PSAT Reading Practice Question 545

Question: 545

This passage is adapted from the article "Woman Suffrage Must Be Non-Partisan," by Susan B. Anthony, August 1896.
The different woman suffrage committees
of Southern California, it is understood, are
planning to do some very effective campaign
work on behalf of the eleventh amendment
05by forming allied women's clubs to the old
parties. The plan, it is argued, will be perfectly
consistent, owing to the fact that the
Republicans, Populists and Prohibitionists
all put a woman-suffrage plank in their State
10platforms, and that while the Democracy
refused this, many of the delegates from this
end of the State favored it and are staunch
supporters of the movement. It is considered
good politics to work in connection with
15instead of independent of the present organized
political parties.
The plan of action proposed in the above
item from Los Angeles in yesterday's Call
would be most disastrous to the woman's
20suffrage amendment. Every one must see
that for a part of the suffrage women to thus
ally themselves with the Republican party,
another portion with the Democratic party,
another with the Populist, another with the
25Prohibition, another with the Nationalist,
and yet another with the Socialist Labor
party, would be to divide and distract public
thought from women as suffragists to women
as Republicans, Populists, etc. To do this may
30be "good politics," for the different political
parties, but it would surely be very "bad
politics" for amendment No. XI. It doesn't need
a prophet to see that "allied clubs to the old
parties" will turn the thought of the women
35themselves to proselyting for members to their
respective political party clubs instead of each
and every one holding herself non-partisan, or
better all?partisan, pleading with every man of
every party to stamp "yes" at amendment No.
40XI, not for the purpose of insuring success to
his party at the coming election, or to win the
good will of the women of the State for future
partisan ends, but instead, pleading with every
one to thus vote that he may help to secure
45to all the women of California who can "read
the constitution in the English language" their
citizen's right to vote to help the political party
of their choice in all elections in the good times
to come.
50Of course each of the political parties, old
and new, would be glad of the help of the
women throughout this fall campaign, but
who can fail to see that the women who should
join one alliance would thereby lose their
55influence with the men of each of the other
parties. They would at once be adjudged
partisans, working for the interest of the
party with which or to which they were allied.
Women of California, you cannot keep the
60good will and win the good votes of all the
good men of all the good parties of the State
by allying yourselves with one or the other or
all of them! You must stand as disfranchised
citizens—outlaws—shut out of "the body
65politic," humble supplicants, veriest beggars
at the feet of all men of all parties alike.
The vote of the humblest man of the
humblest party is of equal value to that of the
proudest millionaire of the largest party. And
70every woman must see that if a vast majority
of the women of the State should, under the
Los Angeles plan, ally themselves to either
one of the parties, the men of all the others
might well take alarm lest their party's chances
75of success would be vastly lessened if women
were allowed to vote and so from mere party
interest, be influenced to stamp "no" at
amendment No. XI.
It is very clear to every student of politics
80that what is "good politics" for political parties
is "mighty poor politics" for a reform measure
dependent upon the votes of the members
of all parties. It will be time enough for the
women of California to enroll themselves as
85Republicans, Democrats, Populists, etc., after
they have the right to vote secured to them by
the elimination of the word "male" from the
suffrage clause of the constitution. And to work
most efficiently to get the right to become a
90voting member of one or another of the parties
of the State women must now hold themselves
aloof from affiliation with each and all of them.

As used in line 12, "staunch" most closely means

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