Evening star., 1920-02-05
LADIES, BLESS 'EM'
NOW REAL FACTOR
|NP0[|T|CAL GAME.
Party Managers Alive to Sit.
uation Confronting Them
in Coming Election.
BY y. O. MESSENGER.

Who remembers the good old GUS
tom at political gatherings when the
orator of the occasion, looking beam
ingly over the mixed audience, with
his hand on his heart, would bow
and ingratiating smile propose, THE
ladies. God bless 'em!' In those days
the toast was but the effervescence
of gallantry, mere nothing, the
syllabub o. graciousness; a trifle. as
a kiss blown from the finger tips.
How different it is to be in the
closing months of this year of our
Lord. 1920: With several million
women of the United States already
entitled. by state laws, to vote in
elections, and with the ultimate ex-
tension of the right of suffrage to all
have to deal with The ladies, God
bless 'em" not as subjects of mean
ingless compliments, but face to face
as potent individuals possessing
vote affecting the fortunes of the
politicians.
Situation Is Recognized.
Far-sighted managers in both par
ties have already recognized this pros
pect and are trying to outdo each
other in catering to the womens vote.
They are Offering all kinds of induce
ments, some of them, to be sure. fla
voring rather strongly of bargain
counter methods. to attract. When
the prospective woman voters come to
analyze the Layout" of the platform
makers they will discover much of a
sameness in it, with very little to
choose from, except the party label.
The goods will be. in a measure, SINH
lar, differing largely only in the hall
mark of the maker.
And from the interest being taken
by the women in national politics, as
reported to party managers, it is de-
clared to be quite evident that the
new electorate will be entirely COM
petent to exercise discrimination in
making their choice of tickets. SO far
as party emblem is concerned. as well
as to weigh the promises held out
and the relative chances of their be-
ing fulfilled.
Vague Estimates of Votes.
Only approximate estimates can be
made of the extent of the women's
vote in the approaching elections. The
vagueness of 1t lends fascinating un-
certainty to the game among the
managers on the one hand and leads
to brow wrinkling anxiety on the
other. In fact. it interjects sport
ing element into the campaign-a
their meetings in their own clubs and
their confabulations among them
selves. to which men are not admitted.
The only line" the practical men
bosses can get is from the reports
brought in by the women's auxiliary
committees. .
Something approaching definite
approximation of the strength and
bent of the woman vote is obtainable
in New York state from the figures
of the last enrolment. just made pub
lie, by which party preferences were
expressed. There were 1878 woman
democrats and 1926 woman repub-
licans who enrolled. together with
1851 socialists and 5.941 prohibition
lists.
Figures Unaccepted ms Gauge.
These figures are not accepted by
the party managers as indicative of
the country at large, however, nor of
some of the western states, where
woman suffrage has been in force for
years. Moreover. the Tammany
strength in the democratic party in
New York has to be taken into ac-
count. Tammany sees to it that the
woman voters enroll and register and
go to the polls
when tAat wise Cd To-; Boss Muir