Montgomery County sentinel. [volume] (Rockville, Md.) 1855-1974, 1930-05-16
Stateswomen.
From the Christian Science Monitor.


From the Christian Science Monitor.
Shall it be Mrs. Ruth Hanna Mccormick
who will open the majestic gates of sena-
torial preferment to the women Of the
United Statesf No woman has ever been
elected to its select membership. although
there have been twelve women in the
House of Representatives. one Of whom
was elected even before the enactment of
the equal suffrage amendment. Once in
1922 a woman. Mrs. Rebecca L. FELTON,,
was appointed by the Governor of Georgia
to fill an unexpired senatorial term of SO
days. but actually she managed to serve
for one day in her gratuitous post. Now
Mrs. Mccormick. courageous In her convic-
tons and sagacious in her politics, enters
the lists, and her candidacy. coming at a
time when women are rapidly raising the
percentage of political Offices they are
holding in local and State governments.
may prove prophetic token Of higher
h0ners.
The record of the growing political power
and political service of women in State
government is impressive, and indicative
of trend still in its early stages. Be-
sides the two women governors of WyOm-
ing and Texas. and the woman mayor Of
Seattle-the only large American city to
have elected a woman executive-wOmen
have won places in the Legislature of SO
Of the AZ States, and if any one has been
led to believe that New England is re-
dictionary region. let 1t be noted that more
than one-third of the women legislators
are in the New England States.
AS to the remarkable rate of increase
with which women are winning political
positions, the National League of Women
fsnof cd mi.
mating survey touching several different
States. Thus. according to this latest
analysis which is representative of the
prevailing tendency. the total number of
women oficeholders in Connecticut in
creased from 1874 in 1925 to $50 in 1929:
in Michigan. from 387 in 1927 to 1913 in
1929. and in Minnesota. from 227 in 1925
to 348 in 1890.
From these figures the National League
of Women Voters draws an exceedingly
modest conclusion. Viewing the present
influx of women into comparatively minor
political Offices much as their influx into
comparatively minor economic positions
decade ago. they see the trend simply
as progress from the ground up" How
far upS one may ask. and they are dis
inclined to predict. But the answer is.
indeed. apparent on many sides. For one
thing, it is clear that the increase in the
number of women holding public Office
and the increase in the number of women
exercising the franchise have come hand
in hand, although there is no direct proof
that the one has been responsible for the
other. The statistics of the last presiden-
tial election revealed that women today
represent approximately As per cent of
the qualified electorate. and that of the
100000 new voters of 1928. fully two
thirds were women.
The conclusion is unacceptable that the
women's vote is certain to play an in
creasingly powerful part in American poll
tics, and although there is little evidence
to show that women voters are likely to
support candidates simply on the grounds
of their sex. it is apparent they are capa-
Bile of registering cohesive and perhaps
decisive vote whenever the occasion de-
mands. There are certain to be more
women senators. and who is to say that
the time is far distant when a woman will
be presiding in the White House3