The Chickasha daily express. (Chickasha, Indian Territory [Okla.]) 1899-current, 1920-02-23

right of usffrage upon woman is but
10 degrade and debase her, but | deny
any and all such arguments and as
sert them to be both fallacious and
untrue. In the State Of Wyoming suf-
frage has prevailed for almost half
century. deny chat the women are
debased or mannish in Wyoming or
that the men are mollycoddles. III
the neighboring State OF Colorado,
where suffrage has been the accepted
doctrine for many years, it has Meth
cr degraded the women nor feminized
the men, but it has strengthened and
helped both sexes, II is true through
out the IS States that have suffrage.
Applause.
Opponents OF equal suffrage today
shrug Their shoulders and jeer at the
thought Of enfranchisipe 14,000, 600
American women can remember
when the talk OF election OF Senators
by a popular vote brought jeers from
many OF these same sentcmen-- it
brings no jeers today
ject Of rural routes brought icers
through the newspapers OF the coun-
try, brought jeors through the Con
gressional Record, brought jeers from
the members OF Congress brings
no ieegs today ! can remember when
the question Of prohibition brought
ieers like tho rest. it brings no ieers
today. Woman suffrage today and in
this debate has brought ieers from
the opponents but il, like the rest,
row for The enfranchisement and
gentlng influences that come with re.
sponsibility Of l4,000.000 women will
and can not long be the subject of
ieers by thoughtful people anywhere
OF at any time. Applause. 4
We are told today by the opponents
oil suffrage that many women of the
land will not exercise the right 10
vote even if il be given them, and
in that they tell the truth In my own
state some 10000 male voters each
year fail 10 exercise the right Still
mono will be so bold as to say because
Few fail to exercise the right that
it shall even be denied them, much
less The denial OF the right to those
MAZE electors who do desire to vote.
To me there is no answer TO the
question hat if good woman desires
to vote, why should she mot be given
the right to do so? This question has
not been answered in this debate to-
day IT has not been answered in pre-.
ceding debates It will not be an
swered in succeeding debates, for
there is no Just and adequate an
swer TO the question that if good
woman desires the right to vote it
should be given to her. Applause ]
No, Mr. Speaker this question to-
day is a great national issue-one in
yolving the rights of our mothers. our
wives our daughters, our women. 1t
will never be settled until it is set
tied right Most of them have asked
it with upturned face. feeling that it
would benefit them, would help them,
ennoble them, and strengthen them.
1t IS ours 10 give or withhold. For
me and mine, | am in favor OF giving
il to them unsrudgingly. first, because
| believe it is right; second, because
can find no sound or satisfying ar
logic, or reason that would
Justify a course in opposition to il
third. in substance. in truth. and in
fact. the -four great political platforms
of the last election promised equal
suffrage TO women as TO mon True,
they did NOT promise specifically by
his particular avenue Of a consl itu.
ional amendment. but in answering
platforms made in haste | Shall an,
wer to the substance and not 10 the
ietail believing as firmly as that I +
i've That | am doing my duty as a
silizen and as a Congressman. not
,nly 10 womanhood and manhood, but
n mankind. Applause.