Every evening, Wilmington daily commercial., 1918-12-13
EouAL SUFFRAGE.

Editor Every Evening At a recent
meeting n n club Of men 81 this city, 1f
which ! am "A member, q communication
was received from the Delaware Equal
Suffrage Association asking that our club
endorse by "A resolution to be presented ~
the state legislature at It's coming session,
the proposed amendment 10 the Fcderai
/ Constitution, offered in the Congress If
the United States by Miss Susan u
Anthony, and now pending before that
body
II was proposed hat the president of
the club appoint q committee Of FIVE mem
bcrs to report upon the subject at The next
meeting, a. which time the proposed
resolution would be- "a matter for general
debate 10 this proceeding q member
objected upon The ground that any con
sidcratiOn 0t political subjects was entirely
outside the purpose ~ tho club, which
was designed hc said, solcly f0r con
sidora'iOu II social questions and not Tor
! the purpose of meddling IN politics
| This view Has contested by other mcm-
1 bcrs, and q vptc being taken % was DE-
clded that a motion for o committee -
! report Hpou The prOpnecd resolution wa =
order Tho motion was adopted and the
! club will, therefore debate be Vieetion ~
| lis next meeting The vote Fas close and
8cf Ion Of Tho dub VIII ~
r. is pertinent right here and az th.s
/ tlmo 10 say 2 lnW words upon he subject
! of suffrage am surprised that my man
/ with a knowledge ~ what women al over
/ the world have done in the past four YEAR,
/ should baye he IChtesf doubt u the
/ fairness and tho justice md the wisdom
| Of granting 70 women he sarne politica
| privilege hat arc enjoyed ~ roeu With
/ out the women The war could ncvcr have
/ been won by he Allies And now, when
/ the war Is over and peace for 1il tho World
/ is IN sight % deny - women the same
/ political privilege ~ those accorded t0'
men is 50 rankly unjust that 70 wonder
/ any man anywhere outside of Germany
/ could bc found 70 oppose It
! But aside from the argument n worncn
| service in helping 10 win 4 he war, merely
On the single question of i.er right y live
on Inc same political plane II action With
/ men, whose inevitable complement she la,
| there is. it seems to me, no room for argi-
mont
The egotisrn which leads men p the
/ belief that men are superior to women. has
1 nothing in common sense tn commend X.
I OF course there il difference between
men and women but If II not = difference
| Of mental superiority. 1t il difference of
/ kind and not of degree
Womens work In the greet war has
more than proved his conclusion md
l anyhow, u should be enough that any
woman wants the right, or the privilege
/ Ii Won prefer to vote upon the laws under
which she II asked ~ live, that men should
I bc wiling To grant her that right The
I fart that some women oppose equal SUI
/ frage has nothing to DO with the case III
K cpv1a man hntYlI rpr,nea rrarbppf aFff-
frage, that would have 10 effect at al
except upon his own enjoyment u the
! franchise.
The more I look al his question the
| more am I convinced that h Is only the
haldeSt conceit, having not 2 shred III
foundation n common sense or fairness.
hat leads men 70 assume that they arc
inherently more capable oi deciding public
questions than are women. AZ q rule. there
IS an intellectual difference between men
and women but ic is only he sort oi dlt-
ference that il produced by long training
IN dealing with public questions, such 81
is noticeable between two groups or strata
Oi men, ana having no foundation % Az IN
native superiority Of intellect.
Concerning our club mixing IN politics
we have done i before without any dlsas-
( trous effects and. after all. what question
could come before the club whose social
significance IS of more Importance than
mat oi equal rights and privileges ior AL
persons oi mature age, living IN the same
community and under ike conditions
To talk oI world democracy with
women barred from is advantages Is 8
mocherv The day mas gone by never %
return when he old iogy notion that men
are born 10 rule is 20 he accepted with
out rhyme or reason.
Jerome B. Bel.
Whining on, Dec l2, 1918.