Every evening, Wilmington daily commercial., 1920-03-26
SUFFRAGE ARGUED
Continued from page s

upon them. Many influences are at work
TO destroy the influence oi the home. Suf-
frape is a direct blow at the unit Of the
family. which is the sacred unit of society
There are three qualifications. One is its
economic unity: second. political unity
what is good for the husband is good for
the wife. and third, the social devotion of
husband and wife. The suffragists ask
for economic independence. Forty per
cent of college women never marry and
many who do have only opn child. She
attempted to show how the spirit of inde-
pendence is a blow to the race She spoke
Of infant mortality, the result of neglect
by mothers who are emancipated women
You are taking the womanhood of the
greatest country in the world and forcing
them out with the commercial world. If a
man is good enough to marry, work for
you and fight for you, he is good enough to
vote for you.
Speaking on the constitutional phase of
the matter she said we legislate through
delegated power under a constitution
made to protect the integrity of the State.
This, she said, skaters that integrity and
the sovereignty of the State She held
that it would be the use of power to en-
able the minority to force something on
the majority that the majority does not
want. She said she had seen many legis-
lators, but never found such independence
as in Delaware. She said women are salts
fed with the laws made by men; they adj
Inire men for the manner in which they
look after the welfare of women. In New
York some sufragists don't want to serve
on juries, while some do. Most women are
disinclined to serve on iuries considering
certain crimes. She said there are 81
States that have shown that they don't
want suffrage. She said we are facing
crisis when the principles of the Constitu-
tion are ignored. In Delaware, suffrage
has been defeated time and again; now
il is taken out of the hands of the people
and turned over to the Legislature, which
is asked to override the will of the people.
This, she said, threatens the country.
This is no time to try experiments, when
''these radicals are among us, boring from
within" Stick to the old ideas and save
the republic "They say we are fighting
for a lost cause. That is not a fact. We
are fighting for future life. and that is not
a lost cause. We plead with you to take
care of the little children who are coming
after us" 1t would be better for women to
take care of their homes, rather than
parading up and down the avenue of some
crowded city, and some day become police
men" She said history showed the
futility of women and men fighting.
Il have been asked to go to Chicago"
she said land tell them of the manhood of
the Diamonds of Delaware"
Benjamin A. Hazel of Smyrna, a mem
Der of the Democratic State Committee,
called upon by Mrs. Thompson, noted the
fact that in the hall many men were sitting
while many women were standing. That
would not have occurred 40 years ago.
That's what will happen" he said, IF
suffrage wins" He recited a lot of poetry
all along the line of anti-suffrage and most
OF 1t witty.
MRS. RIDGELY REPLIES.
Mrs Carrie Chapman Gait, president
of the National American Equal Suffrage
Association, was called upon for a re-
buttal speech for the suffragists.
The rebuttal was opened by Mrs
Ridgely, who said referendum on suf-
frage would be unconstitutional. There
fore they suggest the doing of an illegal
thing, which the suffragists. being law
abiding people, cannot consent to. The
referendum can be used in Delaware for
only one thing-to decide the liquor ques-
ton. Mrs. Ridgely quoted from the fol-
lowing letter, which is being circulated by
the suffragists:
1t Is entitled referendum IN delaware
Unconstitutional"
1t says: Why waste time discussing a
referendum in Delaware on the Federal
woman suffrage amendment? There is no
good sense or honest purpose in talking
about an impossibility The Delaware
constitution permits only one kind of
referendum and that is on the liquor ques-
tion This has been decided by the highest
court of the State and every lawyer knows
it.
The greatest sons of Delaware and the
greatest Delaware judges have settled the
referendum questi II completely and fin
ally John NJ Clayton and James A.
Bayard I'VE have 20 greater with us
today have said, The people cannot
make law; neitherthe whole people nor
q part of them. All laws must be made by
their representatives in general assembly
met for deliberation, consultation and
judgment: acting under oath, and under
the restrictions of the constitution"
Again they said, THE Legisl turs has no
authority to call the elective iran, sise INTO
action for any purpose not designated bv
the constitution. The General Assembly
Is the depository of legislative power;
which is q trust TO be executed with Judg-
ment and discretion, and cannot be dele
gated to any other body or persons"
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