The Semi-weekly leader., 1921-12-03
SAY WOMEN WANT NO
SPECIAL PRIVILEGES
State President of League of
Women Voters Issues
Statement.

Swan Lake, MISS, Nov. %, 1921
The Mississippi League of Women
Votes adopted unanimously the fol-
lowing resolution at Hattiesburg
Convention
Whereas, agitation is being made
of the question of repeal of the state
statute fixing a poll tax on women
by making their qualification identi-
cal with those of men,
And Whereas, 1t is both contrary
to the principle of the advocates of
equal rights for women to ask spe-
cial privilege or exemptions and to
the best interest of the state at large,
Therefore, Be it resolved that we,
the Mississippi League of Women
Voters in Convention assembled, do
oppose such action, and that state
ment to that effect be given to the
press.
There was no doubt in their minds
about the justice of making the same
requirements of the voters of both
sexes They wanted that and moth
ing more. They neither desired nor
requested a special privilege in con-
nection with their vote.
The specific law that the women of
Mississippi asked at the hands of the
Legislature of 1920, was that "The
right to vote shall not be denied or
abridged by the United States or by
any State on account of SEX" The
other suffrage bills introduced were
framed and introduced without the
knowledge of the women working for
equal suffrage. One of the suffrage
bills introduced by some member OF
the House would have given the fran
chise to all women excepting those
that were immoral, but this involv-
ed not a special privilege for wo.
men voters, but a special restriction
upon them, since morality is not, at
present, a requirement of men voters
My personal opinion is that II
would not be wise or expedient tc
exempt women from the payment OF
the poll tax.
In the first place think that wo-
men desire no special political pri-
vileges. If they had felt such a de-
sire would they not have expressed
it at the-Tecent convention of the
League of Women Voters?
In the second place, women's ever
increasing interest in education
makes me sure that women will cheer
fully assume the obligation of pay
ing a poll tax, when once they are
assured that every cent of this tax
goes to the support of the public free
schools.
In the third place, it is my con-
viction that exemption from politi-
cal obligations would be a handicar
to the women that are striving to
be better citizens. We women know
that the strong citizens are the cit
izens that bear the burdens.
That the poll tax exemption for
women would be an open invitation
to the negro women of the state to
vote is probably true to a certain de-
gree. 1 believe that comparatively
few negro women want to vote, and
yet anything that encourages any
number of negroes to vote is de-
plorable in as much as it "tends tc
arrest the growth of kindly feeling
between the races"
For these reasons, speaking fol
myself only, I earnestly hope that
women will not be exempted from
the payment of the poll tax.
At the same time, I should like
to say that l have no reason for at
tributing unworthy motives to Gov
ernor Russell in his efforts to secure
a special political privilege for the
woman voters. When he champion
ed the Suffrage Cause, the women
did not impugn his honesty of pur-
pose. Neither should they do so now
without convincing evidence. 1t is
the policy of the League to support
or condemn measures and not men.
1t is also the policy of the League
to further any effort in the right di-
rection regardless of the faction ini-
tiating it.
Mrs. B. F. Saunders,
Pres. Miss. League Women Voters