EQUAL
SUFFRAGE DEPARTMENT
Editors:—Mrs. Julia Lucky, President of Equal Suffrage League, and
Mrs. Sara H. Hood.
Suffragists throughout the country
are rejoicing over the fact that the
Tennessee Legislature has at last
passed a woman's property rights bill.
This is a step in the right direction.
The next step, it is hoped will be the
long stride that shall carry the state
to the forefront of Progress—namely
the passage of the suffrage amendment.
Apropos of the position taken by
Mrs. Arnstein in her article entitled
"The Price of Virtue"—it will doubt-
less be remembered that the concensus of opinion expressed during
the recent convention of the Illinois
Vice Commission in Washington City,
was, that the question of wages, except in certain classes of untrained,
incompetent workers, plays a small
part in the down fall of girls. Stan-
ley W. Finch, special agent of the department of justice; Dr. W. C. Wood-
ward, health officer, of the District of
Columbia; Mr. Robert Barrett, son of
the general supervisor of the Florence
Crittenton Homes; Mrs. Adolph Kahn,
president of the Jewish Women's Al-
liance, and others testified that in a large
majority of the cases investigated the girls were hounded to their
ruin by vicious men, either to gratify
their own passions or to swell the coffers of those most depraved of all
criminals—the White Slavers. "The
social evil," said one speaker, "will
continue to flourish like the Green
Bay Tree, regardless of the wage question.
as long as false ideas of manhood and the double standard of mor-
ality prevails." On the other hand
facts were adduced to show that ignorance,
vanity, extravagance, and a
lack of moral fiber are the chief
uses that render so many girls of all
classes and conditions, easy victims of
designing, unscrupulous men. Among
the various remedies advocated for
social reform at this convention, none
were more practical than those suggested by Mrs. Harvey Wiley, namely
Sex hygiene instruction for the young
women police, and the full enfran-
chizement of women everywhere.
_
The movement for Suffrage in Ten-
nessee as a state-wide movement, is as
yet young. We must never forget,
however, that in Tennessee for many,
many years, there have been devoted
spirits who through ridicule, and dis-
couragement, have kept the lamp of
woman's advancement trimmed and
burning until now a younger genera-
tion has been awakened to light their
torches at this patient flame, and to
move forward, throwing this light
into dark corners where before no
light of betterment for women has
ever shone. We want the men of Tennessee to realize what it is the women
of Tennessee have done for the State,
from the days of the first settlers in
the wilderness, down through the horrors of war, of reconstruction, of
poverty, of the struggle for rehabilitation, to this hour; to realize the
strength, the wisdom, the patience, the
great, undying love of their women,
and, realizing all this, to give her in
the ballot,, not only the power to help
herself and her children, but, as comrade and friend, to help the men of
Tennessee..—Sarah Barnwell Elliot.
Pres. Tenn. Equal Suffrage League. I
AMENDMENT TO THE
FEDERAL CONSTITUTION
THE RIGHT OF CITIZENS OF
THE UNITED. STATES TO VOTE,
SHALL NOT BE DENIED OR A-
BRIDGED BY THE UNITED
STATES, OR BY ANY STATE
THEREOF, ON ACCOUNT OF SEX."
This is the wording of the proposed
amendment to the Federal Constitution,
agreed upon by the committee
appointed to frame it. Suffragists of
the North, East, South and West are
united in the feeling that various pro-
pitious circumstances render this
occasion—the opening of the new con-
gress—the chance of a life time to secure the long coveted amendment
President Wilson, therefore, has been
bombarded with resolutions and letters urging him to embody the
recommendation in his message. Senator
Thomas of Colorado, Chairman of the
Senate Committee on Woman Suffrage
announces that the amendment will
certainly be introduced and actively
pushed. Moreover, it is reported that
a company of 531 women—one from
each congressional district and two at
large from each State—will march to
the Capitol on Monday morning to
present to each Senator and Representative
a petition from home, asking
their support for the measure. Surely
the well laid plans cannot fail.
