The Ocala banner. (Ocala, Marion County, Fla.) 1883-194?, 1918-03-15
sTRANGLING THE SOLID SOUTH
To :ne Edito; Ocala Banner


Your fair aid reasonable attnlde
toward the woman suffrage question
has emboldened me to seek the privi-
lege of your columns to discuss
phase of the situation that seems to
be giving our people some concern.
A few days ago our attention was
attracted by scary headlines in some
of the papers making the momentous
and horrifying disclosure that Mrs.
Belmont had exhorted the negro wom-
en- to help to strange the solid
SOUTH or as one person excitedly
translated it, Ito strangle the white
people of the south"
1t seems strange that supposedly
reasonable people would deliberately
ask intelligent wonderland men-tO
turn aside from a great established
principle of human justice, supported
by millions of high-minded, far-seeing
patriotic men and women, because Of
the words of a few ill-advised persons
connected with it. II this sort OF log
ic be accepted as sound then it could
be established by the same process
of reasoning that the democratic party
itself is fundamentally wrong and bad.
because such democrats as Stone.
Vardaman. Chamberlain and others
have spoken unadvisedly with their
lips Such reasoning may be-no
doubt, is-excellent campaign thunder,
but l do not believe that intelligent
men and women can fail to recognize
it as camOutlage. Southern women
are fast getting to that point where
Fourth of July style of oratory no
longer appeals to them. but they de.
mand that public statements be back
ed up by facts-facts that can be
subjected to laboratory processes Of
investigation and still remain facts
1t would really seem that the "Y,-
cious negro woman vote" as an obiec.
ton to woman suffrage has had It's
day, and the reading public which de-
ponds on its newspaper for fair. IN
prejudiced information on both sides
of great public question should
know the truth with regard 10 this
venerable bugaboo
According to statistics quoted ana
accepted in congress recently. there
are S,78S,996 white women Of voting
age in the south. and about 1000, 900
negro women OF like age. The south.
ern white women therefore would out
number the negro women by nearly
100000 votes The negro men and
women Of voting age in the south.
counted together, number about g.
100000, So it can be seen at q glance
that if the right IF suffrage should he
extended to the southern women
white and black southern white SUI
premacy would - strengthened by
an increase OF more chan 450000j
votes, and that important matter pun
beyond even q t3reat II danger from
the negro vote
This being -rue a. this crl1ioal
stage in our history when hundreds
of thousands of our hest and irarast
men are being called out of the coun.
try for an indefinite period many of
them never to return it would seem
but a matter Of sound common sense
as well as Justice 10 put into the
hands of the women they ,e8re behind
the balIot-tha, quickest, most eff.
Client means OF dealing with the heavy
social and economic burdens that they
will have 70 bear The men Of New
York state realized the wisdom Of this
step and last fall voted in oyerwhelm-
ing numbers that their women should
have the freedom and protection at
forded by the ballot Why should the
southern men be less just and chival-
rous? I do not believe that they
would be if they will only begin 70
study the question seriously.
At all events, let US look at the
facts of the case, and stop confusing
the issue by shedding crocodile tears
Of sentimentality at one time and try
ing to wave a raw head and bloody
bones that doesn't exist. at another
Yours truly.
ISABEL STUART MAYS.
Wage Garner and Tax PAYER