Suffragists -- United States; Women -- Suffrage -- United States
But this calm statement could not allay the terror of Representative
Clark of Florida, Democrat, who cried: “In the hearings before the
committee it will be found that one of the leaders among the
suffragettes declared that they wanted the ballot for ‘protection’, and
when asked against whom she desired ‘protection’ she promptly and
frankly replied, ‘men.’ My God, has it come to pass in America that the
women of the land need to be protected from the men?” The galleries
quietly nodded their heads, and Mr. Clark continued to predict either
the complete breakdown of family life . . . . or “they [man and wife]
must think alike, act alike, have the same ideals of life, and look
forward with like vision to the happy consummation ‘beyond the vale.’ .
. .
“God knows that . . . when you get factional politics limited to
husband and wife, oh, what a spectacle will be presented, my countrymen
. . . . Love will vanish, while hate ascends the throne . . . .
“To-day woman stands the uncrowned queen in the hearts of all
right-thinking American men; to her as rightful sovereign we render the
homage of protection, respect, love, and may the guiding hand of an
all-wise Providence stretch forth in this hour of peril to save her
from a change of relation which must bring in its train, discontent,
sorrow, and pain,” he concluded desperately, with the trend obviously
toward “crowning” the queens.
There was the disturbing consideration that women know too much to be
trusted. “I happen to have a mother,” said Mr. Gray of New Jersey,
Republican, “as most of us have, and incidentally I think we all have
fathers, although a father does not count for much any more. My mother
has forgotten more political history than he ever knew, and she knows
more about the American government and American political economy than
he has ever shown symptoms of knowing, and for the good of mankind as
well as the country she is opposed to women getting into politics.”
The perennial lament for the passing of the good old days was raised by
Representative Welty of Ohio, Democrat, who said:
“The old ship of state has left her moorings and seems to be sailing on
an unknown and uncharted sea. The government founded in the blood of
our fathers is fading away. Last fall, a year ago, both parties
recognized those principles in their platforms, and each candidate
solemnly declared that he would abide by them if elected. But lo, all
old things are passing away, and the lady from Montana has filed a bill
asking that separate citizenship be granted to American women marrying
foreigners.”
Representative Greene of Massachusetts, Republican, all but shed tears
over the inevitable amending of the Constitution:
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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