Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1919-02-05
WORLDS RAPID CHANGES
UPSET ALL CALCULATIONS
Distinguished Maine Scholar Says Moral
Progress of Today Sweeps Aside the Mar
row Verdict of Yesterday-Suffrage Refer
endum of Sept, 1917 Has No Bearing What
ever on Question Before the Legislature

others are pennsylvania, INDIANA,
Missouri, and a solid block in the
south extending from Maryland to
Alabama. For many years we have
been accustomed to hear disparaging
remarks about the solid SOUTH" and
it gives something of a shock to look
at the suffrage map and identify the
associates Of our dirigo state, while it
cannot escape our notice that Texas
and Arkansas have broken the chains
that bound them to the solid south.
and three more, Mississippi. LOUISE
ana, and Florida have begun the pro-
cess of separation. Louisiana indeed
almost adopted equal suffrage last
November along with Michigan,
South Dakota and Oklahoma. The
opposition was concentrated i'll New
Orleans, and leaving that city out of
the account the rest of the state save
ma jority Of over $500 for suffrage.
At the next trial it is sure to win.
World Moving Rapidly
Yes, the world is moving rapidly
forward. Even the solid south is dis
inlegrating. and in spite of the index
Of that referendum vote Maine has
been moving forward with forward
moving world. Those referendum
figures are entirely misleading. Many
women said in that confused cam
paigu, Lets work every minute for
the soldier: the men will see to it
that We get the VOTE" And many a
man said afterwards that If he had
had any suspicion that the amend.
ment was in danger, he would have
gone to the polls and voted. With
many the one motive for voting No
was resentment at the tactics Of the
picketers in Washington, on the rash
really representative of the great
army. millions strong. of sane and So
ber-minded suffragists. But through
out that campaign the suffrage leaven
was nevertheless working, although
the time was far too short for the
mass to be leavened. Many who
were Indifferent at the start became
interested. Many who. without ever
giving the matter a serious thought,
were hostile. found out their mistake.
and many more have discovered since
that they made serious mistake in
voting No.
If this bill receives a passage. the
Legislature will act, believe. in har.
mony with the present desire and
sentiment of the citizens of our State.
For war has convinced them, as never
before, not only of woman's patriotic
devotion to the country'S cause, but
Of her organizing and executive abil-
ity. and her unsupported capacity for
public service. The suffrage cam
paign by the women of New York was
so rlcan. SO we'll organized, so thor
oughiy efficient and so phenomenally
successful, that it evoked the admir-
alton of the veteran politicians of the
opposite sex. In this mornings pa
pers we saw fresh evidence of what
women's votes can do. for women had
their part in electing the New York
legislature. which has just ratified the
prohibitory amendment. Woman's
part in the war has been driving
home the lesson too Of the rank injus.
tice of shutting her out Of political
life and restricting her to indirect in.
fluence upon the solution of the many
problems which intimately concern
her own and her children's welfare.
Furthermore, men are seeing now. as
they never saw before. that women as
enfranchised citizens on an equality
with men have something Of value to
contribute. an influence and power
for the 1nolding of our institutions
which We greatly need and cannot