Every evening, Wilmington daily commercial., 1918-08-02
PATRIOTISM AND
WOMAN SUFFRAGE

Editor Every Evening True Amer
lean women today are working Tor sui
rage as we'll as for the war-not
because they aie urselfishly asking
for their rights" but because
they are unselhshly asking for more
opportunities to serve their country.
ANY man who looks upon the ballot
merely as a right does not deserve IT.
That man is selfish man, likely to use
the ballots for selfish ends. 1t men Ind
the ballot help III securing the ends
for which they are working why should n
women? II is not that women want
their rights" so much ms they want
every assistance by which they can make
their work more effective. In the last
few wears we have heard much about
efficiency women are beginning to realize
that the work of months for some measure
affecting the morals and the health of
their children may all be undone on
election day by the vote of corrupt
ponticlan. Women are asking 'Why
may not tho mothers have the vote as
well as the corrupt polticlans?"
1t Is contended by some that women
who are working for suffrage are not
dong war work When we are working
for demOCracy-lf President Wilson Is
at all rIght-we are most certainly work
ing for the war But we are dong war
work of all kinds The National Amer
lean Woman Suffrage Association in n
big mass meeting III Washington, before
war WAS declared offered its services
to the Government IN the event Of war
which offer was accepted by the Secretary
of War.
DR.. Anna Howard Shaw, the honorary
president of the Association was almost
Immediately appointed by the Govern
ment as Chairman or the Nomans Com
mittee of the National Council of De-
fense, of which Committee Mrs. Carrie
Chapman Gait, president OF the assoola-
ton, Is also prominent nsemtTr. ne
Association as body and as individuals
has been doing splendid wat work from
the very beginning Of the war. II is
supporting the Women's 0vefsea Hos
pitals in France, the equipment of which
was financed by the Red Cross the
maintenance being entirrly raised by
the National American Womans Suf1-
rage Association know Of no suffragist
who is not dong her full share of war
work in addition 10 her specific war work
of securing democracy for America.
Ii has again and again been ignorantly
stated that the English sulfrapsts gave
up all suffrage activities at the outbreak
of the war This is untrue. Mrs pank~
hurst'S assOciatlon-thf militant as
sociation, which Was the more Conspicuous
because OF it's militancy, but hy far the
smaller organization, did give up all
suffrage work-but the great body of
sufTragists who are IN Mrs Fawcett's
non-militant association, kept right on
with it's suffrage work and added 10 It
the war work let no one think that
suffrage was handed on q silver platter
10 the English women The National
Union for Woman Suffrage Mrs. faw-
cctt's organizatlon) kept the suffrage
measure before Parliament all of the
time and at the same time did war work
The man who fails 10 realize that a
woman could do her war relief worA
better with the aid of the ballot has "a
verv limited idea of what constitutes
war work He probably thinks that
scraping lint and knitting stockings are
the only kinds Of war work. They are
needed but there are some other kinds
OF war work which are even more essential
10 the prosecution OF the war. and which
will not be as well done as they might he,
until women ~ we'll as men have voice
in dong them Meanwhile our boys
and men are suffering because women
hands are partly tied.
Moreover. lust because we are IN the
war. we should make our country true
10 its professions of democracy. What
a laughing stock America will be 10 all
Europe, il, in the face of President Wilson
leading the Allies IN the declaration that
we are in this war for democracy
turn down IN democratic tAInerlca' the
request for democracy made by millions
of women Woman Suffrage Is considered
by some of our most thoughtful men and
women as distinctly n war measure
OF what is the Kaiser more afraid than
ANYTHING else? Democracy! What
would help him most in winning the war?
The conviction among hls people that
Americas professions Of democracy are
false. The Kaiser knows that Australia
and New Zealand gave suffrage to their
women years ago-he knows that Great
Britain and the greater part OF Canada
granted it TO their women during the
war, America is no longer the leader
OF Democracy. Now if the I. =. Senate
denies It TO the women Of America what
of Amer.cags ; professions OF democracy
Could we play III the bands OF the Kaiser
in any more effective way?
II this Is no time for women 70 work
for Suffrage why IS it time for the
President TO urge It? In June ho sent
a message to the Suffrage Associations Of
Great Britain, France, Belgium, Italy,