a respectful audience. The lady
on the pedestal clears her throat and
| says:
I'VE protest"
A red-headed police sergeant pushes
| to her side and lifts his cap politely.
Have you permission to speak,
madam? % he inquiries.
NO"
Then we must ask you to stop"
Il refuse" says the speaker quietly.
| I'VE protest."
Men" says the sergeant In a bored
tone, placed these ladies under ar
rest" He always says ladies'" The
ladies are then conducted to Jail.
The interest of this almost formal
| proceeding lies in the fact that it is a
militant demonstration in favor of ma
! tional woman suffrage. which is now
| on the eve of a decision. How COM
pletely the country is absorbed in the
war is shown by the fact that even a
fairly careful newspaper reader may
| scarcely be aware of this fact.
When the new and complex draft
regulations sponsored by the war de-
| partment have been disposed of, and
when. one way or the other, a decision
| has been effected regarding prohibit
! is "a 10
woman suffrage amendment will again
\ be brought before the senate. Ac-
| cording to canvasses made both by
| party politicians and suffrage leaders
| there is little likelihood that the
amendment will be defeated if it
comes to a direct vote. Yet-as was
the case at its former presentation
| opponents of the amendment may sue
| coed by filibuster in having it tabled
| until the present congress adjourns.
The close of a summer preceding
| congressional election is a trying time
for senators, representatives. and. in
| deed, politicians of any sort. They
| are disposed to step carefully around
many delicate issues and to warily
| dodge legislation which may have a
| doubtful return of political capital.
safety first" says the congressman,
| awaking with the first breath of au-
tumn, and transferring his thoughts
from the constitution to the constitu-
cncy. =
Now. it may very we'll be questioned
| whether the country is really for
woman suffrage at all. 1t cannot be
doubted. tho that the world is for it.
Since the war began, more than 49,
100000 women in Russia, Denmark,
| England and Iceland have been en-
franchised and agitation for the vote
has reached the women of such OBJ
| Ecure countries as Korea and India.
But we of America are at once the
most liberal and most reactlonary
| people of the globe, and In this par
| ticular instance there is no telling in
| which direction the wind is blowing.
Certainly, President Wilson's bland re-
| versal of his attitude regarding the
federal amendment carried with it
| quite a deal of favorable sentiment on
the part of the American people. But
there is a disposition in some quarters
| -and this is true of the capitol-to
wonder if the president were speaking
ex cathedra when he said in his letter
| to Senator Shields:
81 So beg very earnestly that you
will 80" lend your aid in clearing
away the difficulties which will be-
set US if the amendment Is not
adopted"
man Gait, of the National Woman
Suffrage association, the president
was a little more direct. 1T is high
time" he wrote, that our gratitude
Ito women) should be acknowledged"
The question of suffrage will never
be made a party issue again. In the
conventions of 1916 both sides
adopted a suffrage plank, phrased
with sufficient ambiguity to permit
of both strict and loose construction.
Both Republican and Democratic
national committees have declared
in favor of it and, of late. few of the
rank and file of either following,
have given voice to decided opposi-
ton.
sentiment in this country can be de-
termined from the ways in which
va rious states have aligned themselves
for or against woman suffrage.
Twelve states of the Union have
granted full suffrage to women; These
are: Colorado. Wyoming, Utah. Cal
ifornia, Washington, Oregon. Mont
ana, Nevada, Idaho. Arizona, Kansas
and New York. Seven states have
, granted to their women citizens
. partial suffrage. These are: Illinois
North Dakota. Arkansas. Nebraska
: Michigan, Rhode Island and Vermont
! In ten states women suffrage, when
presented thru petition or referen-
dunn. has been defeated. viz: Iowa
sylvania. South Dakota, Wisconsin
, West Virginia, Tennessee and Massa-
| chusetts.
On January 10 of this year-forty
years after the first introduction by
Senator Sargent-the house of repre-
sentatives passed the suffrage amend
ment. On June 27. a vote on the
amendment in the senate was blocked
5 by a filibuster conducted by several
leading Democrats. Immediately aft
er, at the urge of the administration
the attention of congress was diverted
/ to the passage of the wire control bill
: and the senate recessed without taking
action on either prohibition or suf-
frage.
Radical agitation for the franchise
= was begun early last year by mem
bers of the National Women's party
who from January until November
l maintained pickets in front of the
: White House The arrest of some zoe
= of these women and the imprisonment
: of ninety of them is well known
story.