Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1920-08-19
WOMEN'S VICTORY
UPSETS POLITICAL
PLANS OF PARTIES
Brings Worries to Influential
Leaders, Who Fear Re-
taIiation for Opposition.
ny DAVID LAwRENCE.

BY DAVID LAWRENCE.
Ratification of the nineteenth
amendment to the federal Constitu-
'ion permitting women in all states
OK the Union to vote has unuuestion-
ably upset the calculations of the
republican and democratic managers
OF the presidential campaign. 1t may
mean the entire change of tactics.
Certainly it already has brought wor-
ries that didn't exist last week. One
OF these is the certain punishment
or republican and democratic mem
oers of Congress who showed them
selves unfavorable to suffrage. The
other is the vote of the women on the
tangible or intangible liquor issues
and the various phases of the league
of nations controversy.
Now that the fight is over, 1t is not
preJudicial to say that inside both
the republican and democratic camps
there were influential men who Sc
cretly hoped that the measure would
not triumph. The woman leaders used
TO call these persons reactionary and
ultra conservative and. however that
may be, it is afact that most of these
same individuals were organisation
politicians and were plainly stumped
by the prospect of organizing the
feminine vote in the wards and pre-
cincts in the short time that lis left
between now and election.
Woman Voters Inaccessible.
Nothing worries a political leader
so much as inability to vote his con-
stituents in groups. or. at least, to
assess definitely the trend of one dis
trict, so he can counterbalance losses
in another. But the women have all
ways proved themselves inaccessible.
They are hard to organize in the po-
litical sense. and insist upon a GER
tradition and partisanship. While
many a man has been a lifelong re-
publican or democrat and hesitates
to change his allegiance. there has
been built up no such featy on
the part of the women: They are
didate and the parties on their merits.
And, while it is perhaps strifie
extreme to use the term punish
ment" as applied to the intention
OF the woman voters with respect to
certain United States senator's who
have done all in their power to block
suffrage. the woman leaders believe
the activity of these men was a
true test of their progressive or re-
dictionary character, and that the ones
who opposed suffrage were, with
rare exceptions, similarly lined up
a
or humanitarian character They will,
therefore. use mans suffrage rec
ord as an index of his value to the
community and fight him regardless
of party.
Harding After Both Factions.
There is already good deal of
talk about the giving of credit for
the winning of Tennessee. 1t is a
nd
leaders do not attach much impor-
tance to that kind Of thing. They
don't believe the women will vote as
a matter of gratitude, but as mat
ter OF principle. Although Tennessee
Is q democratic state and the demo-
! southern state did the trick. the
woman leaders know full we'll that
they never could have gotten suf-
frage as far as Tennessee's crucial
vote without the constant support of
progressive republicans. both in Con-
gress and in state legislatures They
Will tell you that Gov. Cox show ed
himself more sympathetic than SEN
ator Harding. They will even show
you how democratic members in the
tennessee legislature were influenced
by Gov Cox or his personal repre-
sentatlVes and certain woman leaders
stlll show resentment over Senator
Harding's kindly reference to the
anti-suhrage workers in his speech
of acceptance. But shrewd political
managers aren't so sure Senator
Harding didn't play his cards excep-
women who opposed suffrage will
probably use the ballot to uphold
their doctrines and principles just as
much as those who favored suffrage.
In other words, Senator Harding has
gone after the votes of both factions
Co.
support from both. while Gov. Cox has
lined himself up very definitely
against the anti-suffrage vote. 1t
must be remembered, too. that in
many states the anti-suffrage vote is
not altogether feminine and that in
male vote has been almost evenly
divided on the question of permitting
women to vote in state matters.
Prohibition Vital Issue.
1t is too early to determine just
how much effect on the league of
nations controversy the enfranchise-
ment of women will have The
league is popular in the west, where
women have had the right to vote
for years. while in large sections of
the east its purposes have been rep
resented as more likely to entangle the
nation in war than to preserve peace.
Prohibition is much more vital is
sue WIN the women In eastern states
than most people believe. Hitherto
both republicans and democrats in
popuious sections have leaned toward
the wet side of the argument. but the
entrance of the woman vote will tend
to neutralize the stand of candidates
and to range them more and more on
the side of law enforcement without
committing themselves to definite
proposals for modification of the Vol
stead act. Suffrage is a proverbial
party politics, and the one thing the
managers of both parties have to be
thankful for is that it came in Au-
gust, instead of September or October,
so that they have some time at least
In which to reorganize their lines.
C0nrYi1hf 1o00 :.