The Rock Island Argus and daily union. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1920-1923, 1921-03-09
New York City. March

women q political menace!
This il the latest grave and i'm
portant question to be thrust upon
the unsuspecting nation By the gov
ernor Of New York. Governor Mil
Ter not only thinks they are; he has
had the rare courage to tell them
so. His recent charge to that ef-
feet was leveled specifically at the
New York State League of Women
Voters. but, inasmuch as there is q
similar feminine organization in
every state. The has succeeded in
placing about two million women
voters ON the defensive.
The menacing thing about the
women, in the opinion Of the gov
ernor and other male political lead
ers. is that they insist upon main
tanning these independent, nom
partisan, feminine leagues az po-
litical instruments, instead Of cast.
ing their individual lots with the
two great American political par
ties. In other words, they are
working for the things they want
as sex rather than as individuals.
The League of Women Voters re-
plies to this that it is the only way
| they can make their votes count.
So far the ballot has awaited the
women nothing. Woman suffrage
i, today is, as Gilbert Keith Chester
ton quantity puts it "a legal fic-
tion."~ Women are affiliated in
fairly large numbers with both the
Democratic and Republican par
ties, but they have, as vet. absolute
ly no party power. That may be
developed, in time, but meanwhile
they think some means must be
used to achieve women's rights.
| The long fight for suffrage
taught the women the value Of a
non-partisan organization. For
years individual women worked
for suffrage through the two politi-
cal parties without making the
slightest impression. They might
have been SO working yet had the
Prohibitionists not come along and
shown them a better expedient.
The Prohibitionists thrust the 18th
amendment through congress by
organizing large and powerful non
partisan political forces in every
state. When political candidate
announced himself in favor of pro-
hibition, they helped to elect him.
and when he declared himself
against it, they helped to defeat
him. The mans party did not
count; he alone was held respon-
sible.
After watching the efficiency Of
this method for short time, the
women decided to initiate it. They
too, built up powerful organizations
in each state, and thus suffrage
was forced into the constitution
only a trifle behind prohibition.
The Trouble Has Just Begun.
But having gained the ballot, the
women realized that their fight for
women's rights was still in its in
fancy, and they were unwilling to
demobilize an organization which
had proved SO valuable an aid to
victory. In every state, therefore
the women's suffrage association
was merely changed into the state
league Of women voters, and the
national association became the
National League of Women Voters
retaining a headquarters in Wash
ington.
The league represents the con-
sentative wing of woman suffrage
1t has no connection with the Ma.
tional Woman's Party, containing
the more radical feminists, which
recently held its convention in
Washington. But both organiza
tons are working for the same
things.
What are these things these so
called women's rights-which a:
yet have not been taken up by the
Republican and Democratic par
ties? Equal opportunity with men
the protection Of children, and tn,
promotion of education are tn,
principal ones. The women arr
solidly behind such legislation a:
the Sheppard-Tower (maternity ant
infancy bill, now before the United