The Pensacola journal. (Pensacola, Fla.) 1898-1985, 1920-09-16
HARDEE ADDRESSES
FLORIDA WOMEN
URGES THEM TO REGISTER AND
TAKE ADVANTAGE OF THEIR
CITIZENSHIP.
(BY CARY A. HARDEE.)

4
| When the secretary of state at
Washington officially declared, the rat
I ification of the Susan B. Anthony
amendment to the federal constitution
1, by a sufficient number of individual
| states, the women of Florida thereby
acquired equal political rights with the
men. There were many of US who be-
| lieved that the question of suffrage
| was question for consideration by the
| states of the Union rather than the ma
| tional government; however, the way
/ by which women enfranchisement has
been obtained or the individual atti-
| tude any of us may have assumed in
! the past respecting it, it is now
closed question. 1t is idle, therefore,
from a practical standpoint, to dis
1 cuss our individual attitude, either as
to the route by which it came to us,
or as to the merits of the question it
| self. The pre- eminent fact is, that
more than 100000 women in Florida
have been given the ballot, and wheth-
| err you will il or not, or whether they
welcome it or not, nevertheless the re-
sponsibility of citizenship is now upon
them. Is it not the duty of a good cit
\ izen to register and vote? Will the
women of Florida meet this, their first
/ of voting in the coming election. /
hope so. AS the nominee of the Dem
ocratic party for the high office Of
governor, want to suggest to them
not only the propriety of their voting,
but likewise the duty to do so i'm
posed by fundamental law. There is
nothing complicated in registration or
in the casting of a ballot and so far
as educating the women of Florida for
a proper exercise of their newt found
privilege, l am sure they do not need
it any more than the men. In a gov
eminent like ours. deriving it's just
powers from the people, it is of first
importance that the voters should IA
miliarize themselves with both candi-
dates and issues. Only by this means
can they intelligently serve the coun-
try in the exercise of the right of suf-
frage; however the women of Florida
do not need lessons in citizenship any
more so than the men.
assume that there will be much dis
cussion in the various clubs, civic
bodies and other meetings of the wo-
men as to the proper exercise of the
right of the ballot. There may be
movements for a league or combina-
ton whose purpose will be to vote,
a far as possible, the women as body.
In other words, make of them a class
electorate. l trust that the representa-
tive women of our state will exert
their influence against such a policy.
Glass voting is never desirable, be-
cause it always loses sight of the gen
eral interest. Naturally, l want to see
the women of Florida vote the Demo-
cratic ticket, not only because the
Democratic party stands for progress
sive legislation along social, moral and
educational hnes-those things in
which women are supposed to be spe-
cially interested but also because it
has shown constructive leadership in
the solution of economic problems as
well. | feel sure that the political
party which overthrow the reign of
Republican misrule following the per-
iod of reconstruction after the Civil
War will appeal to the women as the
proper one for their affiliation. What
ever political party they may desire
to affiliate with, however, I would like
to suggest again the obligation which J
now rests upon them of registering
and voting. If they fail to register now
then they preclude themselves from !
participation not only in the coming !
election, but also, perhaps, school cleo |
tons and such other election as might !
be had before the time for general reg |
istration again. |