Wichita eagle., 1889-10-02

VIC Sftke u Young DuC only LOT WnaC CleI
could accomplish by going to the polls
where there are only a hundred or two Of
voters they might be almost sure that the
election was safe to go according to their
plans without their votes. especially when
as these women say they did, they watched
the progress on election day and Were
| ready to come to the rescue at short notice
if any effort was made to put another
ticket in the field.
Curiously enough in one or two small
cities in which in 'S7 and 'SS nearly every
woman voted, this year only small num-
Der cast their ballots for the happy reason
that both tickets were SO altogether excel
lent that there could be no possibility OF
the election of anybody but good men
They said that they looked the situation
over with care, decided that their voting
could better nothing and nearly all stayed
at home, forgetting that their anticipated
votes had influenced the leaders to put up
men of character for candidates, and the
failure Of women to support their choice OF
these candidates at the polls must have
the effect to lessen the anxiety OF politi-
clans to put up such men as women desire
TO see in Office. In the towns where women
have voted generally at each election, the
warning that the women will vote him
down" has been enough to prevent the
candidacy of many a man Of immoral life.
1t Is true, however, as our governors wife
says, that the woman vote IS often held as
reserve power, and whether women vote
at all elections or not, the fact they may
vote has a strong influence on nomlna-
tions, because it is we'll known that they
are likely to come out and upset things
that do not suit them, and nominations
are made with respect to that fact. But l
feel certain that the one way to retain this
respect for woman's ballot IS to use it, and
always.
In some of our cities-two. notably
many women refrained from voting be-
cause Of their disgust with their choice of
officers, and the conduct OF pre-
vious elections. Finding themselves fall
lible, and some other folks false-the
elected man forgetting the pledges he
made as a candidaGe), they are, as the OPP
posers of woman's REIMBURSEMENT say,
cured of voting"-at least for time.
Now, government of some sort is inevet-
able; We have no choice about that; but
we do have some option, now that We have
the municipal ballot, as to whether our
city government shall be better or not, and
1t Is certainly prodiglouS folly to refuse to
put a hand TO the work because we once
did SO and failed to accomplish our OBJ
Ject. Suppose you tried to row your boat
up the stream of Better Condition." and
VIC DOTc you DdCh again
again; would you lay down your oars and
supinely drift with the stream? Not if
you are woman of spirit, of faith and III
teSrlty; not II you are al earnest woman!
An earnest woman Is "a wedge, beetle, a
catapult,n Corliss engine That which
she cannot accomplish by one method and
small force, she attacks by another method
and more force; she finds the successful
means and cOnquers.
On th. he. ,, ] M oylo n that
in the great majority of our cities great
and small, the woman voters We're alert,
aud earnest and sensible, and voted in
larger numbers than ever before. They
had more to do this year with the nOmlna-
tons; their wishes and opinions We're
more often consulted by the eaders in
city politics. and their impress on city
ally felt. The gain WAS good IN
numbers, but / think il was
even better in results aud methods. Wo-
men were more generally successful this
year in electing the candidates of their
choice, and they evidenced more plainly
than ever before their independence of
party lines. In municipal and school cleo
tons Kansas women are often mug
wumps." The party Affiliations are not
usually strong enough to make them vote
for the party rather than the man. Cen
orally Speaking, and all things being
equal, each woman prefers to vote for the
candidate Of her party, but if the canGi-
date of her party be man of immoral
life and the candidate OF the opposing
party Il man of clean life, women flock TO
the support of the latter, and thus they
have fulfilled the prop ecy that women
would vote generally on the right side of
moral questions and on the moral side of
all questions Observe hat DO not de-
clar,- his TO be the rule without exception,
but | give these facts and deductions as
the result of my care III study of the re-
ports which / have been at much pains to
collect from all parts Of the state from prl-
vate and public sources.
At the last school election there was a
good gain in the attention given to school
matters b. women; at the same places the
of women was larger than that
of NEIL Surely it never ought to be
smaller. Surely mothers should feel the
paramount importance of giving most
careful attention to this vital matter. The
election of the members OF the board that
selects teachers and regulates schools is a
business in which thoughtful mothers
ought to take large part, and / wonder
how they can neglect it and hold them
selves guiltless | would like to urge up
on our auxillaries, and the friends of wo-
mans acknowledgements, In all parts OF the
state, to see to it that women are shown
Tue DOSSlDliilitS VI tuo SCIpOA dtb
that they are eXhorted to its more careful
and general use. 1t is my earnest hope
that in this convention some plan may be
by which we may arrive at
even better results in this direction.
Each year larger number of woman
are elected to membership on the school
boards This is occasion for rejoicing
Women can propably be more useful in
school offices than in any other, and should
L k~<,-r H., 1f 81
board and should take n leading part in
its business. Women school officials gen
orally give more time and thought to the
moral and physical welfare of the pupils
than men do, and in the employment of
teachers there are more discriminating;
they consider the life and habits OF the
man or woman who goes in
to a school and then sets the
impress of his life upon the
natures of scores of child
ren. as matter of rs much Importance as
the grade Of his certificate or the price of
his services.
Let us make strenuous efforts to put
women on our school boards until our
elect ladies, our most cultured and
thoughtful women are serving the youth
of the state on every school board within
her borders.
But am not in favor Of doing the thing
that was recently proposed in the Wyom-
ing constitutional convention now assem-
bled A proposition was reported pro-
viding that women alone should vote at
school elections and that women alone
should be eligible 10 school office. 1t is
not necessary that men be disfranchised
nor barred from Office. in order that
women may vote. The Wyoming PROPOSE
ton violates the principles we advocate,
and its adoption would subserve no good
end.
And this brings me 10 speak of the cleo
ton Of women to municipal Office. We
have al present FIVE cities in which women
serve as mayor aud occupy all the council