Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1894-08-08
TO BE AN ISSUE M KANSAS
Woman Suffrage Espoused by the Popu-
lists
The Republican" and Democrats &c
Lights ON the Campaign.
Special Correspondence Of The Evening Star.

political parties in Kansas are busy ex-
employing this saying. and with widely
varying reasons. When the republicans
held their state convention in June they
declined to incorporate q suffrage plank in
the party platform.
The populists held their convention a week
or two later and Miss Anthony, with her
leutenants Rev. Annette Shaw, Annie
Diggs, and a few others, made the same ad-
vances toward the populist party that they
had to the republican. The populists took
them to their Observation-Disclosures speak
ing, Of course-and gave them the best
there was in the larder. There was a great
deal of opposition among the populist dele
gates at first. and it began to look squally
in more senses than one "A woman
scorned" has been raising merry mischief
In the inner temple of popuiism in Kansas
and Governor Lewelling, Jerry Simpson and
few other leaders would like to shut them
out from further participation in the feast
OF party pie. But finally the suffrage plank
was nailed down, and then ensued a scene
which beggars description. There was an
indiscriminate Observation-Disclosures ongrat-
ulatory half hour, before the convention
could go on with its work such as never
was seen In a political convention before
And there was not a little chuckling among
the delegates at the neat way In which they
had roped in Miss Anthony, one of the
strongest women supporters of republican
doctrine who ever made a speech in Kansas
When the democratic convention met In
July 1t also refused to indorse the woman
question:" The democratic party of Kansas
has always been dead against woman's
suffrage, and the nominee for governor.
David Overmeyer, will get up earlier to talk
longer and louder against woman's suffrage
than anything else on earth EXCEPT prohi-
bitten. He is .. rabid resubmissionist
The bone of contention in Kansas this
iali Will be the suffrage question. despite
the fact that both Of the old parties Thought
they had buried IL so deep that II could nor
work to the surface. Some of the editors OF
leading republican papers are ardeutly in
favor of womans suffrage, and are not able
10 hide their chaSrin that it was not in some
way made an issue in the campaisn Not;
witflstanding the fact that il is not an issue
they Keep harping on the suffrage string.
much to the delight of the populists
who use the republican editorials to
scourge the party and disgruntle the
power. The action of the republica n
convention was bitter disappoint-
.nent TO the women, for the republicans
have given to the women of Kansas ali
the political sweets that they have ever
had, and they had right to expect that
the kindnesses would be continued. Kansas
mas oee'i the pioneer in wernan's voting, as
she has been in SO many other directions
1t was when the state was admired In
1851. hat school suffrage was granted m
women In 1856 the legislature gave women
. .he right to vote for municipal officers. and
they now stand on Al absoluta aou.DtS,
with men in everything bat CONSTITUTIONAL
oincers. Since then there have been numcr-
Gus female mayors throughout the state
ana 'hird or the Counties have female
superintendent Of public instrnc,,on
There are several women Who are racoriors
OF deeds, they are on nearly all the state
boards, and there is no elective office 20
which women have thus far aspired in the
state which they have been declared in
eligible to hold GU III
me great cry has been that ~ women
soulu only vote In the cities they would
40 away with the iiqnor traffic and help
to enforce the prohibitory laws The ~
puollcans half believed that this wouId no
the case and gave them municipal sufrrarc
hoping that they would make their prom
Uses eood. The only places in the state
where the prohibitory law is overridden
ana utterly ignored are the cities where
women can. If they wish, manage things
!heir own way: They have the power OF
tne ballot absolutely In their own hands
In conjunction, of course with the maIe
contingent of prohibitionists and couId
imprfson every infrnger of the law II they
so desired and yet it is in the country
where the women are not voting factor
that the law is enforced.
Women's Republican Clubs.
Women's republican clubs have heen
formed all over the state. There Is not a
county that has not at least one and most
OF them have several. Many of the women
belonging to these clubs were also sufrra-
slsts The clubs are well attended, meet
ing as often as once I'm two weeks and the
women have studied political economy par
iiamentary laws, and have had read aloud
the speeches of the republican leaders in
congress on the tariff and the silver Ques-
ton. and have set themselves vigorously
to work to educate themselves along politi-
cal lines. They give political dim ers. and
when speakers from abroad come to their
rlx
ceived, decorate the place of speaking and
tender reception afterward. These clubs
nave been hourishirg for three years or
more, and for long time Mrs. Laura NJ
Johns was the state president, as we'll as
state president of the Equal Suffrage As
ISOLATION The aim in the republican clubs
was TO keep the suffrage question from
mixing with the political question Mrs
johns and Mrs Lease had a memorable
falling out over this about a year ago. The
suffrage convention insisted on being adj
dressed by Mrs. Lease. and she rung in
politics in her speech. Mrs. Johns brought
her up standing, and there was a very
pretty row over 1t. Mrs. Lease always in
sists that her mouth is not to be muzzled,
and she seems to have no conception of
the word diplomacy. After this episode a
number of populist suffragists withdrew
from the organization. When the repub-
leans refused to put in suffrage plank,
and the populists took the women in, there
was further split and lot of the repub-
can women went out of the republican
league into the populist party.
The feeling that has been stirred up is
something terrible. The populsts have ar
ranged for their campaign to open all over
the state this month, and every man who
is sent out is to have a woman speaker to
go with him.
Mrs. Leases Detection.
Mrs. Lease has declared for prohibition
and labor" and against most of the popu-
list ticket, headed by the present COVER
ror. She has such strong following that
if she does take it into her head to stump
the state for prohibition she will roll up
for that ticket such vote as it never had
in the palmiest days of st. Johns suprem-
acy. That she will not support the populist
ticket is positive.
Mrs. Lease still claims to be populist,
and attends the conventions for the pur-
pose, principally, OF showing her pow er.
She is sure to be called on in determined
fashion to speak. and when she speaks she
speaker to walk over The populist man.
ayers detest Mrs. Lease. but they dread
her tongue. They have tried to get rid of
her, but she doesn't know the meaning of
the word "snub.' She is out with all the
other populist leaders among the women,
and taking 1t altogether the populists are
really sorry they had anything TO do with
the suffrage question either.
The republicans will have Mrs. j. Ellen
Foster to help them in the campaign, and
the womens republican league of the state
is preparing to put speakers In the field.