Barbour County index. [volume] (Medicine Lodge, Kan.) 1880-current, 1893-05-10
Thoughts on Woman sufrrage.

I L
with him. of course, that the creates
menace TO any form of government il
| ignorance aud corruption. But he has
failed 10 correctly locate either the ig
norance or corruption.
! DIR. Warren has said: mo man OIL
woman should be permitted to vote
who desires the right predominantly
! for his or her own sake, and again: nc
man or woman should be forbidden to
vote who desires the right predomin.
antly for the good of soc ETY. as whole
He adds: should ike To enlarge the
/ suffrage of women aud restrict the
| suffrage of men until law and practice
! should conform 10 these two prlnci.
pies"
AS such reform would deprive nine
tenths of the male voters of their vote
it is hardly to be expected that the
men will themselves bring it to pass;
and vet, if they do really desire strong
and faithful governming body this. and
this alone, would give it them. Govern
ment of the earnest and capable men
and women of the nation would indeed
be parental and must necessity elimin-
ate the words bribery and corruption
from the government dictionary. l
have seen shoals of ignorant boys, of
! from q to % years of age, driven like
sheep to the polls to swell the number
for one party or another. who not only
had no idea of what their vote might
mean, but did not care to know; or
even foolish boylike, desired the evil
that is so very pleasant, for want of ex-
perlence as 10 its effects And mum
berS of earnest, educated women must
stand aside and look on at the folly.
we'll knowing that later they would
themselves pay the consequences. For
woman bears disproportionately
heavy share Of the penalty of every mis-
take made by weak government, be
1t national or local. Place the boys
side by side and the preponderance of
ignorance viii not be found with the
girls on any subject IN which they are
interested, and they always are inter
ested III anything that concerns them
personally. The fact that most women
are good mothers and fair house keep
ers is the best possible proof that they
will be capable voters when it is made
clearly their duty TO understand and
act in that capacity. Is it not unjust
TO give your male children a vote IN the
government of the nation and deprive
their earnest, intelligent mothers, and
the women whose work is a Eource of
wealth and well being to the communi-
ty of all direct influences in it. No
good ever yet came of an injustice, ex-
cuse it as you may.
Patriots second objection is frivoI-
Gus now. At this moment women are
leaders of every reform and revolution
in progress. So far from pulling back
in fear" they are already far in ad-
vance and always going forward with a
firm, steady stride. Nobody who reads
the literature of the English speaking
race can doubt this. What have Eng
lish women accomplished in reforming
the infamous factory laws, or in i'm
proving the government of the great
city Though the new London county
council. Or to come home, what are
they doing as leaders of the temperance
or prohibition movement in this coun-
try; have they not bravely taken their
part in the advancement and manage
ment of the Worlds Fair? There is no
moral reform in progress in either
hemisphere III which women are not
active leaders. Their sense of Justice
is unerring and it generally puts them
on the side of the right and for this
reason, among others, they must be in
the forefront of every reform if by re-
form we mean the upholding of right
against injustice and oppression. Wo-
men are no longer either timid or con-
sentative.
But what does the Wyoming leglsla-
ture say in her unanimous resolution of
February Goth:
THAT the possession and exercise of
suffrage by the women of Wyoming for
many ways; that it. has largely aided in
banishing crime, pauperism and vice
from the state and that with any yio-
lent or oppressive legislation; and that
it has secured peaceful and orderly
elections, good government and a re-
markable degree of civilization and
public order; that we point with pride
to the facts that, after nearly % years
of woman suffrage. not one county in
Wyoming has poor house; that our
jails are almost empty and crime, ex-
cept that committed by strangers in
the state, is almost unknown, and as
result of experience we urge every civ
illzed community to enfranchise its
women without delay"
All! there's the rub! Iii is a test of
degree in civilization. l, woman, ad-
wise you men to go and become ciyiliz-
ed. KATE LA1ISIIAIAN,