Albuquerque morning journal. [volume] (Albuquerque, N.M.) 1903-1926, 1919-06-17
WOMEN AND WILSON.

In the recent election in Michigan,
when women voted for the first time,
the increase in the republican vote
was over so per cent while in the
democratic ballots it was but small
1T does not matter. for purposes of
comparison, whether Michigan is a
republican or democratic state. as the
percentage of increase shows for itself
in both parties
With regard to the attitude of west
ern women voters. the Roswell Daily
Record, the principal paper in the
Pecos valley. which Wilson carried
almost solidly says:
president Wilson was elected the
first time because of the republican
split, produced by the boiling of Thee
dore Roosevelt and his personal fol-
lowing, enormously called progress
sives. The second time Mr.. Wilson
was elected, by a narrow margin be-
cause the women voters of the west
wanted peace, and they were fooled
into believing that Wilson would main
tain il. As it turned out war was on
ly a short time away and coming
WUelHeI we W-llCu IL OF MOI. IHt
next election will be between the dem
ocrats and reunited republican par
ty The women vote is not likely to
eb especially friendly to the demo-
cratic candidate in view of the fact
that the democratic south has fought
woman's suffrage and succeeded in
delaying its success for years And
there are millions of women voters
against only q few hundred thousand
four years ago"
The Roswell paper is frank to an
unexpected degree The democratic
press generally and the party organi-
cation, in this state. are seeking to
win support of women by denouncing
the failure Of the republican legisla-
ture to provide for an election to
amend the constitution so as to have
woman suffrage.
The organization passed q resolu-
querque, in the presence of the ma
tionaf chairman. But the resolution
was silent about the refusal of the
democratic senate, under the control
of the president, where three times in
as many years the suffrage amend
ment was refused President Wilson
had blown both hot and cold upon
the subject. and paid scant courtesy
to its advocates. until women of the
west had reelected him under the be-
lief that through him would war be
avoided.
When the measure for submitting
a suffrage amendment was before the
! legislature it was defeated by few
men whose prejudices against suf-
! frage for women outweighed party
platform pledges They were mainly
of an element that has never approved
of activity of women outside of the
home circle, the church and the
school. Had the republicans in the
house voted solidly the measure would
have been passeG. The party leaders
lived up to promises, and even the
governor argued for the measure,
against his own personal opinion.
Republican members were not the
only ones who deserved criticism, for
several democrats voted against the
measure and failed to live up to a
platform promise. Two of them were
from the progressive, populous county
of Grant, where democrats from
southern states or descendants of
southern people are dominant in So
cial and political life.
The antagonism of about a dozen
members, within the two parties. was
such that the governor believes would
be a farCiCal Waste of money to call
the Legislature at an expense of $780,
600 or $4,000 merely to let the dozer
of two parties again block suffrage
That democrats in conference il
asking him to do this were but playins
politics everybody knows. If other
matters of sufficient economic i'm.
portance arise wararnting emergency
action the legislature will be called
to consider them and also to pass up
on the federal suffrage amendment