Jasper County Democrat, Volume 23, Number 53, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 29 September 1920 — HAVE NO USE FOR THE WOMEN [ARTICLE]

HAVE NO USE FOR THE WOMEN

Republican Election Boards Attempt to Keep Them Off Ballots. The Republicans of Indiana and Jasper and neighboring counties have repeatedly demonstrated that they only want the vote of the woman voter and are not willing that she shall share in the loaves and fishes. No place was given to the women on any of the state, district or county tickets by the Republicans, so far as learned, and the Republican election boards have worked over time to prevent, if possible, the names of any women going on the Democratic ballots. They have certainly treated the women shamefully, and evidently expect them to grin and bear it, like some other elements of their party whom they have no use for except at election time. The state board of election commissioners,’ composed of two Republicans and one Democrat —which is the way about 75 per cent of the county boards stand at this time have been appealed to by Republican county boards in their efforts to keep the names of Democratic women off the ballot. And the state board has not been found Wanting in this appeal. They take the position that, with our primary law, the person nominated for office at the primary must withdraw from the ticket within three days from the time the result is certified to the secretary of state or the withdrawal cannot be accepted. In other words, while the primary is held five months previous to the election, no vacancy, except by death, can filled. This ruling, which is more of the autocratic centralization of power by the Goodrich administration, keeps the name of the woman candidate for treasurer of Jasper county, Mrs. Mary E. Drake, and the woman candidate for auditor in Newton county from going on the Democratic ballots at the November election, and many other women candidates are likewise affected in various counties of the state. It also keeps the soldier candidate, Richard Bowie, off the ticket here for sheriff as well as Albert Stembel for commissioner from the north end of the county. The name of Miss Gertrude Besse for county recorder, however, which the Republican members of the local board wanted to keep off the primary bajlot, but which was finally permitted to go on, will appear on the Democratic county ballot here. Up in Pulaski county, the Democrats nominated a woman candidate for recorder also, but the Republican members of the county election board refused to place her name on the primary ballot, and this action, the state board holds was wrong and Miss Esther Friday’s name will go on the Democratic county ballot there.

More women would have been nominated on Democratic tickets at the primary had there not been.a question at that time as to their .eligibility; they not having yet been granted full suffrage at the time the primary was held. It was thought that they could be placed on the ballot by the resignation of some of the men or by leaving places vacant, after full suffrages was granted, but the autocratic ruling of the Republican state board of election commfesioners now prevents this. In some counties Republican women are affected, as some of the rank and file of the Republicans are honest enough, and fair enough to

want to divide the offices with the women. Such cases are few, however, as the powers that be In-4he Republican party—the politicians—are decidedly against giving the women any voice in party affairs or any division of the offices. All they want of the women is for them to vote the g. o. p. ticket on election day, and vote ’er straight. How any woman can support the Republican ticket under such conditions is indeed a mystery.