The Iola register. [volume] (Iola, Allen County, Kansas) 1875-1902, 1888-05-18
SHALL WOMEN vOTE2

Heavyweight Argument Bearing ON q
MOmentous Question.
At the crisis we stand. The woman
question is being agita.ed around the
world 1t presents itself in four prom
inent phases: Q) Education. (2) En-
Payments. (s) Civil franchise. (D
Religious activity.
The question of higher or lower edu-
cation for women is being extensively
and spiritediy discussed. Time forbids
inquiry into this subject in this paper.
The question of employments for
women is about settled. When the
equal rights agitation began women
were employed in less than q score OF
occupations They are now employed
in 222 of the 265 different occupations
enumerated in our census of 1880.
The next phase that presents itself is
evil franchise, woman's suffrage. l
approach the subject with profound re-
spect-for the subject and its opposers.
]. myself. was once an opposer. alas,
in nv blindness. But where as was
blind. now l see. Woman is not pray
ing for a chance at the honors of the
State. but she is pleading for the right
to throttle the viper that stares her in
the face. Our mothers did not need to
ask for the right to use the tomahawk
or knife on the Seminoles or Chippewas
that came to murder their children.
But now an enemy confronts her who
takes husband and brother as we'll rs
children and drags them down to hell.
Do you wonder that she duplicates for
weapon of defense? Can you hear
the
Mother and children pleading.
That Heaven relief would quickly send"
and disregard the cry? That the sa-
loon element fights woman's suffrage
is not remarkable. but why will Chris
tan men do so? That politics are
dirty, and are becoming more and
more so. is only another reason why
woman's refining influence should be
brought to bear upon them. If poll
tics were necessarily such then Chris
tian men should leave them alone.
But they are not. and it is every Chris
tian's duty to see that they are puri-
fled. And the welfare of the nation
depends upon it Scores hundreds,
thousands of Nihilistic. Socialistic.
beer-drinking. law-breaking foreign
ers every year come to our shores.
For five dollars each one of them is al
lowed to help in making laws for the
country. while the pure women of the
land are repu.scd when they stand
pleading for the privilege to counter
act the great evil
Do YOU deny her because YOU are
SO solicitious of her good name? Do
You fear she will be any less the wo-
man? God himself is no more fixed
in his nature than is woman. God 5
laws never go wrong. A woman will
be woman to the end of time. A
woman's woman. "for a that and a
that"
Do you say that women should not
vote because they can not 20 to war?
Military statistics show that not more
than one-quarter of the men are unfit
for military service. Will you take the
vote from these journalists and preach
ers. physicians and lawyers. who are
the disqualified ones. AID give it alone
to the hardy mechanics and artisans?
1t is said, mo true woman would
want to 90 into saloon to vote" No.
emphatically. But let her vote. and
she won't allow any saloon around to
vote in. Mrs. Corbin. an anti-suffirag-
list of Chicago. says that the vast ma
jority of women do not want to vote.
Alas. it's true. It's pity. Neither do
the majority want the Saviour. But it
is the good women who want il.
Much has been done. and the future
Is bright with hope. In twelve States
suffrage in some form has been granted
to women. In Wyoming the DIRECTORS
have been converted or silenced. The
one election in Kansas since she con-
ferred municipal suffrage upon woman.
has resulted in victories for law and
order in most of her cities and towns.
Governor Ames. of Massachusetts, and
Governor Larrabee. of Iowa, recon-
mend municipal suffrage for women in
words of frank manliness- The WO-
mans Christian Temperance Union.
200. 900 strong. are asking for suf-
frage.
The cloud of hand's-5readth is en-
composing the world. The victory is
as good as won. The pioneer work is
about done. 1t only remains for the
skilled workmen to build up the waste
places. j. Speicher. IN Stand
ard