The Pensacola journal. (Pensacola, Fla.) 1898-1985, 1920-09-26
Many Humorous Incidents
Mark Registration Drive
APALAcHIcoLA WOMEN CONDUCT
HOUSE TO HOUSE CANVASS TO
GET WOMEN TO ENROLL.


house canvass is being conducted here
TO get women to register for the No
vember election.
Many men, when confronted by the
present crisis, have wondered what is
back OF this reluctance to entering
political life upon the average woman's
part; but If any one of these ques-
TONERS have in their hearts a desire
ITO arrive at the, real reason, let some
Of them canvass from house to house
; in any southern town, and tabulate
the divers reasons which women give
for their indifference to the franchise
These reasons are as divers as the
WITNESSES of the average maiden. In
Sdeed their name is legion for they are
many.
Here Is part, are the gleanings OF
just one afternoon spent in a house tC
house canvass of such a village, with
the object In view of registration
Registration, did you say? Voter
She peaked out through the half closed
blind. mo indeed I don't believe in
any such. Let them as wants, do it, ]
says; but don't approve of women
folks messing in politics. What's that
you say? The president has done
passed the law, and what we once
lAhG65AA VA 49, ~ hd1 INV UcIOIlle Jul
duty" She chewed this mentally for a
while. 1t went along with the gum she
lmasticated. well, happens as you
may DO right, but / can't help think
ing that he done wrong. And, any
way. you can just tell the men folks
that the president of the United
States amt got any say so over me. ]
thank you againi But I amt got any
relish In my mind for this here voting. .
And she never registered.
There was another old, old, lady.
She was one of the .patrfarchial women
of the town. She had seen peace
made, after six wars, and she is still
after all the years, considerable of a
fighting secessionist 1t was a young
woman from up North that thought to
add this old lady's registration to the
laurels Of her list. So she went to see
the wonderful old woman; and in
spired by the dramatic force of her
subject. she talked. and talked. She
argued long. and she argued eloquent
ly. She repeated the story OF the WON
derful times through which her lis
tener had lived. Nothing bent the
strength OF her iron prejudice. At last
the Yankee launched her banner argu-
ment. You say that this is men folks
DunAlGHBs anu you won DuI IN HG-
member, the men now want you to
vote. Then when you cross over Yon-
der don't you want to tell them over
there that you are franchised soul? %
This idea rather intrigued the good
old rebel. She gave in. She rose. All
would have gone well; but in her en-
thusiasm the little Yankee talked too
much, for she added: "You saw the
slaves freed, and now you will see all
the white women OF the land enfran-
chised.s
Whats that you say?" Fifty seven
years dropped from the patriarch, like
withered leaves. 1.-The government Is
going to free me after freeing all
them niggersl" Her prejudices con-
firmed her suspicious. II might have
known It'll or course those Federals in
Washington have found some way to
insult US Southern women. I'm a u,
ID. G. am. And no one is agoing to
set any niger before me. No ma'am,
thank you kindly; but I'll enter the
Golden Gate without voting. I can
trust st. Peter at my age, he isn't
likely to challenge me, even If don't
register"
So It is that the old, old prejudices
are revived. Some of them are good,
some OF them are racial. some of them
are rooted deep in woman's love of
home; and these sentiments rivet the
mother and the wife to the fireside.
But 1t is not only sentiment that is
holding some women back In many
cases it is sheer ignorance, and the
tyranny that such ignorance arrogates
is appalling. Not all the examples of
sNis ignorance are irritating, some of
them wodI1d be wonderful funny il they
did not spell such a sad -ebuke TO our
fifty years OF public school life.
One woman was convinced that she
would not suffer any reproach from
registering. When she learned that all
tho leading women of her town had
done the same, she wended her way to
the registrars office and she took the
oath. She became a voting citizen OF
tho State OF Florida. She started to
her home, but she had a question that
sho wanted to have answered. So she
called one of the ladies aside, and she
said: "of course. we southern women
is all a-going to vote the democratic
ticket; but honest to goodness. amt
you little ashamed of the president ?"
Her interlocutor thought that she
had gotten hold of some nefarious re-
publican doctrine, so she braced her.
SELF Tor the fray. Then the new citi-
zen continued: My husband is a base
ball ran; and of course l know the
men roiks Is interested nightly: but
think President Wilson is showing
himself too partial He need not
praise this here American League all
the time. He posters me. insistinp as
nd does, on that particular league of
hil."
Now what do YOU know about that
What can'yo say to answer it? This
is all the idea that that individual has
grasped of the League of Nations
She had the subject explained in part.
but what is Florida going to do with
the ninety and nine other women, who
have not the courage to speak out.
That is the task that is before the
Florida women