The Hope pioneer. [volume] (Hope, N.D.) 1882-1964, 1920-08-26
north DAKOTA
PROCRESS|VES
ARE JUb|LANT
I. v. A. Leader CongratuIates
Women Of State Upon Tenn
essee Suffrage Victory.

SSSSS O9S
The ratification by Tennessee Of the
federal amendment grant,
ing universal suffrage to all omc
over twrnly-on" years of age has, as
far as North Dakota is concerned,
been greeted with more enthusiasm in
those political quarters which are
known as the I. V. \. camp
than is evidenced among League
leaders and in their newspapers. OPP
ponrniS of the Nunpartis;n league are
of the opinion that the danrenc,l ar
dor on the part of the League leaders
is directly trurpnbIc to the fact that
recent election returns have proven
that Il large majority o. the women of
the state does not take kindly to
Townlryism.
The main reason for this, as given
by the league opposition. is the Im-
litical management of the public.
INV N,'HtViu liIStltuttu NY tIlt lpitttl
of administration. the notorious Neil
Macdonald affair and the systematic
interference With the state >lirrr;l,-
trn'lrn, of public instruction since
Miss Minnie Nelson WIS elected To
that office.
The number of women voter To he
added to I'll" polling lists in This state
on account of the adoption of the
Susan Il. Anthony suffrage amend
mpnl is estimated Il, upwards Of TO
W'o. The independent political forces
in The >,air expect 10 gel Il majority Of
these votes and claim that ii will pr,r-
ticllly in>nr" victory for the Otnnnnr
ticket in HE November election.
Tllro. q. Nelson. executive secretary
of the independent Voters %asSocia-
ton. secs The situation in THIS light:
"rhc progressive forces in North
Dakota politics hay" always been in
favor OF woman suffrage and have re-
pratrtlly gone on record in favor ct
This princil,i'. In spite If this. Nnrih
Dakota WAS not anon" the ti!>l >lnl"S
to rl,ify the nineteenth amendment;
nineteen other states had gone on
record before our governor advised
similar nrtinll by our Legislature. At
the time, however. tn" Tnwniry n"ws-
papers throughout the state rrnfrSsrd
to be enthusiastically in favor OF votes
for women. Anticipating the final
adoption Of the amendment. the
Townlcy managers lost no time in nr-
g;niZing wulnrn'> nuX;Iinrir> which
they also expected tn come il handy
in their tiylll against Mss Minnie
Nelson.
"TlIr June primary election showed
them. however. thai the women tool
exception to their policies in matters
pertaining to school affairs. and that
the gentry responsible for reluctant
Neil Macdonald. tit" board of admin
istraiinli law and the persecution of
Miss Minnie Nelson had to look some
where else than to the WOMEN of the
state for political support. Since then
the TOwnlry press has had very little
to say on the question Of woman
suffrage.
"Tlc Nunlnrii>;ln league. according
to Statements by lis LEADERS and in It's
official organs. have influential or
ganiZllionS in at least thirteen states
in the middle west Where the great
majority of the people have expressed
themselves in favor of giving The Wo-
men Of the nation equal political
rights With men. But still no organ
lied effort WAS made to help the
cause where such help was mostly
needed. Even in this state they did
nothing to boost the proposition along.
1t was only after the independent
candidair> had wired the governors
and the legislatures of Tennessee and
North Carolina. urging that the SUI
frage amendment be passed, that \. e.
TOwnlcy on his own initiative sent IL
similar message 20 these states.
The leaders in the fight for uni
verSal suffrage are to be congratulated
for their achievement to date. Their
work has been Of great benefit to The
nation because of the attention thar
it has called TO the duties and reSpon-
SibilitieS of citizenship. The women
of North Dakota are sure to enjoy
universal suffrage after the next gen
erul election even if by some hOuk or
crook the action Of the legislature IT
Tennessee should be rc>cinded or null
flied because an amendment to our
state constitution is now pending pop
u.ar approval n, the general election
In November"