Evening star., 1926-11-07
Woman Office Holders.

| WUudA VUkCE xAOAuVA0s
| Woman suffrage became nation
wide six years ago. Prior to that a
large number of States already had
gra nted the franchise to their woma n
citizens. Notwithstanding this new
freedom and enfranchisement of the
women. the number of women elected
| to Congress and other high Offices in
Federal and State Governments has
continued surprisingly small. In the
elections Tuesday and the primary
campaigns the woman Governors of
Texas and Wyoming were retired to
private life. A score of women were
candidates for the House. but @nly
| four were elected. The division of the
| House in the Seventieth Congress ac-
cording to SEX will stand four hundred
and thirty-one men and four women
| No woman yet has been elected a
member of the Senate and only one
has been appointed to fill a Senate
| vacancy, and she merely made her
| bow to the Senate and gave way to
Senator George, who had been elected
by the people of Georgia.
! The explanation for this dearth of
woman office holders is twofold. First.
the voters are more inclined to choose
men, rather than women, to public
office because they have had men
officials since the beginning of the
Government. Second, there is a lack
of women qualified by experience,
training and natural ability for public
office. The men elected to Congress
and to other high offices almost in
variably have served an apprentice.
ship in politics and in minor offices.
Few women have had such experience
| in this country. They have not yet
| had the time.
| Clearly, it would he ,Inwise to elect
a woman to office merely because of
her womanhood. But when a woman
| has shown that she is as able as her
male opponents, or more able than
they are. there should be no barrier
to her election. The conclusion is
unavoidable, therefore. that women
must go through their apprenticeship
in politics and in office, just as the
men do, If they are to play an equal
part in the government of State and
Nation. Probably the women them
selves recognize this fact.
The first woman elected to Con-
gress, Miss Jeannette Rankin of Mon
tana. served during the war period.
The lady from Kentucky" is the new
est conner to the House. BY the cleo
ton Tuesday. Mrs. John w. Langley
succeeds to the seat held for many
years by her husband, convicted Of
conspiracy to violate the dry laws and
| now serving a prison sentence. Her
election, without intending in the
slightest to disparaee Mrs. Langley's
ability or other qualifications, was due
husband, with whom sympathy has
run strongly in his home district.
The other members of the quartet
| of woman members of the House are
| Mrs. John Jacob Rogers of Massa-
chusetts. Mrs. Florence p. Kahn of
| California and Miss Mary T. Norton
| of New Jersey. All are members OF
the present Congress. Two of them.
like Mrs. Langley. were elected to
| fill seats formerly held by their hus
| bands
1t is popular supposition that pub
| lie office should seek the man. or
| woman. But this rarely happens in
| politics today. More and more women
must seek, and seek eagerly, public
| office If they are to compete with mon
! they must have grasp of affairs
and a knowledge of the political game
as II is played. Until they do. It is
unlikely that any large number will he
found occupying places which have
hitherto been held by men,
The prejudice of the voters in favor
of men for high Office was clearly
demonstrated in Ohio this wear, A
woman really qualified for public
! service, Miss Florence E. Allen. a
member of Ohios Supreme Court. was
a candidate for the Democratic nomi.
nation for Senator against former
Senator Atlee Pomerene. When Sen.
ator Pomerene at the last moment en-.
tered the primary race, it became a
foregone conclusion that he would
win. 1t is doubtful that Miss Allen.
had she been nominated. would have
made as strong a run against San.
ator Willis. the successful contender
IN the general election, as did Sen.
ator Pomerene. because of her sex,