Every evening, Wilmington daily commercial., 1920-03-20

whether It shall be imposed on the State |
of Delaware without giving the people n !
chance to speak for themselves. He |
said that the will of the people must be |
consulted and that the effort being made |
to steam roller the amendment through |
the Legislature was thing that should |
not be permitted. He protested such |
action bv asking the question if it was |
fair to make such q decision without con- I,
sultinp the wishes of the people.
eff the people of Delaware have a fair
chance TO vote on suffrage" continued the |
jurist" and they ratify the amendment, |
so be il. bow TO the will of the people.
But il the people of Delaware arc not |
ready TO ratify it, then want an oppor-
tunity for them TO say so.
"One of the beautiful things abont our
federation of States is that experiments
can be made by one State while other
succeeds and fails
"AIl we ask of the Legislature, is not
whether it is for or against the amendment
but 10 let us have fair opportunity to
find out the will of the people.
LEGISLATURES NOT INSTRUCTED BY pEorI4E
This Legislature has received no man
date on the question OF suffrage. Ii has
no right TO express an opinion on the
subject that would bring results on the
pcople such as may follow. Our friends,
the suffragists can wait little while longer
for their emancipation.
The Judge closed his remarks by paying
tribute to the late Thomas +. Bayard
who in remarking once on the value oi
conviction and not being ashamed to
/ stand by that principle said there was
| certain satisfaction when a man has an
| honest convection and adheres 20 1t and
not to surrender in the faces OF numbers.
| The Judge asked that the women of the
| State be given an opportunity as well AS
| the men TO decide whether they wanted
| the ballot
,Iudge GRAY was gwen = warm greeting
I when he arose to speak, the audience
honoring him by rising
/ CONDEMNS METHOD or GETTING BALLOT
HERE.
Following his address the judge intro
| ducc Miss Mary c. kilbreth of New
| York City. the national leader OF the
anti's. Miss kilbretn said IN part:
',On this question of Federal amend
| ment we appeal both 10 suffragists and
anti-suffragists. There are two ways OF
getting nearly anything, an honest way
and dishonest way. Woman suffrage
| bv Federal amendment Is the dishonest
way. II is robbery of the most funda-
4
each State 10 say who shall govern them.
When holIsebreaker or burglar wants TO
rob ne first tries to chloroforIn OF sandbag
the people in the house, and that Is the
/ wav the national chaIrrnen are trying 70
Cpt the Federal woman suffrage amend
mert through the State Legislatures,
/ while the people Of the State who own the
sole right to decide this question are being
misrepresented, dIsfIanchised and poiltl-
cally sandbagged into helplessness.
There is not State Constitution IN
America that can be amended without
the consent of the people There Is not
a State Constitution winch permits
Legislature to change the qualifications
for voting, without first getting the con-
sent Of the people
| EVERY Supreme court decision on tins
subject has held that the people alone have
the right TO decide who among them shall
vote In Delaware, you have very good
and practical referendum of an indirect
sort. Your constitution declares that
onlv males may vote, and TO change your
constitution TO let women vote-to 40 the
thing in an honest way-would require
two-thirds vote IN two successive
Legislatures, with a provision that the
electors be warned IN time TO choose the
second Legislature so that the will of the
do you think it is fair or honest for
the Legislature of Nevada or Arizona to
saw who shall vote in the city OF Whining
ton. when your State constitution say
that IL takes a two-thirds vote In two
successive Delaware Legislatures to decide
that question?
''Tbe slffragists who favor the Federal
smendment-an there are many honest
snffragists. especially IN the South, who
oppose IL as vigorously as we do-are
irving TO use the Constitution OF the
United States to destroy the CONSTITUTIONS
of the States. Unfortunately the Consti-
tuition Of the United States, like many
other excellent instruments, can be used
in a dishonest manner, never intended
by its trainers, but We arc determined
that our great Federal Constitution shall
not be used as skeleton key 10 break into
the Constitution of the States and rob
the people Of their most important right,
and we ask all honest suffragsts 20 stand
with lis in that determination.
"Our opponents say that they have
nearly succeeded in their attempts to
rob the people of EACH State of this ftmda-
mental right, but the fact of the matter
is that many Of their ratihcatlms are
already tottering They say they arc
counting on Delaware's representatives. TO
| nGiD tncIl DuJ we are COiif tAtCI tildb tii'
legislature of Delaware will never consent
10 betrsy the people and the Constitution
Of Delaware, nor to abuse the Constltu-
: tion Of the United States
PROTESTS FORCING SUFFRAGE ON MARY
LAND.
/ That the people of Delaware have not
the right to force suffrage on the people OF
Maryland, was the plea that William l..
. Marbury, attorney of Baltimore made TO
the meeting Mr. Marbury who was one
of the faithful officers in Maryland during
the Cleveland regime said he came not as
j a paid speaker or lobbyist, but to repre-
sent the women of Maryland who are
opposed to suffrage.
1--WE would not dream of offering opin-
ions to Delaware" said MIR. Marbury
''as to what they shall do about things
that pertain solely to themselves. But
what we do contend is that we have the
right to debate, whether Delaware vii
force suffrage on the people OF Maryland
We have been sister States even since the
! Revolution. Our men and the Blue
] Hens Chicks fought together in the reyo
! lutionary period. Your statesmen like
! Mr.. Bayard who has been referred 10 by
Judge Gray is the pride of Maryland a.
well as Of your own people. We are o.
the same breed d--uncontaminated by tht
/, | wild hordcs Of Europe.
c The question before the people O