Jasper County Democrat, Volume 23, Number 60, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 23 October 1920 — DISFRANCHISING THE WOMEN [ARTICLE]

DISFRANCHISING THE WOMEN

Candidates, Is a Long Suit of the G. O. P. Organization. Thanks to Republican opposition to women candidates being placed on the ballot in Indiana, the name of Mrs. Mary E. Drake for county treasurer will not appear on the Democratic ballot in Jasper county, and in many other counties of the state where the county boards of election commissioners are Republican, like successful efforts were made >to defeat the will of the voters. The state board of election commissioners —which is also Republican —was appealed to in such counties in the efforts to keep women off the ballot, and the appeal was not in vain, the state board deciding that no candidate voted for at the /primaries in May -could resign uq* -less such resignation was made within the three days following. This is a little more of the distasteful centralization of power of which we have had a surfeit under the Jim Goodrich reign. Under the old law certificates of nomination were not filed until about 15 days before an election, thus permitting, as the law provides, for the filling of any vacancies -that might occur on a ticket, before the filing of such certificate, by . the county chairman of the party on whose ticket a vacancy occurred by reason of death, resignation or moving from the election district. This provision was as it should be, but in their endeavors to disfranchise women candidates the powers that be —the Republican* state election board —has enlarged this by ruling that no resignation, can be made after three days, and therefore the resignations of W. D. Bringle for treasurer, Vern Davisson for sheriff and William Fitzgerald for commissioner from the first district cannot be accepted, and Mrs. Drake, Richard Bowie and Albert Stembel —whose names were selected by the Democratic county central committee, do not appear on the county | ballot, but the former stands instead. | With the treatment accorded tlie women by the g. o. p. in Indiana, at least, it is difficult to see how any w'oman can support that ticket any place along the; line at the coming election.