Montgomery County sentinel. [volume] (Rockville, Md.) 1855-1974, 1946-06-06
Il Might Be
|WrOng--But
~
P. G. STROMBERG

years since women became
eligible to vote. A generation
has passed and seldom do we
hear much about the predicted
advantages and disadvantages
q of the Nine
The teenth Amend
Nineteenth ment. Admittedly
Amendment women are ex-
erting an influ-
ence which political observers
claim to be gradual improve
ment. Yet these same observers
contend that greater changes
should have come about in a
quarter of a century.
1t is an interesting and abb
sorbing subject. Some women
are as. active as men ever were
in promoting the interests of
issues and candidates. 1t is
through these women that what
ever influence the fair sex pos
|, sesses has been felt. The unfor-
tunate phase of the operation of
the Nineteenth Amendment is
that entirely too many women
fail to exercise the franchise
which was won for them after
many years of hard struggle.
While democracy permits all of
MS to do as we choose with re-
gard to voting there is an implied
and definite obligation on the
part of every eligible voter to
be registered on the books and
to vote AT ALL ELECTIONS.
It is only through the determined
effort Of all
Too Many voters whether
Women Fail they be Demo
To Vote Gratis, Republi-
cans, or any
other affiliation), to exercise the
privilege of voting that we will
be certain of maintaining democ-
racy as the worlds finest form
of government.
Many women have never been
registered merely because they
still feel that "voting is for men
and women should stay away
from politics" These good souls
/ are in error. They must live
I under governing bodies whose
selection and election depend on
the voting public. Each of them
has as much at stake as one of
the candidates. These unregis-
tered women are among the most
intelligent class Of our people
who would cast votes on convic-
ton rather than on persuasion
either of parties or factions. |
have heard women state that
they will not register because
they thereby register a protest
against woman suffrage. Such
reasoning is unsound now even
if It were sound in 1920. There
is no possibility of ever repeal
ing the Nine
Apathy teehth Amend
Toward ment. The only
Primaries. way women in
terested in the
welfare of their families and
communities can give effective
expression to their desires is to
REGISTER AND VOTE.
In this indictment of some of
the finest women in the land l
realize that l shall probably
arouse some displeasure. Yet
there is a deep conviction on my
part that fairness in analysis
will Offset such displeasure and
If, as a result of this article,
some few good women take seri-
ously what is considered real
obligation of citizenship my
effort will have paid real divi-
dends.
.9 4"4t
Much has been said about
apathy Of our people toward
primary elections. This is a
most unfortunate phase Of our
democratic method. No general
election can be more important
than primary because it is in
tne primary election when the
people have an opportunity of
nominating. Apathy in primary
eieetlons makes it possible to put
Proht into politics. We should
remember that II profit were re-
moved from the political game
tne people would get a far
nigner degree Of public service.
And we might well keep in mind
mat when a majority Of the
minority wins elections those Win
T1laSy AZ 'AAN