The Beaver herald. [volume] (Beaver, O.T. [Okla.]) 1895-1923, 1919-06-12

CONGRESS- PASSES WOMAN SUE.
FFAGE AMENDMENT


The Republican Congress has made
good. Tho Woman Suffrage Amend
ment, which was the first bill intro
duced in the new Republican Con-
gress, last week passed the Senate.
having previously passed the House,
and thus after determined fight
extending over period OF fifty years
the Susan II. Anthony Suffrage
Amendment, has at last received the
necessary majority before Congress
and now goes to the states for ratifi-
cation. That the amendment will re-
ceive ratification by the required
number of state legislatures seems
certain. ratification by two-thirds of
the states OF the Union being required
before the measure becomes a law.
The passage of this amendment at
this time is in recognition of the
splendid war work Of the women Of
America more than any other one
thing. The women of America have
proven by their work and by their ad
ministratiop IN the various lines of
business in which they have been
thrown by the exigencies OF war. that
they are capable and entitled to ex-
ercise the right of franchise. The
Republican Congress was not slow to
recognize this fact and thus, the
first measure to be presented TO that
body was the Suffrage Amendment
and It carried without delay.
After ratification by a sufficient
number of states. universal suffrage
will be in force and effect and then
II becomes the duty of the good wo-
man. just the same as the duty of the
good man. to vote. The bad man has
always voted. Ward politicians and
ringsters have rounded up the low
class. depraved and ignorant men and
have voted them while. in too many
cases, the better men have failed in
this duty to their government. The
same thing that is true OF the men
will be true of the woman voter. Ward
politicians and ringsters will be busy
seeing that the women of the under
world cast their ballots and thus the
duty will be greater on the mothers
and the good women of America to
cast their ballot in the cause of right
and for the men and measures which
stand for better homes. better govern
ment. and better working and living
conditions. To our mind II is not
question of the Right OF women to
vote. 1t is question of the DUTY
OF both men and women to vote. To
the degree in which we love our
homes and our country. we should
value the opportunity to protect them
and in no way can this be so effect
lively done as by the ballot in the
hands OF upright. noble. broad-mind
ed men and women. This paper has
never advocated woman suffrage as
the panacea of all ills OF franchise.
We have never advocated that the
woman's vote was going to cleanse
corrupt politics and make what is
black. white as the driven snow. but
we have advocated and firmly believe.
that the ballot in the hands of both
men and women of the clean. law
respecting and law-abiding type will
effect reforms and curb evils which
could never be curbed without such
combined strength.
Women of Oklahoma already have
the right to vote and II Is their duty
to humanity to do so, especially as II
Is the duty Of every mother and ev-
cry good woman. There is much bug
aboo and much ado about nothing in
this voting business. Those opposed
to women suffrage have used as
choice propaganda the many light in
situations and cutting appellations
directed toward the "Suffragette" un-
til many men and women have come
to look at the matter through the
light of such ridiculous nonsense and
have lost sight of the real merits and
worth of such measure To us 1t
appeals as strictly a business matter
to be handled in a business manner
and with business sense. Personally,
we are delighted to have been honored
with the legal right to vote. We al
ways felt we had the moral tight to
do so and we'll acknowledge right
here that the lad with his red-top
boots or the boy with his first pair
OF long trousers. had nothing on us
when II comes to being proud. when
previous to the road bond election,
we were permitted to register as a
Legally Qualified Voter and received
certificate as such. We felt that
for the first time in our life we we're
really and truly fuH-fledged Amer
lean citizen and legally recognized
as such. That to us, was something
Of which to be proud.