Atlanta tri-weekly journal. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1920-19??, 1924-10-07
THE COUNTRY HOME
BY MRS. w. H. FELTON,
MRS FERGUSON GETS ANOTHER VIC
TORY

MA Ferguson" is a legal candidate
A for the office Of governor. l feel like
sending the good woman line OF congratu-|
lation because she is a woman. The Tins
to stop her should have been earlier, if at
all. She was a. candidate for a number of
weeks before the gubernatorial primary was
held. She was, it seems, free to announce
and free to seek votes, so long as she was
not free to be elected by the Texas Democ- 4
racy in their opinion. For one, | UNDER
stand that there has been a surfelt of what
we might call zip service in the advocacy
of franchise rights for women IN the United
States. 81
This so-caled lip service is what used h5
be censured in religious matters. When the
men Of the United States Cor a sufficient
number of them) voted for woman suf-
frage, perhaps the idea prevailed among
the<n mascuines that the women thus en-
franchised would be so uproariously grateful
for the ballot privilege that they would give
their liege lords and masters all the public
Offices they asked for and the double vote
(women well as mem would simply
'sweep the state" etc, etc.
But the suffrage amendment in its brevtS
ty, gives the right Of suffrage to both sexes,
without discrimination or previous dsquall-
fcation. I am not taking sides in this re-
view of this case, but the Supreme court
will give Mrs Ferguson the right of way
because the nineteenth amendment says
women are equal with men in the franchise,
the sex question being obliterated, and both
men and women can vote, also hold office. !.
THE BALLOT PRIVILEGE IN THE UNITE
ED STATES
WYE all understand that any citizen of
wv the United States Of legal age, who
has not been disqualified as a con-
victed criminal and who is not insane, has
the privilege to put vote in an 1Gnestly- .
conducted ballot box and that vote .DNRlla "
counted, so says the law. When The Civil 4
war closed there were some millions Of COLI
ored people in the Southern States who had
been emancipated from slavery. The north
ern politicians were in favor Of giving the
eX-slayes some participation in selecting
their representatives. So, the thirteenth,
fourteenth and fifteenth amendments were
added to the Constitution, or highest law Of
this country. The Indians were not given
this ballot privilege. In later years the
Chinese were not reckoned as citizens. The
later exclusion laws were all based on color,
leaving great Indignation in the minds Of
the japanese.
was living when the United States gov
eminent sent a squadron of American naval
vessels to Japan and invited the Japs to
come over and be neighbors.
was here when the Burlingame treaty
with China became established fact,
where we agreed to be good nelghbors- to
/ the Chnks also 1t was long time ago.
All these things, these facts, have come
and have gone but there is one indisputable
fact still with us, namely, these antagonisms
of color are here and still unsettled. In a.
war with Japan (and the Philippines are
convenient to Japan and far away from the
United States) there will be coveted oppor1/
tunity, if Japan inclines, to utilize it, to in
quire, 'Why color?"
Whoever lives to see this color scheme"
| in war will ask why we have been so PEE
culiar in our handling of it. And the Japs
and Chinese will say, why some of us were
called fish and the others fowl?
SOMETIMES EXPLANATION is IMPERA-
TIVE
~HE verses which T clipped from a.
Georgia paper, and which / copy here,
L. are worthy of notice, but not always to
be followed:
Don't Explain
If critics howl and cry,
do not stop to testify,
IT were in vain.
In the vigor of your prime
You can't afford the time
To explain.
Though they do not comprehend,
You will prove it in the end, M
If you stay.
Those who've done the world most good,
Have all been misunderstood
In their day. 3g"
Neither does it pay to pause,
For the multitude's applause
Which is vain
If your cause is in the right
Time will win the honest fight
And explain.
There are crises in almost every human!
experience where those who have
done the world most good are UNI
Justly accused and where explanatory
gives the "other side of the story
in fairness and justice to the people
concerned and information to the genera
public which would otherwise remain unde
an impression unfair to the innocent, thus
accused 1t is often necessary to defend
ones honorable motives even in homes and
communities Mistakes occur, with good in
tentions very often, and while my opinion
NAV be worth very little on this subject.
still hold that explanations are very.
sary when people are unjusty censur
1t goes without saying that pub
are in duty bound to defend their
honor" It belongs to the preservatl41
their own self-respect. We need the sort
courage that will make gentleman defend
his conduct as well his veracity. 1t IS AZ
Door stick that allows himself Tor herseH)
to be called liar or craven and not throw
brick at the assailant Explanation Is not
tho nroDer word in the poetry. defend