Every evening, Wilmington daily commercial., 1920-05-06

| from the States any one of their func-
tions essential to their separate and inde"
| pendent existence as States.
Surely the right of State to determine
for itself, by the vote of its own people,
who shall vote at its own State, county
and municipal elections is one oil those
| functions.
When we surrender to any outside
power the right to say who shall vote
at our State elections we surrender the
| right To determine who shall govern the
State, and without the right OF local
sclf-government we cease to- be State
and become a mere province, with lar
less power to determine our destiny than
| we had prior to the American Revolution
under the charter granted by the British
| crown.
Resolved, further, That the Legislature
| of Delaware could not exercise the power
TO ratify this so-called Nineteenth Amend
ment. conferred upon it or supposed to
| be conferred upon it by the Fifth Article
of the Constitution of the United States,
without violating in most fragrant fashion
| the Constitution of our own state.
The Consti tuition OF Delaware limits
the right of suffrage TO men. The people
of Delaware have not conferred upon their
| LEGISLATURE any right to amend the Con-
Sttulion Ny cAtehuhs ''N ~
| women.
Vet this proposed Nineteenth Amend
ment to the Federal Constitution, II
! adopted and held valid, would in effect
amend the Constitution OF the state
of Delaware in this. respect and establish
woman suffrage in this State without the
consent and, IL may be. contrary to the
wishes of n majority of both the men and
women of Delaware
We conceive that the members OF
| this Legislature would be false to their
duty to their own people. if not to their
official oaths, if they should vote to ratify
the proposed amendment therefore DC IT
further
Resolved. That the Legislature OF this
State hereby rejects the SAID Nineteenth
Article, proposed as an amendment
10 the Constitution of the United States,
and on the behalf Of the State OF Del
aware refuses to ratify the same.
| Resolved further, That We solemnIy
protest to the Legislatures of those
States who have heretofore voted e
ratfy such amendment, against then
action. in thus seeking to force this smeasurt
upon our people without their consent
and we earnestly appeal to the Legislature
Of those States who have not as yet ratlhcc
il not To do So and be IT further
Resolved. That the governor he re-
quested to forward n copy of the torogolnf
preamble and resolutions, duly atteStcd
TO the Secretary of State for the Onltec
States, our Representative and Senator
in Congress. to the governors Of each @
the States and to the presiding officers
of each house of the Legislatures thereof
Bv a vote Of IS TO 4, with Senators
Gormlev Hollett. Latta and Murphy voting
atfirmativelv, the Senate defeated amend
mcnta which were presented by Senate
Gormley. providing that before th'
ratifving resolution shall take effect ref
crendum vote shall he taken at th'
next general election in every election
district within the State on the question
az whether Delaware shall ratify said
constitutional amendment or not.
SENATOR GoRMLEY's PROTEST.
While tho resolution was pending
Senator Gor1nely made a vigorous protes
against what he considered an illega
proceeding In view Of the effort nov
being made 10 amend the Federal Con
stitution so as to extend tho so-calleC
right of equal suffrage, without due re
gard for the right of tho voters Of thu
! State to directly determine the question
: for themselves, as ono Of local self-govern
; ment. or the women Of voting age 10 pas
upon if. he said. its consideration hal
: become general and now involves th'
1 additional question Of the right Of one Stat
; | To force another upon another state some
thing it docs not want which in prinoiplt
) is contrary 10 tho general object anC
scheme Of our democracy.
(; 4 leading question presented is
! shall we adhere to the strong and trieC
! fundamental principles Of our govern
$ ment, as organized and established, O
! shall we abandon them ant adopt extrem'
; and dangerous views Of a capricious natur,
tending to disintegration and weakness
!, In short. shall wc-change the ultimat,
strength and security of our government
e from man-powcr TO onC-half woman
: power and hereafter risk one-han of
on b class and sex the womanl 0wlnl
no political or military responsibiht,
d which they can be compelled through
conscriptive service TO enforce? DO w
: care to take that risk?
n II Is not question OF hethcr woTnal
= Is inferior to man intellectually that
TO be determined, but the fundamenta
!, question 70 be settled Is the proper inter
probation OF our political form of govern
: Inent as now constituted and apply til
! relation OF man and woman to il.
"There is no intention To create a
). this time sex prejudice. nor to deal wit
: sucn questions as additional cost of goy
> ernment, which It's adoption viii fix upo
!. the tax payers. nor the increase Of th
Y divorce evil, social welfare laws industris
conditions and equal pay. prohibition
, socialism. femlnisin, economic lndt
pendence. or similar subjects, they beln
g treated for the present as only incidental
: involved and are eliminated from viev
When stripped Of irrelevant sid
=. issues calculated to mlslead the mnn'
IS the basic question ISIS woman suffrag
u Fundamentally wrong when viewed frol
{. a political and military standpoint
e This question involves no new di
I c1ission. II was threshed out in ii
y earlier days decided 70 be unw-ise an
rejected.
y The second paragraph of the Deelari
:, ton of Independence, Ia part. declare
i I'VE hold these truths to Toe self-eyldei
l. that all men are created equal: that the
q are endowed by their Creator with certaI
u unalienable rights: that among the
T. are life. liberty. property and pursuit
happiness: that TO secure these rlgh
- governments are instituted among me
deriving their just powers from the col
n sent Of the governed
= "The question of male suffrage hi
already been decided by men Tho
to be effected by the suffrage amendmel
are the women Of voting age. whose co
sent is not being asked. nor are tho
being consulted as to whether or not ths
- cara m as4rp,p and nprfOrrn fho addition