The Hawaiian gazette. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1865-1918, 1894-06-12
CLEAR AND CONVINCING.


since. 1t is so well worthy of a
larger audience that we take this
method Of drawing to it the public
attention. 1t is a purely practical
paper, and is intended especially
for those who fear the effect of ad-
hitting women to any share in the
franchise at this time.
There are many who favor wo-
man suffrage as an abstract ques-
ton Of right OF justice or even of
expediency, under certain condi-
tons or in its ultimate effects, but
who doubt the expediency of the
innovation at the present time and
under present conditions in Hawaii
mel. VIII women suffrage, under
proper educational and property
qualifications, here and now, i'm
prove the general vote?
In the first place, the bad legi-la-
ton of the past decade in Hawaii
has been due not so much to lack
of intelligence as to lack of charac-
ter on the part of the voters. 1t is
so everywhere, no one would for a
moment think of dividing either
voters or Legislators into desirable
or undesirable classes on lines of
intelligence. Many voters and
legislators who some years ago
were counted among the leaders for
good government are now num-
bered on the other side, certainly
not because they have lost intelli-
gence, but because they have lost
character. While educational and
property qualifications do in fact,
and with much good effect on that
account, directly increase the in
telligent vote, yet these qualifca-
tons are in reality imposed rather
for the purpose Of increasing indi-
rectlv the conservative and
moral vote. Those who have
property and those who are
educated naturally are more con-
servative and more respectful of
the rights of others. They most
want conservative and patriotic
and trusted men in the legislative
body. Now, very few men cast
their votes for one candidate or an
other because they have come to
calm, disinterested, intellectual
conclusion one way or the other on
particular public questions. Most
questions that come before the
Legislature arise after the men,
bers of that body have been elect
ed. The voters have no oppor-
tunity to pass upon their general
principles, to say nothing of the
details of the laws. And as to the
few leading issues that are dis
cussed in the election campaign,
the masses are led chiefly by the
character of the leaders, or take
sides one way or the other upon
party lines. What we need is
good men elected, and what people
vote for is not this or that parti-
cular question, but for this or that
man who can be depended upon to
act on certain general good or bad
lines as the various questions arise
from time to time. Now, will any
one say that the women of Hawaii
will as a whole more than the men
cast their votes for bad men ? viii
any one say this after considering
their great susceptibility to moral
influences, their large majorities in
church and school membership,
and their countless organizations
for charitable and philanthropic
work ? If women should be ad-
mitted on the same basis as men,
and, if they were no better than
men, the most that could be said
is that both the good and the bad
votes would be increased in the
same proportion, and that the re-
suit would therefore be the same
as now.
But if only those women are
allowed to vote who have the quail
fications say of voters for members
of the upper house, there can be
no question that the general vote
will be much improved. Under the
most unfavorable conditions of the
past, the supporters of good govern
ment could generally count on
majority of the members of the
upper house. Now, if the women
who have the qualifications of
voters for the members of the upper
House are no better and no worse
than the men who have the same
qualifications land it is safe to say
they are, on the average, no worse) |
the results as to the upper house |
would remain the same. But the |
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