The public ledger. [volume] (Maysville, Ky.) 1913-1968, 1920-08-31
oooSSS00S G G G G G
e. UNCLE TED'S BEDTIME q
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For President.

uncle Ted said Jack as they iei'
the dinner table, mother says she
will be able to vote for Warren u
Harding for President just like DADDY
and she said that you might tell us
story about how it happens she can
vote"
eyes. Jack" replied his Uncle, II
looks as though the women OF the
limited States would be able to vote
this wear unless those opposed to 1t Ill
Tennessee. the last state to ratliV
should succeed in winning SUIT Ill
court. These people claim that the
Tennessee House of Representatives
was not constitutionally organized
when they voted on the suffrage ques-
ton. But that is detail. The fact re-
mains that Tennessee was the last
state to ratify, that is, 1t was the thir-
ty-sith one to vote in favor OF giving
the women of the country the same
rights as the men. In order to give the
women this right of suffrage, as 1t Is
called. the Constitution of the uhlteu
States had to be amended and In or
der to amend the Constitution the
amendment had to be passed by the
Congress of the United States ana rat
flied by thirty-six of the forty-eish'
states.
"In the first place, leet me tell you
that it was a Republican Congress tha'
took the first essential action. In 1919
when both Houses of Congress were
Democratic, the resolution to submit
the eoual suffrage amendment was de-
feated. In 1919, when both Houses oi
Congress were Republican, the reso-
luton was adopted. BY far the greater
part of the support for the resolution
came from Republicans and the great
err part of the opposition game from
Democrats. The Democrats are silent
about that part of the proceedings ana
center all their claims on the fact that
the last state to ratify was Democratic
Tennessee is located in what Is
known in politics as the Solid South
Tennessee nearly always votes Demo-
cratic and everyone admits that II is
III. aNyn
a Democratic state. After thlrty-nVe
states had ratified the amendment ana
only one more state was needed, the
Democrats made every effort to have
the thirty-sixth state Democrats. Al
ter the ratification by Tennessee the
Democratic leaders came out with
statements and claims that because the
final state necessary to ratify the
amendment was Democratic their
party should receive all the credit"
'sBut how about the other statesT
asked Jack.
II was just coming to that. The first
state to ratify was Wisconsin. This
was Republican victory and the vote
was cast on June 10 1919. Out of the
thirty-six state legislatures which rati-
fed the amendment twenty-six were
Republican, and in only seven where
the Democrats had entire control OF
both houses Of legislature was the
suffrage amendment ratified. In three
others, one house of the legislature
was controlled BIZ Republicans ond the
other by Democrats Republicans sup
piled twenty-six and Democrats only
seven of the ratifying states.
"Up to this time nine state have re-
fused, either in one way or another, to
ratify the amendment. Out of these
nine, eight are Democratic states. In
fact, Tennessee and Arkansas are the
only states located in the Solid South
to agree to ratification"
"You said that eight Democratic
states refused to agree to suffrage,
said Jack. How many Republican
states refused?"
"Only one Republican state legisla-
ture, that Of Delamare,r refuse to rat
ify," answered Uncle Ted, "as CON-
pared with the eight Democratic
states. These Democratic states are
Alabama, Georgia, Mississippi, South
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