Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1893-12-07

cted this obligation. II H. only because II few |
adynnced thinkers have made themselves H. |
miliHr with the corruption of Office seekers IN |
general and some Office holders in particularly |
that they have been willing to register ana |
take upon themselves the responsibility OF |
casting their votes against the political bosses |
4 visit to some of the homes OF thai STATE |
and of the younger and SIN farther advanced
State of Kansas, might find the women |
changed, but even the FREE PRESS would ad- |
init there was no less refinement ana gentle |
ness among the women of these homes.
If there is less time spent in adjoining the |
person and in the frivotics of society
there is more spent in discussing the living
questions of the day and i'll cndcaNoring 10
raise up those less favored.
When woman discovers her imp??lrianrc a. a.
fac Tor of good government. She VIII no longer
hesitate in assuming the Obligation of casting
her ballot, whenever il is accorded her. +.
We desire at the outset to call the atten-
ton of our correspondent to the fact that
she has begged the entire question considered
by us, and has practically ignored the point
raised by Miss Campbell regarding the
apathy of women as an obstacle to the
woman's rights movement. Consequently
many of the statements made are not
germanc to the subject We were not
arguing against woman'5 rights but mere
~ giving our opinion as to why most women
are thus apathctic. Our correspondent criti-
cises our statement that refined women hesi-
tate to ningle with the motley crowd
usually found at political primaries
or to participate in the festivities Of the typ
i,al voting booth. She does not fall far
short from confirming our Interpretation of
one influence that prevents women from de
string 30 do bible in politics wheu She 10y in
ference compares the work of the woman
suflragists to that of refined women in the
| slums Of the larger cities. Until the millcn-
mum approaches We do not expect
TO see voting places converted into
abodeS Of social refinement, and it
might be perfectly proper for some
of the good women to cndeayor to purify
these places by frequcnting them. Going
to an extreme case to show the faliary Of
our correspondent argument it might be
proper thing, and even Il conmcndahie act
! for the good women to try to elevate the
social tone of jockey lane by their pres
ence, but no sane woman would think of
taking the risks of the attempt
| The world has been taught that n foun-
tain can not Nc purified at it, mouth, but
that its source must he reached to accom-
pli5h It's publication. The good women who
think they can elevate and purify men by
! beginning at the ballot box are attempting
TO cleanse the fountain at its mouth. II
! they wish to reach the source Of the fom-
| tain they must 20 90 the lmrrtinod ami de-
graded homes. Here is work that man
can not do as woman can; and it j. a
work that is as high above politics as reli-
! gion. pure aud undehIed. is above cold
| morality When women demand right
that is one thing, hut when they argue that
| they want to vote for the sake Of the good
| that they can do. they overlook one of the
| grandest opportunities that ever opened to
woman. There are degraded. sorroWing
and poverly-strichcu homes in every con-
munity. where Il sympathetic and comfort
ing word. and deeds of kindness will do far
more to elevate and encourage degraded
humanity than will the casting of ballot.
The great difficulty with woman suffrage
is that not all women 90 into politics for
the purpose of purifying the political arena
and the most dangerous clement will. as Il
rule. be the most active. This was demon
strated recently in New York, where the
only voice raised by women sufiragists was
used in behalf of the elevation to 50 sacred
an office as the judicial bench of a man
whom the best men in his own and all
political parties would not support. If, on
the other band. the women who worked for
the election Of Judge Maynard supposed
they were working to purify politics, their
course showed that the ballot would be n
very unsafe weapon in the hands of Il
| woman
The position of the FREE Press on the
subject Of women suffrage rs a woman 5
right is too well known by our readers i'll
general to require "A rcstatemcnt, but few
of them seem to Ice laboring under a mis-
apprehension. We have frequently stated
our belief that when the great majority of
the women of Vermont desired to vote the
mon Of Vermont were gallant, if not fair,
enough to see that they had the
opportunity. The women of Vermont i'll
to say whether or not they desire to vote, as
are the few women sufrragists who assume
to speak for them. The great majority of
our women have said by word and act that
they did not wish TO vote or hold office or dc
jury duty, or assume other burdens which
would be added to their labors as the result
of the adoption of woman suffrage.
Our correspondent says that the women OF
Massachusetts have been driven into politics
to promote the progress of schools. and il
looks as if the Vermont women would re-
quire something to ''driye' them III sim
liar manner: for reference to the vote on
school commissioners in the large towns
show that the women thereof practically il
more the right granted them by our LegiSla
ture to vote for that officer. In Massachu
sets particular emergency resulted in the
rush of women to the ballot box. marked
school commissioner, but the number OF
votes cast for this officer by women is rapidly
declining
References to the status of woman suffrage
in Kansas and other States where the peo
pie have given Themselves over wholly tc
snch deluded ideas rs those Of the visionary
populst and the production Of such Leaders
as Mrs. Lease, are hardly calculated &