Watauga Democrat. [volume] (Boone, Watauga County, N.C.) 1888-current, 1920-04-15
VOL. XXI.
The Women viii Vote.

islature, in special session, should
defeat the suffrage amendment,
it would at the same time defeat
the Democratic candidate for
President in the November elec.
tions. If it should ratify the
suffrage amendment it would con
tribute so large an element to
Democratic success as to make
that success virtually assured.
Senator Simmons manifestly so
believes and tacitly advises and
Senator Simmons was so groun-
ded in opposition to woman's en-
trance into politics that his con
science would not permit him to
follow President Wilson on the oc-
casion of the Presidents historic
personal appeal to the Senate to
pass the suffrage bill. The op.
ponents of woman suffrage now
have no ground to stand upon,
and the situation was very clearly
outlined in Senator Simmons ar
gument for submission to the in
evitable. 1t is now resolved into
q matter Of simple justice to the
women of the land. Shall they
be privileged to vote in the No.
vember elections, or shall they
be held off for another year? 1t
Is for North Carolina to say, and
North Carolina can find no rea.
son for delaying the matter. Sen
atOr Simmons has, in effect, ask.
ed the Legislature of his State to
qualify the women for participat-
ion in the November elections.
He holds his own views as to the
wisdom or unwisdom of woman
suffrage in allegiance. 1t is SOLE
ly q matter Of giving them the
ballot now or later on, and one
advantage of immediate action
would be the establishment of
their political affiliations to the
clarification OF the political situa-
ton of the future. He would
have the question adjusted at this
time for the further reason that
the women have particular inter-
est in two great questions, each
of vital, Nationwide import, both
of which in their higher human
aspects, concern the woman more
deeply than The men," which are
involved in this years elections.
It is Senator Simmons obser-
walton that on these particular
questions and affairs the women
would largely sympathize, and
ma nrally so, with the attitude OF
the Democratic party. The in
timation that the Republican lea.
ders fear the effects of woman's
influence at the polls Is not as
strongly expressed as it might
have been and yet kept safely
within bounds. The hand of the
Republicans has been plainly
manifest in the recent baking OF
the suffrage move in States con.
trolled by Republican Legisla
lures or Republican Governors,
This opposition to woman's en-
trance into politicswas developed
after the trend of the woman sym
pathies was becoming so plainly
evident. The bulk of the woman
vote of the Nation would go tt
the party which has been under
the leadership Of Woodrow Will
son. The women of the country
are Wilson sympathizers. They
are with him on the League o
Nations and joining the fortunes
Of the national Democratic part.
they would sweep the country
for the Democratic issues.
The newly enfranchised ele
ment in North Carolina would bt
overwhelmingly Democra t c
The Observer noted a few day
ago that there was somewhat Q
q scramble in some OF the coun
ties by the women for represen
tation in the State Democrat
a Ccnvontion /" and that the WOlno