The morning call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1878-1895, 1894-05-03
THE WOMAN'S SUFFRAGE MOVE
MENT.

The war over woman suffrage continues
TO rage in New York. An organization
has been perfected among women who are
opposed 10 the reform, and they have en-
gagged the suffragists in battle; Nhe &C.
counts of the fray remind one of Homer's
chronicle Of the personal conflicts at the
siege of Troy. Mrs. McKeen sees male
trap in the offer of votes. She says:
The proposed ballot is either privilege or a
duty. If it is privilege, though appreciate
fully the chivary Of men 10 women, the heavy
burdens will be laid Oh our necks, and the Will
ngness of the men 10 give US the suffrage
makes me suspect that it is not 10 be prv-
lege but a burden. 1--WE fear the Greeks, even
bearing gifts" II the suffrage is 10 be duty.
women are not in a condition to accept 1t. In
the widest dream Of philanthropisls 1t never oe-
CURED 10 them to give the ballot to the negro
while in slavery and In order that the ballot
should mean anything 10 women They must first
secure financial independence.
There is somethi in this argument,
but Mrs. McKeen must admit that women
have made of late years and are making
long strides toward financial independ-
ence. The time has not yet come that a
girl is not considered manageable till she
can support husband and family; but
ii cannot be denied that numbers of young
women who generation ago would have
expected to De supported by some one else
are now supporting themselves.
An objection to female suffrage which
was adduced by Miss Cullender and other
bright New York women was that while
it might increase the honest vote, it would
certainly increase the ignorant vote. as the
wives and daughters of the bulk of the
European immigrants are i'm perfectly edu-
Gated, as a rule. To this argument the
ladies organized as the Kings County
Political League reply as follows:
An improved quality OF vote would be OBJ
tanned by the greater proportion of intelligent
and law-abIdng citizens admitted to the fran.
chise. In New York City there are L 9, 600 more
natlve-born white women than men. 10 the
State are sc, 600 more native-born white women
than men. In 1898 eleven immigrant men
came 10 New York for every four foreign women.
DomeStics are 49, per cent OF the population.
These facts Indicate more Intelligent vote.
Eighty thousand men and 5000 women are the
proportional arrests reported in the State Of
New York last year. This suggests moral in
crease In the quality OF the vote.
There appears 10 be no answer at all to
this. No one wiz seriously deny the fit
ness Of the American-born female to exer-
else the suffrage; it was only the foreign
born woman born in the pauper class that
Miss Cullender objected to. As to the
other argument. that women would be led
by their husbands in choosing a ticket to
vote. so that the granting of the suffrage
would merely double the voting power of
married men, recent incident seems to
nd to hor inf hOir
wives is not as potent as they fancy.
When the present agitation began one Of
the most ardent advocates of female suf-
frage was the Rev. Lyman Abbott. His
wife and daughters took the opposite side
and in reply to recent invitation to speak
he wrote that be must decline, as he had
changed his mind in consequence of new
arguments which had been set before him.
The indications are that the women Of
New York will carry their point, that the
conven ton will report a provision conced-
ing to females political equality, and that
the provision will be ratified by the peo-
pie at the polls. Whenever the feeling is
reused people vote on the side OF generos-
ity, literally and modern improvements,
and against narrow-mindedness and B0ur-
bOnism. That the event would amount to
revolution goes without saying. AS goes
New York, so goes the Union. II New
York admits that women are the political
equals of men. the other States and the
United States will follow. Would any evil
consequences be likely to ensue? 1t is not
easy 10 see where they would come from.
1t is easy to make jokes about female
Mayors and Congressman in gored skirts;
these are collateral matters which are
regulated by propriety and good taste.
When the negroes got the suffrage several
men of color were elected to Congress: it
was soon realized that they were out of
place, and they made way tor white men.
One or two young men of color were sent
to West Point. There again they were
fish out of water and we're glad to resign,
as the present general of the army, who
was then superintendent OF the academy
and generous, broad-minded man, per-
fectly free from race prejudice, advised
them 10 do. We shall probably always
have brilliant creatures like Mrs. Lease of
Kansas; but the breed would be more
likely to decrease than to increase under
Ia