Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1894-11-22
have heard examples of every form that
Rubinstein has employed.
How the Women Voted.


state are concerned, the rest of the coun-
try also is fairly well satisfied with the re-
turns. 1t is one of the favorite arguments
with the opponents of woman suffrage
that when women are granted the right
to vote they ignore all other issues and
simply vote for the party from which they
have received or expect favOrs; but the
defeat of Waite and the POpulists does not
bear out that theory. 1t was largely due
to the women of Colorado that Gov. Waite
was defeated, and that fact of itself, in
view of the work of the Populists in aid
of women suffrage, shows that the women
voters in spite of their remembrance of
past favors from the Populists did not
allow their personal gratitude to political
party to cloud their sense of right and
wrong. AS a correspondent of IA leading
Democratic paper puts the matter, the
result showed THAT when a great issue
which appeals to woman's natural love OF
decency is presented, women will unite
regardless of party to further the cause OF
good government.
While it is not true, of course, that more
women than men voted in the recent cleo
ton, it is plain from the figures that the
tration. A comparison of the votes of the
past two years shows that in 1894 the total
vote was 156, 900 as against 90, 600 in 1892,
a presidential year of great excitement.
Considering the proportion of men and
women in the silver state it is safe to
assume that not only did the women vote
almost "tO man" but that the men also
were stirred to come out to the polls in
unusually large numbers for an off, year
from the presidential election.
That the women We're interested in the
political issues involved, is plain from
their words and acts throughout the cam
paign. In Denver especially was this no.
ticeable. While the work of the wOmen's
Republican county committee was con-
Quoted in sympathy with the business
mems league, the women's organization
did all its political work independently Of
the mems organization. Women canvassed
the voters and kept a strict watch of the
registration and on election day brought
out many voters who would otherwise
have stayed at home. The women We're
among the earliest citizens at the polls and
they worked as hard as any of the other
politicians as long as the polls We're OPEN
A good insight into the methods of the
women politicians is given in letter
from the Denver correspondent of the
New York Sun, describingthe scenes of the
campaign and at the polls. In that letter
the statement is made that never before
in the history of Denver was such an
honest election held. 1.-THE number of
illegal votes cast was very small and the
challengers had little to do. " Whether this
dino TO =
doubted, but it is said that 1.-THE great
interest shown during the campaign and
the careful attention paid to registration
made any scheme for illegal voting I'M
safe; and that "the utmost good order
prevailed and few incidents occurred,
even in the toughest districts of the city,
to cause disturbance Regarding the
casting of ballots this statement is made
The women We're more expeditions in
voting than were the men. They voted
straight ballots, which required the plac-
ing of single tx" alongside the party
emblem. The men were slower and more
deliberate. In one precinct 90 votes Were
cast in twenty minutes, of which II We're
by women. The average in many pre-
cincts was one IL minute. Never was so
much strai ght- ticket voting done. Few
ballots were spoiled and the reports of the
election judges indicate that more men had
to be assisted to vote than women. The
woman who did not know just what to do
did something to her ballot and dropped
it in without betraying her Ignorance.
Yet in the counting only very small per
centage of errors was discovered. Women
in Denver were unusually well prepared
for election day, for they had been playing
at election for weeks In almost every
precinct mock elections had been con-
Quoted. Many women voted again and
again until they were thoroughly familiar
with the Australian ballot, which in Colo
RADIO is rather a complicated affair. In
telligent people learned how to vote a
scratched ballot properly, and many did
so, though the majority of ballots in
every precinct were straight party votes.
As rule few women went alone to the
polls, and in the great majority of cases
they had as escorts some male members of
their families or household. One of the
wealthiest men Of Colorado, whose name
is familiar to American investors, was at
the polls with his wife before voting had
begun. Indeed it is quite safe to say
that the number of male voters was much
as nearly every matron who voted insisted
that her husband should accompany her
to the polls.
While the saloon element in Denver
was in opposition to the Populist ticket,
and the men representing that element
helped the women to defeat Waite, it is
now said that the Republicans and the
womens organization will, at the next
election, turn their attention to the saloon
and gambling "ring, which has for years
dominated Denver politics; and already
preparations for that campaign are being
made. The women's vote has already
been proved to be weighty factor, and,
with the cooperation of the Republican
women and the business mems league, the
overthrow of the notorious gang"
which has so long controlled the muni-
cipal and county offices of Denver, is to be
expected confidently.
Mothers, Read This.
Tbara bac boon racopt1y ,,lacaI in our