The Hawaiian gazette. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1865-1918, 1894-05-18
A HOMEKEEPER.

Mr.. EDIToR:-I am not "downtrod
den" nor worried about my rights,
but my sympathies go out to the Stal
man who asks so mournfully, where
in the confines of Hawaii is the single
woman who has asked, or even means
TO ask for the ballot, and in order tc
relieve his dire suspense, am willing
to set the ball rolling.
Be it known then, most brilliant
luminary, that we are more numerous
than YOU imagine. You need not
waste any more anxiety over our
whereabouts, for We are here, and |
will tell you why if you will be pa
tient.
We look upon the extension of the
suffrage as simple act of justice, and
believing in the ultimate triumph of
Justice, We have no doubts ahOut the
coming ballot for women. This is the
reason why we have not bothered
ourselves more about it. We speak now
because We don't like TO be accused of
being absent when we are present.
We have yet to bear one good and
sufficient argument against wcman's
suffiage. He would be a bold man
who would dare to say that women
were justly classed with idiots, pau
pers and insane persons. He would
be looked upon as himself insane,
and hustled off to an asylum till he
had had time TO calm down. Let us
examine some of these arguments
rr5n1 IA ~
can find anything of logic in them.
at is such a shock to our feelings
to think of a woman stepping into q
polling place and dropping her vote
into the box just like man."
Really am sorry to have your feel
ings shocked, but let me ask if 1t
pains you seriously to see a woman
successfully earning her own living,
'just like man?r Have you never
heard of woman who supported the
whole family, including the man 2
l have, and she was not unwomanly
either.
80, but think of woman jostling
rough men at the polls?"
Yes; aud think of her jostling rough
men at the post office, and where is
the man so low and mean as to show
rudeness to a JUOmdRly woman, wher-
ever he meets her, at the post office or
the polling place? Surely there are
none such amongst the intimate
friends of the gentlemen on the Star
or Bulletini Have you ever heard of
any disgraceful rows at the polls in
those States where women vote?
"If the women vote they will ne
rrIa.r rh..ir hnr,,n dtrfiAE. fhnir hr1
bands would weep over lost buttons,
parted to meet no more; the boys
trousers would go unpatched; the
dust of ages would lie on the furniture
and the men would have hard time
all around"
l admit this is sad picture of suf-
fering man, but what right have you
to jump st any such conclusion? Why
must a woman necessarily neglect her
home any more than a man neglects
his business when he stops for five
minutes to drop q ballot in the box?
Those women whose homes would
be allowed to suffer while they
were attending to politics, are the
same who without the ballot neglect
their everyday duties on various pre-
texts. The negligence would not in
crease; the cause of il would be
changed, that Is all.
But if you want something to weep
over, dear friends, do not waste your
tears over the imaginery evils to arise
from wOman's suffrage, but weep for
those women who are so swallowed
up in society" that they hardly
know their own children by sight,
and we will not object If you drop a
tear or two over the man who spends
his time yelling at "saud lOtu meet
ings while his wife takes in washing
IN tue Que room where she has to
cook, sleep aud eat, aud struggles,
with dogged patience, to keep the
wolf from the door and provide food
and clothing for him and the children.
If you ask If | think this ignorant
woman who, by her gloomy environ
ment, has become ouly a "beast of
burden" is fit to vote, / answer no,
no more fit than her lazy ignorant
husband who labors to make her
beast of burden, but quite as much
so.
But the reason of reasons given by
is that good women
will not vote, and the Star assumes
that 80 per cent. of the 5000 voting
women of Leavenworth, Kan, were
''cranks1 and the rest were danger.
Gus classes,n while the "ladies" stay
ed at home. This ''chestnUtr is so
stale that it is positively wormy, aud
yet the anti-sutfragists feel when they
have flung that out that nothing re-
mains to be said. But can you tell
most "grave aud reverend senior"
how macy men stay away from the
polls because ''pOlitics are Sd cOrrupI?'
Unfortunately, no record Is kept, nat
it would surprise the nation ifit were,
and be a shame 10 the delinquent
men. By what right does the Star or
anyone assume that those women
were "cranks,n dangerous" and, un-
ladylik-?p | venture to say, and
with full as much reason a. the Star
if not more, that at least 20 per cent.
Of those women went to the polls as
as they go TO church;
tGat they felt il a duty not to be