Every evening, Wilmington daily commercial., 1920-05-15
SATURDAY, MAY Is. 1920
Evening Yesterday l4ZOS
Real Work for the Legislature.

Real Work for the Legislature.
The special session of the Legislature
will be resumed at Dover, tomorrow
and there will be real work, important
work. for the members to take up for
consideration and action. The commits
sion appointed to consider amendments to
the School Code will make report; the
special committee which conducted an
investigation into conditions at the New
Castle County Workhouse will present its
findings and recommendations; and there
are a few measures Of general legislation
of sufficient Importance to demand at
tention. Here is an inviting field for
Industrious operations.
Unfortunately, however, the disturb
ing element of Equal Suffrage will be
present to distract the minds Of mem
bers and forcibly divert their attention
from the real essentials of the session.
Despite a defeat in the House Of Repre-
sentatives several weeks ago that should
have been accepted at the time as con-
clusive-and seems to be equally con-
elusive at this time-Equal Suffrage ad
vocates will besiege members of the
House who have been against their cause
in the hope Of converting them into
supporters. Why they should think so
meanly of these members Is q mystery
They are intelligent men, who knew what
they were voting on. and who knew that
by voting against ratification OF the
EQUAL Suffrage Amendment to the Fed
aral Constitution they were fully and
honestly representing the sentiment Of
their home people. Yet they arc tor
incnted by frantic and persistent appeals
to stultify themselves by radical re-
versal Of form, with no more reason for
voting differently at this day than was
apparent when the test vote in the House
was taken. Surely. these members
must feel anything but comnlmented at
the low estimate thus placed upon their
integrity and their intelligence by those
who urge them to virtually make them
selves ridiculous snd contemplate in the
eyes of the people.
And at this time there Is another ele-
ment in the suffrage contest. one that Is
even more reprehensible, and also is OF
itself sn evil 1t is the partisan issue that
has been raised over the success Of the
Suffrage Amendment. One faction OF
political party which sought to advance
the amendment for partisan reasons failed
TO command the support OF majority OF
members In the House. Now the other
faction Of the same party has taken uD
the fight, and another Richmond
enters upon the field and endeavors to
snatch victory from defeat, in order TO
gain for his faction the prestige Of success
and leave the opposing faction under the
handicap Of failure And this is the main
element now involved in the disturbing
contest.
Il ought to be plain to all members Of
the Legislature that it is not part Of their
public duty at this time to waste time
and effort in consideration of such de-
basing contest. The test having been
fairly met and the question at issue de-
cided, there seems TO be nothing more for
the Legislature TO do in respect Of the
question of Equal Suffrage unless it be to
provide for its reference to the people at
the general election to be held next No
vember. This is the action that should
have been taken at the outset, and il
would have been the best and most salts
factory method Of disposing of the con-
troversy. The people have right to pass
directly upon a matter Of such great i'm
portance to them.
Also, members Of the Legislature should
realize the undoubted fact that the people
arc very heartily tired of, even disgusted
with, this special session. 1t has proved
nuisance to a considerable
extent. and a very costly one. Thus far
nothing of real benefit to the public has
from it, Let the purpose from
now on be to appropriately dispose Of the
few really important public matters de-
attention, in the shortest time
consistent with intelligent action, and
then bring the costly farce to an end