"Constructive Study Marks Attitude of Women on Suffrage"
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Title
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"Constructive Study Marks Attitude of Women on Suffrage"
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Description
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Constructive Study Marks Attitude of Women on Suffrage
With women voting, the democratic "solid south" will not be destroyed, but women will be more of "free lances" in casting their votes, being less bound by party rules. This was the sentiment of almost a dozen of Birmingham's leading women as to the result of the enfranchisement of women by the indicated ratification of the suffrage amendment by the Tennessee legislature.
"Now that women have the power, everyone of us is going to vote," said Mrs. H.H. Snell, "but we are not going to jump into politics blindly. We are going to train ourselves to vote intelligently. We are going to conduct a school to teach the teach the women the principles of American citizenship. And I believe that some of the men voters will be benefited if they will attend the school."
"It is the end of along struggle," said Mrs. Brenton Fiske, "but is just the beginning of another. Anti-suffragists will renew the fights in the supreme courts, but we will make all efforts to meet them.
"What we are going to do now is to immediately begin work in Jefferson county, and in Montgomery and Mobile counties, the only three places where women can vote without legal steps, and register every woman of voting age. We will secure as large a vote as possible.
"Women, I believe, are in favor of the League of Nations in that it will bring about the end of all wars. But as a whole, women will not be bound by party rules, but be more or less independent in casting their vote. However, the women of the south will generally vote the democratic ticket."
"Now that we have the ballot we will work with the men to secure the very best legislation for our country," said Mrs. John D. McNeel, national democratic committeewoman from Alabama. "I am delighted with the suffrage victory and am pleased not only from a suffrage standpoint, which has been completed by the ratification, but from a national democratic standpoint.
Tennessee's ratification has released several million women to vote, and the majority of them in the southern states, as well as many in other states, will vote a democratic ticket. The women who have been active in suffrage work, any many who have not, are as interested in the presidential elections as men are, and if given the opportunity will certainly vote in the presidential election.
""There seems to be some doubt as to whether Governor Kilby will call a special session of the legislature, but I feel sure that he will, and settle all matters so that women will be allowed to vote in the general elections in November."
Mrs. H.E. Pearce, president of the Birmingham Equal Suffrage Association, said:
"It was with pride that I read the news that Tennessee had ratified the suffrage amendment, for that is my native state, and I felt sure it would not fail us now. Indeed, the women are going to vote, and about fifteen or twenty in Birmingham have already paid their poll tax in order to be ready when this came. As women have always worked for betterment of the conditions they will continue this work and will work with the men in securing the best legislation possible for the country. Of course, the majority of us will be democrats in the south, and I believe many others in the various states will join our party. We are very glad to be given the opportunity to cast our ballots."
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Date
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August 19, 1920.
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