The Ocala evening star. [volume] (Ocala, Fla.) 1895-1943, 1919-02-15

The Susan Is. Anthony suffrage
amendment lost in the Senate last
Monday by one lone vote. 1t came
that near to having the required two
thirds of both houses of Congress, the
House of Representatives having
passed it over year ago. This was
the last opportunity the democrats
had to do justice to the women of
America. The Sixty-fourth Congress,
which begins March 4th, will be en-
tirely controlled by the republicans,
and the hope sof the suffragists are
now fixed on them. 1t is freely pre-
dicted by those who know, that the
woman suffrage amendment will be
| one of the very first measures passed
after the reorganization of Congress.
President Wilson cabled from Paris,
urging the democratic senators to
pass the amendment to enfranchise
the women of the United States. IL
must be great source of satisfaction
to Southern congressman to realize
that largely because of their narrow,
undemocratic policy, President Will
son will be handicapped by republi-
can Congress during the last two
years of his administration, when he
needs so much support and co-opera-
ton. This is standing behind" the
administration with vengeance!
Col. William jennings Bryan went
to Washington to work among the
democratic senator's for the passage
of the suffrage amendment. The first
70 be interviewed were Hoke Smith of
Georgia and Park Trammell of Flor
ida. Col. Bryan is quoted as saying
that the democrats will be trying to
explain to the country for the next
twenty-five years how they happened
not to pass the Suffrage amendment.
The suffrage cause gained a warm
supporter in Senator Pollock of South
Carolina, who replaces Benet, an OPP
ponent who was defeated in the No
vember elections. Senator Pollock said
in his speech before the Senate, "The
American women had earned this con-
sideration at the hands of American
manhood before the awful war, and
who will say that the women of this
land have not doubly earned all they
ask, all they desire. all that could be
bestowed upon them by their magnifi-
cent spirit of patriotism since we
have been engaged in this war for
| freedom! America has done, and is
doing with woman's help, what she
| never could have done without it."
Senator Pollack said further: "The
argument that this is matter for
| action by the states. and that for
Congress to pass the resolution is a
violation of states rights. is not a
reason, but an excuse on the part OF
some for opposing the resolution, and
a very poor one at that. When a re-
| spectacle portion of the American
people ask that question of amend
ing the constitution be submitted to
the states for their approval or dis
approval, it is a denial of states
rights to refuse to let the states thru
their legislatures act"
Senator Pollock also declared that
the claim that woman suffrage would
endanger white supremacy in the
South was another poor excuse not
supported by the facts.
AS matter of fact, statistics were
quoted and accepted in Congress and
are matters of indisputable record
that the number of Southern white
women of voting age is greater than
the sum of negro men and women of
voting age in the South. These sta
tistics were taken over two years ago,
| and, since that time, many thousands
of negroes have left this section of
the country. 1t is fact that the bal
lot in the hands of women in the
L L.
premacy here by several million votes.
Yet people who ought to know better
and who do know better continue to
try to deceive Southern women and
scare them out of demanding their
just dues by reiterating a statement
that is entirely untrue.
Senators Fletcher and Trammell
both oted against the amendment. 1t
is not at all probable that the women
of Florida will ever again ask these
two politicians to look after their in
terests at the national capital We
suppose their valuable time is too
fully occupied getting out-of-date
German guns for Florida towns, to
look after the interests of Florida
women.
Defeat CD of a Federal Amendment
The Wednesday Times Union in a
learned editorial entitled, "The Suf-
frage Amendment" criticises those
who are determined to push the
measure thru Congress-. saying among
other things, thirteen states could
defeat the amendment" The T.-U.
should get the facts in hand before it
undertakes to instruct the people of
the state on such important matters.
Il is clear, from his editorial, that he
has fallen into the error so very COM
mon hereabouts, regarding the nature
and life of an amendment to the fed
eral constitution. He does not seem
to know that such an amendment, un-
less it contains its own time limit,
could not be defeated" if every state
w ha TT1so,, e.