The herald and news. [volume] (Newberry S.C.) 1903-1937, 1919-02-04
RIGHTS OF STATES
| AT CONGRESS MERCY
Mr.. Caldwell Says Disaster for South
Will Follow Adoption of Woman
Suffrage Amendment.

| We read that the women of Lemnos
once murdered all the men on the
island, except perhaps one. They had
great provocation, for the men had dis
carded them. A milder revenge ON us
who oppose woman suffrage has been
suggested by a lady-our banishment,
when her sex gets into power. I was
disuuieted until ! bethought me Of a
possible refuge at Mount Athos, in
Greece, whose peaceful precints, we
used to be told, had never been in
vaded by the female human foot for
more than 500 years. l must inquire
if that is still the condition.
! 1t is hard to imagine what those
women would do, if they had power,
since they have burned all Of Presi-
dent Wilson's speeches., which, Of
course, includes his vehement appeal
to the senate to adopt the woman suf-
frage resolution and his similar urg-
ing in his farewell to congress. Since
they have thus treated their ardent.
persistent, importunate ally and advo-
cate, what will they do with Senator
] Pollock, if he votes against them,
after eating their victuals and receiy-
ing their caressing flattery? Burn
him, 1 conjecture, as well as his
speeches.
! The leading women of that party
look to be positively obsessed. They
lobby persistently, they poster unceas-
ingly, they practice disorderly public
demonstrations, they raise large sums
of money (can it be to buy their way
through?) and now they have great
banquet, on the Sabbath day, in COM
pliment to senator who has not, at
least openly, aligned himself on their
side. If that is not an attempt to
I bribe, 1 have been misled by the def
initions of those terms. And if he has
secretly committed himself to their
support, it is kind of payment which
no representative of the people should
accept, and no self respecting persons
should offer.
| Nobody expects anything fair, just
or rational of the Catt-Shaw-Paul ele-
ment; but the obstinate persistence of
good women in the South is as incom-
prehensible as it is lamentable. They
seem to have decided that we men who
oppose woman suffrage are enemies
who wish to deny them a right;
whereas, as all men know who know
us, we honor and care for woman
assiduously and devotedly. And what
do they think of the tens Of thousands
of Southern women who unite with US
in opposing woman suffrage? Are they
besotted slaves, or traitors to their
sex, or silly trifers? They are wise
as they are noble in refusing to ex-
change their throne of spiritual and
benefcent sway for scramble in the
ISerbonian bog of political and public
life: I invite comparison Of them with
the brawling seekers Of notoriety and
public Office who lead the deluded suf-
fragist forces.
If the resolution for woman suffrage
is adopted by the senate Of the United
States, and is ratified by three-fourths
of the States, we shall not be allowed
to frame State laws to govern the-fran-
chise, but shall be at the mercy Of a
majority in congress, who will be au-
thorized to enact laws to carry the
amendment of the constitution into
effect. A large majority of each house
of congress will always come from
States where there is no negro peril
and they will represent constituencies
who know little, and care as little, ior
less, about our trouble with that race,
and themselves will be about as igno-
rant and Indifferent. And there will
be socialist element in future con-
crosses who are for abolishing all sex
and race determinations, and also an
avowedly negro favoring element The
majority of negro women 81 years of
age, over white women of like age, in
South Carolina, is $4,000 or more. And
is it conceivable that negro men will
be kept disfranchised when their wo-
men vote? The 18th amendment of
the constitution of the United States,
abolishing race determinations, still
stands. The enfranchisement of
both sexes of that race will produce a
majority of negro voters over white
voters in South Carolina of at least
50,OO0 How shall we manage to pre-
vent that majority from ruling the
State? By force? Or by fraud? And
the general enfranchisement of that