Iowa voter. [volume] (Knoxville, Iowa) 1867-1874, 1870-03-17
.HE IOWA W)pER
A. F. Sperry. Editor.
What Would he the Results OF
woman Suffrage.

looms up nOWall around the horizon.
The views of this paper upon it have
hitherto been plainly enough ex-
pressed. We do not propose to argue
the point at present; but let us mere
ly consider what must be the results
if Woman Suffrage were once prac-
tically adopted in Iowa:
In the first place, then, having the
conceded right to vote, the women
would almost universally exercise it
for the first time, at any rate, even
if for no other object than mere Curl
osfty to s'see how II seemed" ~ And
the men would all urge them to do
so. Mr.. Smith, being good Repub-
lican, would urge his wife and sister
to vote, so as to kill the votes Of Mr..
Browns wife and sister, who are
good Democrats. Each party might
theoretically object to Woman Suf-
frage; but when election day came,
each party would strive to poll all
the votes it could, of course, whether
Of men or women. 1t must be con-
ceded, then, that the women would
vote pretty universally at the first
election at any rate.
Then, before the election, before
the Nominating Conventions even,
the. leading politicians in every local
ity, remembering that the womon
must vote, would endeavor to secure
the nomination Of candidates who
would poll the full strength of their
parties including the new voters.
Whether this would be an advantage
or otherwise need not here be con-
sidered; it would at least be the fact.
Coming next to the Nominating
Conventions, we should find the new
voters entitled to representation in
them. And comprising nearly half
the vote of every County, it is i'm
possible that the women should not
send at least some Delegates of their
own sex to these Conventions. And
a perfectly proper and praiseworthy
curiosity alone would impel some Of
them to attend, even in default Of
any either motive. And by virtue Of
their being present, these Conven-
tions would instantly cease to be
noisy and boisterous gatherings, and
would become as civil and orderly as
any other public mixed assembly.
Mr.. Jones, being there with his wife
and sister, would protect them there
as we'll as elsewhere; and the same
would be true of Mr.. Smith, Mr..
Brown, and all the rest, without
| regard to politics. From this in
creased quiet and order would come
better style of doing business. The
"log-rolIing" which has become so
notorious hitherto would be watched
with keener eyes; and this watching
would render anything improper
difficult if not impossible. The wo-
men would probably not take an
active part in Convention at first, yet
here and there one might venture to
express an opinion, and If she did,
the opinion would naturally be re-
ceived with especial favor by others
of her sex. The tendency Of all this
would be to an increased refinement
and propriety in everything connect
ed with these Conventions.
Then, in the canvass following the
nominations, if any female candi-
dates were nOminated-which is at
first highly improbable, except per-
haps in some particular instances
the campaign respecting them would
he conducted with that courtesy
which gentlemen always allow to
ladies. To such course honor would
prompt the respectable man and fear
would compel the rufiian. And a
measure of this courtesy would ex-
tend to the other candidates. The
public speakers, addressing their
remarks to audiences composed in
part Of ladies, would temper their
words accordingly. The public jour-
nails, read then by ladies much more
than ever before, would be duly
mindful of the change. Their argu-
ments and pleadings would SAVIOR
less Of blackguardism, elimination
and abuse, and more Of properly
worded satire, wit and ridicule if not
of solid sense. And all this would
be radical improvement upon the
present tendency Of things.
Finally, at the polls. Knowing
that the ladies would be present,
those having charge in each election
precinct would see that the polling
places were made convenient and
4 40 -