The Indianapolis times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1922-1965, 1934-01-08
Presidency
for Woman
Advocated
Ruling Ability of Two
Queens, Elizabeth and
Victoria, Cited.
BY GRETTA PALMER
Times Special Writer

Times Special Writer
NEW YORK, Jan. 8.-Do YOU
1 ' suppose the gentlemen Of con.
gress could be prevailed upon Il
initiate one more amendment ir
the course Of their present session.
An amendment. that IS. if the con
tention of a writer to a newspaper
editor is correct.
Signing himself L. A. G., he
writes, The words or language usec
in the articles (of the Constitution
creating the executive department
and prescribing the powers, duties
and qualifications Of the President
are strictly masculine and clearly
show that the trainers Of the Con-
stitution intended to restrict that
office to the stronger (sicD sex"
No such limitations, he says, are
apparent in the sections Of the Con-
stitution dealing with the qualif-
cations for senators and represen-
tatiVes.
Him Describes President
Perhaps Mr.. G. is right in his
Interpretation of the Constitution
as 1t stands It is difficult. from a
lay reading of the Constitution it
self, to see why he is so certain:
reference is made to the President
as him in several places. but that
CppT0c hardly Cono1,,~ir.o =.
more than IS, a natural born citi-
zen Of the United States. might
perhaps, put up a stiff fight to prove
her qualifications for the office. But
suppose that the supreme court de
cided against her and favored Mr.
G.s Interpretation of the law.
Now, it is quite likely that our
periwigged ancestors in framing the
law had it in mind that all future
Presidents would be men. In that
Gay, II you remember, the suffrage
had not been extended to women
except by the incautious state of
Rhode Island, where they we're,
through an oversight, legally per-
mitted to vote. When one of them
had the audacity to cast a ballot,
the law was hurriedly changed. you
may be sure.
Rights Unknown
The fathers of the republic, with
such a background could hardly
have been expected to provide for
the contingency of a Woman's seek
ing the office of chief executive.
Every Woman's right to life, liberty
and the pursuit of happiness they
might grant, but they would expect
her to pursue her happiness without
the blessing of the ballot Women
were not eligible for any elective
office, and there seemed no reason
to suppose they ever would be.
But the woman of 1884 is a rather
different creature from her colonial
fOrerunner-a lady of doubtful liter
acy but great skill in raising herbs
and spinning fax and any number
OF activities which have disappeared
from the domestic scene. That we
should have to suffer from her limi-
tatiOns, imagined or real. is as illogi-
cal as it would be if we insisted on
having slaves because she had a
faithful pickaninny who always
slept across her door.
Women Have Changed Little
In our intimate life, in our emo
lions and our dreams we are prob
ably not so very different from the
good ladies of ITS. We can read
the eighteenth century writer's and
feel as much at home with them as
if they were our contemporaries.
Essentially, person is altered
very little by the fact that he is
travelling in an airplane instead of
a landau or a post chaiSe or a
chariot. We may greatly resemble
our ancestors in our personal life,
but the sphere of our activities has
changed greatly since their time.
And those activities are being
limited and circumScribed by stat
uteS which were framed on the
suppoSition that women would al
ways remain with their candle
mouldS and butter ChurnS-in the
belief that no such Chimera as the
woman in politics would ever arise
Well. it has And it seems only
fair to remove from woman'S ambi-
tiouS path a possible obstacle which
should never have been placed
there. Then perhaps We shall see
a woman President-and a good
one.
Queen Elizabeth was not so bad
as a ruler. you know. And Queen
Victoria, too, did pretty we'll.