Evening star., 1924-09-02
Will Texas Have a
Woman Governor?

Texas seems likely to have WON
an governor A new step has been
taken in the emancipation of woman
hood. The family name of Ferguson
has been vindicated in the largest
State. And the open season for the
ku klux Khan a political force in
Texas closed, at least temporarily, on
August 2S. Thus the press comments
on the consequences of a primary
which placed wife in nomination
for the Office her husband lost
Mrs. Miriam A. Ferguson, a plain
and homelike and also spirited
woman Of Texas who has won the
nomination for governor of that
State. centers gloriously the attention
of the country today" rejoices the
Boston Evening Transcript, and
moreover" as the Dayton Daily
News points out, 1.-The plane on which
she conducts her campaign illustrates
point about political principles
| which cannot possibly be overlook ed
or buried as the Nation analyzes the
| triumph and seeks to understand how
| it was possible for woman to ac-
| complish so much in a field which
we used to think was the unchal-
II.
Particularly loud in their appaluse
of the nomination of Mrs. Miriam A.
Ferguson of Temple, Tex, as Demo-
cratic candidate for governor-a
designation which has heretofore as
sured election-are the papers of the
State most concerned. The Dallas
Journal. for instance, is sure that
the nominee will fully justify the
confidence the voting majority has
rpnOSa6 n har hat Il
istration will establish a new high
record of achievement in the States
history" And, as the Amarillo Globe
continues, there is no question but
that her influence will be for good
for she ''is fine type of woman, and
she should be and must be given a
full opportunity of giving Texas a
business administration AS the
Houston Chronicle sees it, her nomi-
nation has helped serve the Klan
with notice that it is an undesirable
citizen
There are many phases to MA"
Ferguson's triumph, but as the Pitts
burgh Gazette Times says. from
every angle, 1T looms large" for
hers is the distinction of being the
first of her sex to receive such an
honor" although still more impor-
tant is the acknowledgment by Texans
that woman is qualified to be trusted
with the responsibilities Of executive
posts OF magnitude" And this all
maintains, that the notion that
women have not time for politics is
fantastic" since 'they are finding the
time. as Mrs. Ferguson has found it,
exactly as men have found the time
to do what they were interested to
do"
Before the campaign began, Mrs.
Ferguson announced that her main
aim was to vindfcate her husband,
James Ferguson, a former governor
who had been impeached. THE nov
city of the little woman in politics.
out to remove the stigma from the
Ferguson name, caught the imagina-
tfon of the oil driller. onion grower,
cow hand and the more metropolitan
Texas areas" the Philadelphia Public
Ledger explains. Her nomination,
the Albany Evening News believes.
was due to an impulse and a
slogan" and "all the chivalry of
Texas: all the sentiment attendant
upon the vindication of a presumably
wronged public ofYicial; all the i'm
patience of Texans with Klan rule,
moved to nominate her" Recalling
Mrs. Ferguson, the woman, the Illi-
nois State Joulnal points out, until
this time she had been a quiet. un-
assuming person, taking no part in
social, business Or political affairs.
but confining herself to her children
and to her home"
u X
But here the critics take the field.
"The nomination of Mrs. Ferguson Is
vindication Of her husband" the
Minneapolis Morning Tribune admits.
But II the Ferguson family posse esses
the requisite executive abilities to
conduct the affairs OF Texas, that is
Texas good luck and not tho result
OF the political .intelligence Of the
Lone Star 0eAte. IT. Herguson was