The county record. [volume] (Kingstree, S.C.) 1885-1975, 1920-09-02
THURSDAY, SEPT. 2, 1920.
THE PARTIES UPSET?

Mr.. George B. Craven, the able edi-
tor of the Lancaster News, takes is
sue with David Lawrence on the rati-
fication Of the nineteenth amendment
and makes some timely comments Oh
the new adjuncts to the political par
ties of The country:
David Lawrence, Washington cor
respondent, sees in the ratification OF
the nineteenth amendment to the fed
eral constitution q proverbial monkey
wrench thrown into the machinery Of
party politics. He thinks it may
mean an entire change of tactics by
the managers of both the Republican
and Democratic presidential cam
paign. Certainly it has already
brought worries that didn't exist last
week. says Mr.. Lawrence, and, one
of these is the certain punishment of
Republican and Democratic members
Of congress who showed themselves
unfavorable to suffrage -.~
1--WE hope Mr.. Lawrence's fears are
unfounded, and we believe they are
unfounded. There is no spirit of re-
sentiment among the women TOWARD
those who opposed them, though they
were made to fight long and hard 70
what they thought was their right
and which, the final conclusion has
proven, was their right. Further
more, we cannot bring ourselves to
believe that the women will resort
to political tricks and combinations
to carry their point that has been the
custom among the male suffragists.
There are some members of congress
who ought to be defeated, if that is
what Mr.. Lawrence would call Ger
tain punishment, but the women,
with the ballot, are going to work
more for principles than for men, If
we may be considered judge of hu-
man nature. Anu II the women can
succeed in elevating the principles OF
politics, the parties will work THEN
way up to it.
zone surmise by Mr.. Lawrence is
significant; Nothing worries a po-
litical leader so much as inability to
vote his constituents in groups or at
least to assess definitely the trend of
one district so he can counter5alance
losses in another he says, and, but
the women have always proved them
selves inaccessible. They are hard to
organize in the political sense and
insist upon a certain independence
which defies party tradition and par
tisanship. While many a man has
been a lifelong Republican or Demo-
crat and hesitates to change his al
legiance, there has been built up no
such fealty on the part of the women.
They are inclined, therefore, to judge
the candidates and the parties on their
merits
"This, we believe, can be accepted
as a true statement, but just how
far the women will carry this inde-
pendence IN political matters, remains
to be seen. The women may prove to
be sticklers for party fealty or they
may exert that certain independence
which will bring them to stand for
principles regardless of the effect
upon the parties. We surmise that
the vast majority of women voters
will start out as Democrats, and, if
so, it is up to the Democratic party
to become and remain so attractive
that they will have no desire to de-
sert it. Everything that happens in
the next hundred years, we suppose,
will be blamed on the women voters,
but they will not be to blame.
EFFECT of the enfranchisement Of
women upon other vital issues is dis
cussed by Mr.. Lawrence as follows:
"It is too early to determine just
how much effect on the league of na
tioins controversy the enfranchise
ment of women viii have. The
league is popular In the west where
women upon other vital issues is DIS