The Iola register. [volume] (Iola, Allen County, Kansas) 1875-1902, 1894-02-23
THE lola REGISTER.
FRIDAY. FEBRUARY %. 1894.
OUR SUFFRAGE DEBATE.
TWO BRIGHT WOMEN CONTINUE
THE ARGUMENT FOR
EQUAL RIGHTS.
DO WOMEN WANT TO VOTE, AND
WHY?

answer that there are many reasons
why women should exercise this God
given right.
This. confess is very interesting
subject to me, and one upon which l
talk at every opportunity, and find,
or rather l have failed to find, one
woman who said she did not want to
vote. and 1 think that the thing. has
been thoroughly demonstrated in the
States where they have been granted
partial suffrage. The women have
gone to the polls in large msjorities,
depositing their ballots with woman
Iy dignity, and in some places elect
ing women to office.
I remember the time in our little
CITY of Cottonwood Falls the mayor
and all of the city council were wo-
men and it was acknowledged that
the city improved under this govern
ment. Then, the constitution of the
United States declares that taxation
without representation is tyranny
and are not women taxed equal with
their brothers? If they own anything
from board sidewalk to palace, do
they not have to pay tax ON it, and If
they fall behind ON the tax book is
the ne. atty not added just the same
as if she were a man while she has
never a word to say in the making OF
these tax laws that govern her? Why,
some of these lords of creation tell US
that we don't know anything about
politics. They talk as though God
had not given to women any intel
lectual or brain power; so ignorant in
deed. Just give us century as the
men have had and if we cannot make
better laws and have them enforced
better, we will cry quits. Let me tell
you of all the hundreds of thousands
OF women who have signed suffrage
petitions, no woman has signed her
name with q cross; and how many
men are there, who year after year,
sign their names with cross. But
that is not all; how many Of them, If
you asked them what they voted for,
and why, they could not tell you to
save their lives, utjust voted because
they were men,-or because they
thought. they were. There is only one
word in the constitution which de-
bars us from our right, and that is the
word male; poor little word it did not
know that it was being robbed of its
better half when they left Offthose two
letters, fe. If the better half of the
people were given a share in the gov
eminent we would have a better gov
eminent. Women have a right to a
voice in the making of the laws or our
revolutionary fathers were entirely
mistaken when they declared that
the government derived its just pow
ers from the consent OF the governed,
NOT men-and ours will not be a
government of the people, by the peo-
pie and for the people until the women
of this nation are granted full suffrage
for we claim to be people and we defy
any one to prove the contrary either
by nature, law or gospel. If politics
would let us alone we might not be SO
anxious about this question OF suffrage
but politics is the science of govern.
ment, and government is the laws by
which we are governed and thesa
laws invade every home in the land
and say what we shall and what we
shall not do, and we, as intelligent
people, claim right in the making Of
laws that so control US.
Then men of questionable morals
are troubled lest disreputable women
vote, but they forget that no certificate
of moral character is required of mer
before they can cast ballot. If such
document were required we think
some men would stay at home and
rock the baby on election day, while
their wives would be out voting to
make it easy for their high lords to d.
right and difficult for them to g
astray. Do you want to be sheriff
Do you want to sit on the jury? are
asked with intent to ridicule by oul
political superiors. L believe there
would be but few feminine candidate;
for Sheriff and those who acted IL
that capacity would doubtless come tt
the Kingdom for such term as die
the wife OF certain sheriff who wher
the sheriff was drunk carried TIT
: keys and shooting irons. and tool
charge of the prisoners and the sheriff
too.
We have had the heads of tn,
country TO the front long enough now
Brothers, by your votes let the hearts
of the country come to to the from
and we promise you that we will no
do anything to disgrace you. Yol
have only to look at our past record t.
tell something of what We will do
the ballot is placed IN our hands
Look at our churches; over I of thei
membership are women, and look a
our prisons; over / of the inmates ART
men. AS Bernard Kelley says, "D'
You see the Pint?" We do not wan
to take our brothers rights away from
them, but we do want them to give vi
our rights, which are ours by birth
, right in this grand, SO called, FREE
country of ours.