St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1894-01-11
WOMAN SUFFRAGE IN COLO.
RADIO,

An interesting contest is now in prog
ress i'll Colorado, the result OF which will
demonstrate now much of truth there is
in the claim that if women were granted
the right OF suffrage they would reform
many of the evils of our social and DO
litical system. and will have an impor-
tant influence in determining the pol
icies of the future with regard to the
extension of the suffrage to the fairer
half of the community.
By constitutional amendment re-
Gently adopted by the legislature of
Colorado, and ratified by vote of the
people at the last election, women were
granted equal privileges with men at
the ballot box. They have not been
slow to avail themselves of the right.
Foremost among those who had de.
manded suffrage were the ladies who
compose that band Of Jealous practical
reformers, the Women's Christian Tenn
perance Union. They had a powerful
lobby at the capital to urge the adoption
of the amendment and speakers of that
organization made a thorough canvass
OF the state in its advocacy. They
promised that the ballots of the women
would be- cast intelligently and hon.
estly for the best interests of the co NJ
munity at large, and that especially in
the line of temperance their influence
would be felt. And they proceeded
to carry out their pledges. They are
row engaged in organizing for the pur-
pose of securing the abolition of the
liquor laws of the state, and propose to
urge upon the coming legislature the
passage of a prohibitory Ii quor law.
But these ladies are not unopposed,
and the prospect is that they have I'M
dertaken too big job. They are met
at the outset by an organization of mem
hers OF their own sex opposed to all
sumptuary or prohibitory la WIS. The
wives and daughters Of the liquor deal
ers and all who sympathiZe with them
have banded themselves together, and
propose to fight prohibition to the bitter
end. They will send out their own
speakers, women of Intelligence, educa-
ton and eloquence, and, following in
the wake Of the temperance agitators,
they will endeayor to counteract that
influence. They will seek to demon.
strate that the liquor traffic is not an
unmixed evil, but that it is as legitimate
end as honorable as any other occupa-
ton, and, furthermore, that it is neces-
sary to the prosperity of the state.
UnqueStionably there is much that
can he said upon both sides Of this
question, and the ladies may be relied
upon to say it all. Aud thew will handle
al rrl0
restraint that gallantrY and convention
ality place upon men in their relations
to the other sex will have no influence
upon women in their dealings with
each other. 1t is hard to predict the
outcome. Both factions are we'll organ
iZed-the temperance element spurred
forward by sense of rectltude, and a
desire for the reformation of society:
their opponents as confident of the
justice of their cause, to which is added
the incentive of self-iDtereSt The pub
lie in general will await the result with
degree of interest seldom felt in pub
lie affairs. Will the women demonstrate
that they can le a factor for good in
politics? Or will the influences that
have been SO potent in controlling the
votes OF male citizens be equally pow
erful as to women?
The comforting of the suffrage upon
women in other states has produced no
marked change for the better in either
social or political conditions. There
seems to be no good reason to suppose
that there will be an exception in the
case of Colorado. In Kansas the results
of the enlargement of the franchise
have been the reverse of satisfactory.
In Wyoming and Montana conditions
remain about the same as before the
innovation. 1t seems to be established