The morning call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1878-1895, 1890-09-19
woMaN.s VOTE KANSAS.

Miss HawIey's Answer to Questions
About Certain Glasses of Voters.
Editor Womdn'S Column. Morning Call:
Miss Genevieve Hawley of Fort Scott, in
answer to inquiries about the "colored'
and "bad women" vote in Kansas, writes:
"My experience with the colored vote is
limited. From it judge that their general
view of suffrage is about that of the class of
white people corresponding in education
and OPP rortunities. Many of them have still
the vices of disregard for chastity
and truth, trucking toward those stronger
than themselves; dense ignorance and pre-
judice; a blind party fealty is also a con-
spicuous fault. Considering their history
all this is natural enough, and only time
and culture will remove it.
But there is brighter side; generally,
though not always, in proportion to their
education, they take in liberal ideas l have
known some strong suffragists among them,
varying from colored clergymen and school
teachers to draymen and servants, and those
who were suffragiSts on principle, not from
expediency, generally set principle above
party. Tie women especially are like the
whites in wishing to vote for the sake of
the childrep's education or to get better
laws for women, where the bearing of the
-
them.
YET, AS A CLASS,
They are not favorable to equal rights.
Were | to work among them | should pre-
sent the subject in as concrete shape as
possible and dwell on what the ballot has
done for colorod men, and the great share
that women had in winning their freedom
Like children, they remember kindness;
want to hear of facts, BOT distractions, and
are largely led by emotion instead of reason.
The effect of the colored woman'S vote
is to increase slightly the Republican vote
and the cause of this effect is that they are
a little more partisan than white women,
while perhaps less so than colored men.
My opinions are sustained by those who
have had much more experience and chance
for observation than myself.
LAS for the bad woman vote, 1t practi-
cally does not exist Undoubtedly such
women do sometimes vote, when they think
il to their interest; and |, for one, see no
more objection TO it than to the voting OF the
msn who support them. AS danger the
latter vote must certainly be greatest, since
fallen men far outnumber fallen women
Considered as a class they are entirely op-
posed to equal suffrage. | never heard OF
but one that had any regard for II as prln-
ciple and she, owning great deal of highly
taxed property, very
NATURALLY MADE UP HER MIND
To vote at the city election of 1887, the first
JlIlle size CUulu, DUt IttIdihtu lOl ltdl Ildt
its being known might iEJure the cause.
Here is an exception worthy OF honor.
Candidates generally avoid the support Of
such women most carefully, knowing That
such support will set respectable women
against them and cost them many votes lost
for every one so gained. At our most con-
tested elections here the Tumor that GEL
tain candidate was electi0neerng among
this class brought out respectable women to
register, that they might vote against him
faster than any other argument or reason.
As one of tho indignant ladies apty put 1t:
If such women will vote for the gond OF the
city and our chidren's schools, don want
them to be ahead of Inc i'll well-dOlng; II
they vote against these. respectable women
ought to snow their votes under. BY way
of contrast, heard of two very nice ladies,
unco guide methinks, who, being about to
vote, happened to see notorious woman
Just casting her ballot and at once with
drew, not casting theirs on account OF the
association | wonder If they refrain IRON
mailing letters for the same good O. reason?
You ask for the effect of the bad women
vote. | answer
NONE AT ALL,
Because they are comparatively few in num-
bers and differ in opinions like other people,
so that even their small vote is rarely solid
and it would be hard to tell what measures
they favor"
Miss Hawley's testimony concerning that
of which she is part strengthens the facts
known concerning this cOlored and bad
women vote in Wyoming, Washington and
elsewhere. While politicians are conniving
to secure tie "colored and bad man"
vote. it seems rather inconsistent for them
to assert that all women should be dis
franchised because of an occasional black
sheep among u.s. and We have dim Sus--
picion that were we much worse-so bad
that we could surely be managed in the
interests of eyil-our thraldom would soon
end.
1t is not the bad but the good "
woman who is feared in politics. States
men are not afraid to trust a principle like
justice; and Chris tan statesmen see that
in proportion as great moral principles are
ignored the people lose, the nation is de-
graded Limitations to suffrage like those
in Wyoming, barring out Incompetence
and unwOrthiness," are wise; but the first
thing for women to do is to secure liberty
for themselves. Allow no side issues then;
when power is obtained use it to bar out
only the unworthy aud the incompetent 1t
is time for US to learn, for we haSe had an
obiect-lesson on that subject that whatever
is just is right, and that whatever is right is
safe for nations as for individuals. S. S.