The Saline County journal. [volume] (Salina, Kan.) 1871-1893, 1886-02-25
ABILITY HAS no SEX.


t4e news l4At lnla Dlu mas MOI oe-
GENE q Law will bring disappointment
b the hearts Of many Ia Kansas.
The women who trudged through
the snog and cold of January 70 col
ieci names 10 IHunicipal suffrage pc
titions, viii at first feel that THIS work
vas Iost. and that our best efforts
avail nothing. But though the Bill
did not become a law, ere are not de
featsd. The cause ls not even set
back. There IL such gathering Of
strength for renewed effort, such E
rapid conversion % bitter foes into
strong friends, and such growth Of
salfrage sentiment all over the State
that victory aiready is ours.
Before preparing 70 ask for even
this small measure Of woman suffrage
e this session Of the Legislature we
are aware that certain peculiar DIM
eullies would stand 90 the way at this
time. The shortness Of the session,
the press Of business. the fact that this
session was called for the special busl-
ness Of the re-spporti0nment Of the
State. were circumstances which
would contribute nothing to tine pas
sage Of the Bill. We feel, however,
that 10 present this Bill this winter,
backed by petitions, was only an
other and very efficient form Of sgita-
tioa and as ''agitats, Ggitats, agftGte"
b the first and the last Of the woman
suffrage commandments, we present.
ed our Bill, sent in our petitions. did
the bet we could for &c, aud are
nowiss disheartened or dismayed By
lie failure 20 become a law.
This winters work and the mis-
takes made 10 this years work, have
developed plans for the future which
must bring a greater measure OF sue
cess next year. That We len the pc
tiliOn work to be done IN January,
was q great mistake. Only about one
per cent. Of the work was done, which
h no shame when we consider the
difficulties under which this much
was done. In spite Of everything,
the petitions for municipal suffrage
aEI MWalEM AENN AAAE AAlENNA ENlI pie
seated In the Kansas Legislature.
Over 5000 names were on these pc
titiOns, aud this Is q very low estl-
mate. The work Of canvassing for
names 10 petitions o. hard and disa-
greeable, and Il seems n thankless
aud ingiOriOus task But no more
important work can be done. II the
women who performed much Of this
seen the effect and strong influence Of
these same petitions in the Legisla-
ture, they would have felt such q re-
newal OF faith aud strength that they
could resume the work with a vigOF,
which they deemed hardly possible
when they flushed up this winters
petition work. When the fact that
strong petitions from any county
means one vute, and often two, In the
Legislature. comes TO be impressed
upon our minds, petition work ae
quires a new significance and be-
comes easier. Our Legislators care
something fnr the expressed wishes Of
their constituents. Getting names 10
petitions was easier this year than
last. People signed this year who re
fused b. do 40 last year. Next year
the work will be easier still, and the
work must begin three months earlier,
and must be prosecuted with such
vigor and thrOughness that the result
will be larger petitions than were
ever before sent up by any State for
anything. la the meantime we must
use the press, we must maintain lee
lures, We must Organize, we must dis
seminate the Equal Suffrage Gospel
By every legitimate means Ia our
power. Let each worker mature a
plan for his or her own Individual
campaign OF this year. The amount
Of work which may be accomplished
by one earnest person who synlDd-
fhiees, h something 20 wonder 81.
While We lsb0r aud walt let us
prepare ourselves for wise use Of that
right for the exercise Of which we are
nov battling. We have always pos
sessed the right Of suffrage, but are
defrauded Of is exercise.