Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1919-06-29
BY EDWARD MARSHALL.

Ut yOuI Stdte Cdplldl Ill an enthusiasts
tic monotone. don't think her mad;
don't think her a striker using words
cOndemnatory of n-unionists; don't
think she is referring to some other
lady's hair.
Upon the contrary, she will be de-
claiming rhythmically her demand
for the confirmation by the legisla-
ture of the federal constitutional
amendment providing for national
woman's suffrage.
These are great days for the wom-
en-; probably they are great days for
the world. At any rate they mean.
with almost absolute certainty. that
millions of new voters. practically
free from the unpleasant influences
which disagreeably have affected
American politics since days to which
the memory OF living man reacheth
not, will be thrust into the political
arena-and probably soon enough
for participation in the next presiden.
tial election.
1t will mean that an immense i'm
pulse will have been made potent to-
ward the perfection and intensified
ton of public education.
1t will mean that cleanliness will
come to cities, that food prices will
be forced down, that food quality will
be forced up. that food purity (already
greater in America probably than
anywhere else in all the world) will
be augmented, that dozen other
fundamental questions will be taken
up as special interests Of womankind
and inevitably carried through to a
successful issue.
In other words. the entrance of
women into American political life
will not be revolutionary. but will be
neutrality-suspicious. upward
When the writer went to see Mrs.
Carrie Chapman Gait president of the
National Woman Suffrage Associa-
ton. as well as president Of the In
ternational Suffrage Alliance, she sat
jubilant in very handsome New York
offices.
Il believe" said she. that the tri-
umph of the nations womanhood.
now absolutely certain. will make of
the United States a new and wonder
full nation. nation for the first time
living up to the declaration of the
original American revolutionists.
Taxation without representation
is tyranny"
And to that other. no less impor-
tant: Governments derive their full
power from the consent of the gov
erned.'
Now. for the first time. America
really rises to the realization of
Abraham Lincoln's inspired. immortal
words: Ours Is government Of the
people. by the people and for the peo-
ple'
There is no proper record of the
number of women which will be en-
franchised by the adoption of the
amendment, but. speaking roughly.
after its acceptance there will be
eighteen million oman voters in the
nation.
I'm future the sexes will be upon
political equality. The result will be
an absolute change for the better in
many details Of our government and
not even q possible CnAnSe lot tne
worse in any one Of them.
III the federal amendment had been
submitted to the states by the Sixty
fifth Congress-" Mrs. Gait continued.
land 1t lacked but one vote in that
Senate. 1t would have been ratified
without delay. We knew. We have
been politically organized for long
time. with sources of information
infinitely accurate about every mem
Der of every state legislature in the
Union. Then forty-two legislatures
were in session and thirty-siX would
have acted favorably.
4
But the Sixty-fifth Congress did
not act. and when the Sixty-sixth did
most Of the state legislatures were
not in session. As things stood 1t
looked. upon the surface. as IL we
would have to wait until 1921 before
we could secure ratification, for only
ten legislatures regularly meet In
1920. The situation looked depress-
ing for US. But we were not depress-
ed. II the woman suffragists of the
United States had been subject to de-
preston they would have abandoned
I,Hivr 90. 10 L., hni n.