The Pensacola journal. (Pensacola, Fla.) 1898-1985, 1920-10-02
REGISTRATION OF NEGRO
WOMEN

That staunch democratic journal,
! the Ocala Star, has the following per-
| tinent comment on a topic that IS be-
/ ing much discussed at this time:
| The Star doen't think it is good poll
icy for some Florida papers to send
! up such yell about the registration
of negro women. The negro women
/ of this state and other states
didn't make any special effort to OBJ
! tain the ballot. 1t was handed to
! them, free gratis, by white men and
/ women. And some of them who were
| loudest in shouting for woman suf-
| frage are going to shudder and squak
the most when they have to stand in
line behind their cooks and washer
women at the polls. The men told them
about it-their old, gray-headed
grandfathers that fought for white
supremacy in the sixties. and their
/ fathers, who, were ready to fight
again against the force bill. twenty
/ five years later. But they wouldn't
/ believe it-no; the average woman,
who in her brief life has picked two
| or three leaves from the mighty tree
| of experience, that has taken sixty
/ centuries to grow. thinks she planted
! 1t. Now, there are number of ne
gro women who have some other idea
| in view in registering than voting the
republican ticket. They want good
| government, good towns : and good
| schools. and will do their duty by
them. OF course, IL lot of hysterical
| newspapers, orators and citizens start
a fight on them, they will resent it,
and vote accordingly. The proper
| thing to do about this is to play the
| game. Let the white women register
n nd ~
derwear to make bandages for the
wounded soldiers-now let them tear
off some OF their old fashioned ideas
for the sake of government. And let
the newspapers stop shrieking Most
of them do 1t to sell papers. rather
than for the good of the country.
The Tampa Tribune, which recently
carried long article by Hon N L.
Dawson, Of BrooksviIle, sounding
warning note, replies in the following
editorial:
There are In this state between
$4,000 and 100000 white and negro
women who, if they register, and reg
istration costs them nothing, will log
| ically vote on the republican ticket
at least in national elections, without
a scratch"
Perhaps his conclusion is correct,
but we think he has, placed his fig
ures too high. But granting, for ar
gument's sake, he has not oevercal-
culated the number, we believe it rath-
err pessimistic to expect no friend of
the democrats in all the. rank of these
newly enfranchised white and negro
women.
a ic he fohn 70
polled in a Florida election, up to
this time. Suppose it will be doubled;
then from what source will the doub-
ling come? Evidently from the wives
and women folk of the $4,000 men who
have been voting. Then. does it APP
pear to anyone that every wife and
every woman will vote opposite to
her husband and her men folk?
The Tribune believes that every
white woman should register and
vote; it believes the negro women, if
they are properly qualified should do
the same, for it is impossible to dis
criminate between them. The Tribune
does not believe, however, that every
woman who votes is going to vote
against the best interests of themselves
and of the people among whom they
live. It is noticeable fact that white
men of staunch republican proclivi-
ties and principles, when they come
into a Southern state to live, immedi-
ately fit into the work of maintaining
white control of everything, and they
vote with the white party. Indeed,
let the two parties change their prac-
tice, and let the democrats make a
bid for the negro vote. let 1t promise
all sorts of things in return for a
800 &l@A \
will see the white people of this state.
or any other state, turning to the re-
publican party for maintaining white
supremacy.
However. there is great wisdom in
the rest of Mr.. Dawson's letter. The
duty of the white man and white wo-
man of this state is to prepare for
the ballot, and to vote on every occa-
sion that Is required.
Our Southern women have never
shirked a call to duty up to this day.
whether that duty lay in giving their
sons for the cause. or in dressing.I
themselves in the homespaln of the
hand loom, or carrying on the business
of making bread and meat while
father, brother and son fought for
freedom and principle. Surely, the wo-
men of the South who have done their
duty all these years are going to do
their duty now when called upon to
take hand in the political and gov
ornamental affairs of their country.
Florida will poll big vote this
November; but when the ballots are
counted there will not be found one
single county in the state where the
republican ticket, though backed by
the unified vote of every negro man
and woman, will have proved a VIC
tor"
The Tampa Times has this to say:
THE main element OF uncertainty lies
in the vote of the women, but that
is not so uncertain as It may seem. |