Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1920-03-13
Editors Letter Box
c:atastrophe Imminent!

Try is facing the most serious EecA "
Il is safe to say that only Few law
yers, perhaps dozen newSpapsrhirT anu
only half a dozen political leaders know
the facts about this crisis. or even La
First Of ali / wish to make it clear
that this is not Anti-suffrage propa-
Ssnda. Mrs. Carrie Chapman cav.
president Of the National American
Woman Suffrage Association. IN con CON
6dencial letter to her followers on pec.
q. 1919. plainly warned them that the
question of referenda on the ratifcatlon
Of the pending Federal amendmen'
would have to be decided by the =; ;.
conduct the case. There will Dc at
!. THE REFERENDUM CASE is
only one phase Of the subject 6rien!
it is the question (Which VIII oe heaiu
with respec, to Ohio as to whether the
people. under the REFERENDCM
CLAUSES of their state constitutions:
are entitled TO vote on ratification OF
Federal Amendments. The supreme
Courts Of Ohio and Washington have
held that they may in those states. re
Supreme Court of oregon and the ,lf-
cult Court Of Appeals Of Arkansas. nave
ruled that they may not IN those states:
which have ratified the Federal sui
frage Amendment and in which. SAYS
THE SCFFRAGIST for February. "a
referendum, if declared legal. would 70
THE STATE SOVEREIGNTY
ISSUE is the great fundamental case
Maryland has already approved a reso-
luton. denying the power OF Congress
lacking its validity on the grounds.
briefly. that il would destroy the state
and make il province. with less au-
,hority in deciding who. shall vote for
its own local officers than it enjoyed
under the original charter from the
British Crown. This resolution is not
merely resolve by legislative
body. biz a legal brief. prepared hv
one OF tire ab!est constitutional law! efs
What has this to do with the political
catastrophe mentioned in my opening
paragraph?
An: lawyer Thoroughly conversant
with the history OF proposed suffrage
amendments to the United States Con-
st:tution knows that the people of Ohio
and the state of Maryland have more
than an even chance of winning their
cases-and there are other states that
will join in the campaign without
doubt.
Therefore. the validity of every wom-
ans vote cast under the alleged Federal
suffrage Amendment is certain to be
challenged. not necessarily by the op-
poneats of woman suffrage. but by the
great political parties.
What political party. losi1; the ra-
tlonai election by the electoral votes Of
one or two states where the validity OF
the elections was open to serious Ques-
tion. would hesitate to throw the entire
Presidential election into the courts?
The political leaders who are urging
ratification. regardless OF the funda-
mental legal issues involved. are heade
Straight for political chaos; for until
the legality of the Federal suffrage
amendment is established. any election
held under it can be challenged and un-
doubtedly will be challenged on far
more serious array of evidence than the
Hayes-Ti!den contest presented. and
, With perhaps even greater danger to
the United States. 1t must De remem-
bered that the two great political par
that most of the states are doubtful :;
that President Wilson won in 1916 by
only 8 electoral votes, of which IS in
California were obtained By a popular
shire b. plurality of only IS votes. In
Minnesota. Mr.. Hughes won u cleo
toral votes by plurality Of only 80.
The recent election in the third Com
sressional district OF Missouri. has
proved. if anything. only that relative
party strength in 1890 is about the same
as in 1916 The Non-Partisan League in
the Northwest. the disconnected ele-
ments in other sections. and especial
, ~ the unknown political attitude of
women. will all tend TO make the COM
ing election the most doubtful in the
history of the Republic.
1t It to be further complicated by a
question of legality? Is it to be de-
cided finally BY the United States Su-
preme Court. after months of political
turmoil. business unrest bitter partisan
tattle-if nothing worse: Again. if tire
iesahtE OF women's woes under the
Court in those states where womer
nave no such vote under their state
constitutions. it might require a sec
ond election to find out who was Presi-
dent of the United states for there is
no separation of mems and women's
votes under full double suffrage
2. THE PRESIDENTIAL SUFFRAGE
SITUATION presents another serious
case. Indiana Iowa. Maine. Minnesota,
Missouri. Nebraska, North Dakota
ready jeopardsed by the passage of
bills Contrary to their state constitu-
tionsl allowing women TO vote in the
sresidential election. The Indiana
supreme Court oct. Q. 1917, has held
TINS legislation unconstitutional, but th.
Indiana legislature under the suffrage
whip. and apparently wishing to please
the women by passing another bill of
ms sort. again adopted a presidential
suffrage resolution in 19l9-which has
not yet been attacked in the courts.
IN ohio and Maine the Anti-slffrasists
have flied referenda on these presiCeu
tial suffrage bills. which will be decided
.! popular vote next November In all
of the above states. either party .or any
candidatel can challenge the electoral
vote on The ground of Inc illesaiity Of
cotos cast oy women, contrary to the
state Constitution
IN Illinois. Tennessee and Rhode
Island twhere the constitutions do not
specify that only males are entitled 10
VOTE IN All electionS'D the presidential
suffrage bills are CONSTITUTIONAL The
Illinois and Tennessee Supreme courts
nave upheld them in those states. 1ut
soieiF because there was no conflict
win the state constitutions which
vary or course in the different states,
IN indiana. the ALI elections clause
pronlDits PRESIDENTIAL Suffrage as de-
G Gde. BY the Indiana Supreme Court in
1917 while in North Dakota, Wiscon-
SIN and Minnesota. a stron ger and more
specinc clause positively prohibits The
legislature from extending suffrage until
me proposal has been approved by the
frazer h; none OF these presidential suf-
these states: In Ohio in 1877 the "a anti 4.
sunragists filed a referendum petition
on presidential suffrage and rensaied
u oy majority Of 146 12U-but the Ieeis-
lature In 1919. passed another such hiiI
ana We filed another referendum so
mat there is a double referendum now
pending in Ohio. on ratiication ~ nov .H
receral amendment (Which is now he
fore the L. S. Supreme Court, ana -
presidential suffrage. 10Th will he ,o oii
ed on in November. VIZ
"A correspondent OF the Associated
Press recently asked the writer ia ~
If MOTHERS ONLY KNEW