Evening journal., 1894-06-26
100 MUCH SUFFRAGE NOW.

the greatest danger to a republican
form Of government, is the corruption Of
voters, by bribery chiefly, by other In
fuences, incidentally.
What republican form OF govern.
ment needs is a pure suffrage OF indie
pendent and intelligent sufiragists, or
as we call them IN this country, SOW
ereigns.
Within recent years corruption by
bribery has become notorious. We have
introduced millions of voters, some OF
them foreign, but the greater number Of
them negroes, who are neither intelli-
gent nor incorruptlble. Many Of the
foreign voters have been easily seduced
or influenced by the bosses Of the shops
or mines in which they we're employed
the colored voters have been Influenced
by downright bribery. These things are
notorious II Is Of no avail TO argue
them It is demagogue only who denies
them
This being the condition, it becomes
necessary for Ms TO consider whether we
should aggrsvAte it by woman suit
rage.
We shall have to consider things as
we find them. We shall have TO say
what we mean, because this is an inn
portaut subject, and what we mean to
state is an important fact in considering
the subject The women suffragists
claim that they would purify the ballot.
But would theyl That is the question to
consider
In answering this question we must
admit the unsavory fact that the number
OF prostitutes In the city Of New York
alone has been estimated at from 80 600
to 10000 As writer In the Forum
says:
They would be enough TO turn the
scale In close city election. We fire.
quently now have the spectacle OF poll.
ticlans appealing TO the "liquor vote,
the Irish vote" the German vote, u
the Catholic vote, the Jewish vote
and the Protestant vote.
Now II Is not impossible to imagine
that we might haves prostitute vote. d
And this vote might. as all these other
votes do, sggrsvate and increase the
body Of corrupt voters by methods Of ac-
erection known TO politicians until 1t be
comes a dominant class, not only in New
York, but in other cities In the Union.
It is quite probable that that vote
might become factor In politics
as that any Of these other votes should
become a factor. We see what the
pension vote has gro wn to be, The
methods for securing that vote have beer
precisely the same that would be used
for securing the prostitute vote. The
legislation that has been adopted is Al
dishonorable to the old soldiers as any
legislation, that we can conceive Of
which might be adopted to gain tn,
vote Of what ought to be the mos
desplcable class Of women.
Twenty years ago we could not con
ceive Of the pension list of TO day
General Garfield and General Gran
stated that 1t was impossible that th'
pension payments would 60 beyon,
S2S, 600, 600 year. Now we pay sever
times that amount, have millloi
pensioners and more to follow.
The means which have been adopte'
TO increase this pension list, to corral
this army Of dlshonorable affidavit
makers, are not any better than tn
means which would be adopted TO secur
the vote OF dishouorable women.
This is not pleasant thing TO coz
template; it is an awful thing. But W
must not fail to look the facts in tn
face. They are ugly facts, and for this
reason we should consider them.
While we may not have any objection
twenty-five or fifty years hence to adm
: the women to the privilege OF suffrage
Q we have such large element OF CORFU
voters, now, In the classes Of nRturaliza
citizens who do not speak our languag
and have no interest in our government
affairs In the pensioners, who claim
vote as they shot thirty.years ago, f
money; and in the negroes. who a
ignorant and venal, that we cannot Co
J slider the application Of the few eompetei
women for the privilege Of suffrag
y until these elements shall have be,
assimilated or until the ball
= box shall be protected fro
. their corrupt votes When th
shall have been done. when the inhusn
|. Of this great Republican party viii
= once claimed, but which does not clai
: now, to be the party of mora ideas, sh
have been neutralized. then we shall
willing to consider the spplica ton of t
women.
Until then the women must assist I
honest people in protecting the ball
OF They can do that best by keeping tn
Of unworthy sisters out and in assisting
IS. to protect the ballot box from unwort
er voters whom we already have.