The Idaho Republican. [volume] (Blackfoot, Idaho) 1904-1932, 1920-11-22
PLACING PRINCIPLE ABOVE
PERSONALITY

Now that the first national cleo
ton has been held with women suf-
frage in operation, it has been
proved that the women vote about
as the men do, Not that the wives
vote the way their husbands and
brothers do, but that the mass of the
women vote in about the way that
the mass of the men vote 1t has
been shown also that women have
used the ballot we'll and in keeping
with those basic principles in politics
that people SO often lose sight of.
Here are some examples shown
that women rise above petty person.
alities in their use of the ballot for
national good.
In several states in the union, not
ably in New York, New Hampshire
and Connecticut were United. States
senators who opposed woman suf-
frage. When the women were given
the ballot in those states, and these
same men were candidates for re-
election to the senate, the supposi-
ton was that the women would be
petty in their politics and vote
against those men to retire them
from the public service in resentment
for opposing woman suffrage But
they did mot do lit; they reelected
them, supposedly because they were
Republicans, because they were op-
! posed to the league of nations and
because they Were in favor of Repub-
lican principles and high tariff.
Those United States senators were
in favor of the things the majority
of those women wanted for the pro-
lection and preservation of their
homes, and as an incident they were
opposed to woman suffrage. The
women had won, the senators We're
defeated on that particular question
and the women helped return them
to the senate where it was known
they could be depended upon to bat
tie for these other things which the
women wanted.
In Idaho there has been q good
deal of petty politics. Voters of both
sexes have vented a good many per-
sOnal spites at the polls Men and |
women have both voted against can
didates because of some petty per-
sonal differences. Public speakers |
and members Of the press have |
played up these petty matters for the
purpose of defeating certain candi- |
dates. Some candidates have been |
elected merely on personality or be- J
cause they were poor or Because they |
were in need of a job Men have !
been elected to the legislature Just |
because they were good loafers and |
poor workers.: men have been elected
to various positions in the iudici-
airy just because they were not able
to make living at something else
and without regard to their qualifica-
ton to sit in Judgment In the con-
sideratiOn of these broad principles
we have case brought home to us
in Bingham county. A man who was
once member of the state legisla-
ture and who gave offense to the
women of the state, going on record
as making some unfortunate express
sion, possibly made in a moment of
anger, has been repeatedly beaten in
the race for office by his enemies
holding up those things to the mem
DRY of the voters.
These things are petty and people
are petty when they use them. 1t
will come home to us as surely as
we exercise those petty faculties.
We, in Idaho, including the poll
ticians, the speakers and the men,
bers of the press would do well to
consider these things and keep above
the things that are petty in politics