A Lady in the House

A Lady in the House

A brief comment notes that Jeanette Rankin is the first woman to have been elected to the House of Representatives.

Copy Link
Facebook
X (Twitter)
Bluesky
Pocket
Email

A brief comment notes that Jeanette Rankin is the first woman to have been elected to the House of Representatives.

It remains to record briefly other features of this remarkable election. The most important is the composition of the House. Indications as we write are that here the Republicans will have a slight technical majority (probably of four to seven votes) over the Democrats, while the balance of power will rest with the Independents: a Prohibitionist, a Socialist, an avowed Independent, a Progressive, and a Protectionist. In the Senate the Democratic majority remains, though reduced in number. As a result of the election four more States have gone “dry.” viz Michigan, Nebraska, Montana and South Dakota. Woman suffrage was defeated in the only two States, South Dakota and West Virginia, that voted on the question, but as compensation suffragists have the return, from Montana, of the first Congresswoman in the person of Miss Jeanette Rankin. Socialists profess elation at an increase of some 25 per cent. in the vote for their Presidential candidate, which is estimated at between 1,200,000 and 1,500,000, as against 916,000 in 1912. The so-called “hyphen” vote, which was discussed with more heat and less light than any issue of the election, appears not to have done either candidate any particular good or any particular harm.

Become a Sustaining Donor This September

Between the reemergence of right-wing red-baiting and Donald Trump’s use of the chilling National Security Presidential Memorandum–7 to criminalize left political organizing, we’re seeing McCarthyism reborn before our eyes.

This assault on democracy cannot be ignored or wished away. Resisting it requires bravery in the face of threats and repression, a steadfast commitment to the truth, and the unwavering belief that we can—and will—overcome this darkness.

We must have an independent media that sets the record straight, unearths corruption and abuses of power, and advances a politics of justice and dignity for all if we’re to win this fight.

That’s why I’m writing to you today. This September, The Nation needs to add 100 monthly donors to sustain our progressive journalism. Your contribution makes the next investigative report, the next truth-speaking column, and the next pathbreaking essay all possible. 

I hope you’ll support our work with a recurring donation today. If you donate $10 or more a month, we’ll send you a brand new “Hands Off the Free Press!” sticker to recognise your commitment to our cause. Please, donate today. 

Onward,

Katrina vanden Heuvel
Editor and Publisher, The Nation

Ad Policy
x