The Daily Ardmoreite. [volume] (Ardmore, Okla.) 1893-current, 1920-07-11
NIGHT SCHOOL FOR VOTERS

A man remarked a day or so ago that it
would be a good idea for the Democrats of
Carter county to establish a night school for
the women voters of the county and city
that the ignorance of political affairs, mani
tested by the newly enfranchised women, was
little short of appalling.
Perhaps this man is right. Perhaps, also,
he did not go far enough in his statement, but
stopped too soon when he failed to include a
course of instruction for some of the men vot-
ers, should that night school be established,
for some of the men whose ignorance is little
short of criminal.
We are free to acknowledge that many Of
the women of this section do not seem to grasp
the intricacies of the finer intrigues in politics,
and that they are seeking enlightenment from
those who should be willing to give it gladly.
On the other hand, we must acknowledge, also,
that there are several thousand men voters IN
this state, as well as IN many other states, who
would be better qualified to fulfill their duties
as qualified electors were they to take a short
course in political training and learn that the
ballot is more sacred than any mans halter.
Oklahoma women were enfranchised by an
amendment to the state constitution. The
Oklahoma legislature submitted the amend
ment to the voters of the state, all men vot-
ers at that time, and majority, a two-thirds
majority of these men voters believed that the
politics of Oklahoma could be purified and
made better were the women permitted a
voice in political affairs. That is the reason
we have equal suffrage in Oklahoma, today.
When the man from across the seas comes
to America and takes out his naturalization
papers, he becomes a qualified voter endowed
with: power to exercise the right of franchise
given by the Constitution of America In
ninety and nine cases this newly fledged United
States voter is ignorant of the rules and regu-
lations under which elections are conducted.
He must be able to read and write to know
the difference between right and wrong, or
profess to know the difference he must be
able to read the Constitution of the United
States, but not to know that it is the most
sacred American institution; he must swear
fealty to this government, renouncing allegi-
ance to all others, and as soon as these re-
quirements are complied with he is turned
loose qualified voter, qualified to stick his
head in the headstall some waiting politician
has ready and prance up to the polls and say
who and what shall rule, govern and regulate
the county, the state the nation
Such a voter knows little or nothing of the
institutions of this country and, as rule cares
less. He is the easy prey for the designing
politician who came, originally, in many in
stances, from The same country from whence
he migrated to this land of the free He votes
all too Often as ne is told to vote, without seek
ing enlightenment upon the issues which his
ballot helps to decide
He has taken the oath of allegiance he has
read a passage from the American Constitution
he has "kissed the book" and is proud of the
fact that he is fully quaHfed--to do as he is
told
To this class of voter may be added the
native-born who is unimbued with sense Of
right or wrong, the fellow who makes The
ward-heeer and the ward boss possible. II
the ranks of the latter will be found the mora
degenerates and the flotsam and jetsum of tn,
down-and-outs.
Taken collectively these two classes hav'
been most instrumental in causing the poll
ties of this country to tester with corruption
to purify until the maggots of immortality fat
ten therein as in the decayed matter of som
seething cess-pool, and to smell to high heaven
communicating everything with which the
come in touch.
To eliminate all this, to eradicate this eri
the right of equal suffrage was given tn
women of Oklahoma, by the men of the stat
who believed that the inborn purity of woma