The news scimitar. (Memphis, Tenn.) 1907-1926, 1920-02-05

| WASHINGTON, Feb You can
take man out and buy him cigar,
and find out how hell vote" complains
a politician. but when 1t zones 10 a
woman, what can you do3'
| Catalogmng the woman vote Is the de-
| SPAR. not only Of this political seeker
! Of advance information. but Of polttl-
| clans all over the country. All past at
| temptE 10 classify the woWrn's votes
have failed. Women have chang their
| minds after being supposedly won ever
/ by one party Others have remained
| noncommtial 10 a degree altogether cX-
| RspcratinE TO politicians interested In
| their welfare and their votes. So I'M
| certain Is the trend OF the womens
| vote that the parties begin 20 think that
| they viii have to play up to the women
| and then wait unity the votes are count
ed TO see the result.
| The anxiety Of the parties Is readily
understood when you consider that some
| II 600 0bO women now have the right
| OF presidential suffrage-that Is four
! times as many as the American expo
| dictionary force And these 100000
women may turn Texas Republican,
| Massachusetts Democratic, apd the hair
| Of ali political bosses white by Novem-
Der. For the women refuse to be
| hCssed
| Bribery as an aid 10 obtaining a wom-
ans vote has proved Ia be boomerang
| that knocks the candidates prospects
| flat, so far as that woman and all her
friends and all their friends are CON
| cerned The vote il a sacred institH-
| ton, she Indignantly tells the would
be hriber This sentiment attached 10
so mattcr-o OF fact and earthly an insu-
tuition as the voting privilege. may seem
a trifle top-heavy Nevertheless, when
a creed OF this sort becomes the slogan
of several million women II is bound
1 -, huN Affnaf Tho pffgrf mol
itics, so far, women politicians state,
has been n higher caliber OF candidates
| for office.
Comforting political favors also fails
| to influence women voters, as SHOWN IN
every election In which they have par
ticipated In Norway, progressiVes IA
mented the fact that they we're the
main advocates Of suffrage. and then
when the women got the vote they used
II to put the progresslves out OF power
by voting for conservative candidates,
Similar instances have occurred in
this country where women have poem
appointed TO committees and offices,
with the mistaken idea that their votes
and those OF their friends and followers
would thereby be assured for a certain
candidate.
A large percentage Of women, It Is
generally conceded, take the matter
OF voting seriously. Many Of them are
unused to political machinery, and many
are not well posted on affairs OF state,
but they are resolved not 10 go to the
ballot box without first finding out eN-
actly what 1t Is all about. TINS. ac-
cording to womens committees OF DEM
ocratic or Republican parties, Is the
attitude OF women In general toward the
coming election.
These committees laugh at the sug-
gestion that the women's vote viii
merely double the mems.
Some women have fulfilled the pre-
diction that women would vote IKE
their husbands" they tell you, but far
more have voted according to their own
Ideas" This was illustrated in New
York recently, when for the first time
that state elected Republican candidates
for office with the women voting.
& Is not always possible TO gauge the
effect Of women voters on n state cleo
ton, as ordinarily their ballots are the
| same as those Of the men, But in cases
| where one party has dominated for
years, and suddenly another party
comes into power with women Young,
there Is no difficulty in locating the
cause, In Illinois. women's ballots have
in some elections been marked so that
the effect Of their votes could be
studied.
whichever way the majority Of wom-
en- may vote, women are taking prom
inent part In both parties in staging
the election The womcn's Republican
committee boasts OF the fact that on
the day after South Dakota ratified the
suffrage amendment the Republican state
committee convened and named Mrs
John Pyle for presidential elector Two
women have already been elected to the
Republican convention. and others are
expected TO be added
In the Democratic camp the WON
ems division Of the national committee
claims that women are to be put up
side by side with men as delegates to
the convention and to serve on com
mittees as electors Two women, they
state. arc now serving on the commit
tee to arrange for the Democratic con-
vention.
II Is too early, of course. for either
party to indicate its principles for the
coming year, but suggestions as to pos
sble planks In the platforms are already
| circulating. The Republican women''