Smyrna times., 1924-09-03
WOMEN WHO KEEP FROM POLLS
URGED TO VOTE THIS YEAR
NATIONAL LEAGUE OF WOMEN
VOTERS IN ACTIVE CAMPAIGN
Some Women Have Many and Mar
velOus Excuses But They Are Be-
ing Told Importance of Voting

today than that of what the women
will do in the coming campaign. The
most startling fact confronting this
country today is that the majority of
American citizens of 21 years Of age
and over do not vote.
BRAND once remarked in the Cham
Der of Deputies in the French Parlia-
ment: "The woman who lives in the |
household beside man, should also |
live his political life with him." This |
is an axiom of which the American |
woman must herself be convinced. !
The sooner she becomes convinced of
this situation the sooner American
politics will be taken out of the hands
of the machine and the ward heeler
and put into the hands and hearts of
the rank and file of the people.
Statistics tell US that not half the
voters voted in 1920. Will that same
number vote again in 1924 or will the
women, who taught it a novelty and
voted for the fun of it, stay at home
this November and reduce even this
small percentage. There is some dis
agreement over the exact per cent,
but the highest ratio to be found in
any table was 40 per cent. This means
that 81 per cent of the electors of this
great republic, for which your fore
fathers and mine fought and died,
stayed at home and never went near
the polls.
The National League of Women
Voters is working on a "get out the
vote program" for both sexes. They
have taken upon themselves the
gigantic task of seeing that every
man and woman voter goes out to the
polls on election day and casts his or
her ballot to the best of their ability.
The League is absolutely nOn-partisan
and bipartisan, and cares not whether
you vote the Democratic ticket, the
Republican or the Socialist ticket. But
vote you must or have some very
valid excuse to give as to why you did
not.
What a disgraceful thing it is, that
it be necessary in this great, rich and
luxurious land of ours that people
must be urged to be self-respecting
citizens, must be coaxed to be 100 pei
cent Americans. The workers of the
j. great parties tell with amusement a
}. times the absurd and ridiculous eX
}. cuses that are given them when the!
!. call to request" the voter to come t.
!. the polls. The women smile and an
: swer sweetly: 81 can't come, my hus
{ band doesn't like me to vote" or Ito
Z day is cleaning day and l can't put ]
: aside to vote, oh no." and again: "Oh
!. am not dressed to go out"
: The men are no less guilty when
comes to silly excuses, for they like
wise tell the runner" whats tn
use of my voting it's all cut and drie
anyway?" and "I've got to meet
man on some business" or perhap
E 81 forgot to get registered" An
these lame excuses come from the IN
telligent citizen not from the illitel
ate voter, whom the ward leade
walks up to the polls, on the day c
the primary, marked ballot in han
and votes.
Men and women regard their frar
chise casually, and since men hav
been voting $50 years, this fact
p more appealing in their case than
re the case Of the women. 1t is trut
u that the political boss under the Ia
Ell conditions of the present day finds
n necessary to poll only an average
Id 65 votes in each voting precinct in O
IN der that he many gain control of tn;
precinct, and later the ward, the cou
tv, the state and finally the natio
l. Those who stay at home on electiC
day are the kickers who sit idly |
~ and critic and knock but they dor
go out to vote.
~ Conditions Here in Delaware
" Do YOU realize that in this lit
or state of ours with total voting pO
ulation of 136,521, that Al, SOP did n
vote in 1920? Those that did vO
total 94,919, while 1884 stayed
home, and 1928 did not qualify
, vote. Delaware men and won
] should bow their heads in shame
:. these numbers. What a precept to
o'' for the coming generation. What
record to hand down to Delawar
children of the next decade.
If these same people who stayed
home were to have a king sudde1
set to rule over them, they would !
- like a mighty army to protest and
in place Of king, who would m
likely have ability, education and
fnement, they have the political n
who is uneducated many times,
couth and unrefned.
The women are still novices at
game, but they are alive to the sit
ton and are busy working to con
5Oc it. The result Of the next election
show that they are making their
inroad in the question. In Kentu
they have instigated and are gi'
citizenship talks in the schools
registration day is made into a
Del day and every one that register