The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1895-06-09
A Gail to Arms.

The women of Montana, a certain
share Of them that is. are organizing
for battle. Mrs. De Voc is spreading
the gospel of female suffrage with
thoroughness and zeal. the formation
of equal rights clubs is going on
throughout the state and by the time
the next legislature meets the ladies
who want the privilege OF voting ex-
pect to be in a position to enforce their
demands. Last winter their forces
were scattered. they did not present a
bold and united front at Helena. They
secured the passage of a woman's
rights bill through the lower house by
a good round majority. and then
thought they had the fight won. That
the senate would go back on them did
not enter into their calculations. 1t Is
true that they finally perceived the
precariousness of the bill in the senate
and one day made a brilliant and i'm
posing demonstration before that body.
Some of the prettiest girls in Helena
and Helena, by the way, has some of
the prettiest girls in the country-were
brought in to buttonhole the senators
and by sheer force of beauty and
sweetness extract from them promises
to vote for the measure. The senators
had learned to resist five hundred dol
lar bills and other alluring forms of
the devil. but here was temptation sud
denly sprung upon them of n new and
unexpected kind. and. distrusting their
ability to say mo" to a pretty girl I'M
der any circumstances. leap year or
not. the members of the august body
rose up as with one accord and fed.
And next day the mean things killed
the bill by a vote of fourteen to five.
The failure of this style of campaign
ing seems to have taught the ladies a
lesson. They are not again going to
leave the matter until the last moment
and then rely on pretty faces and sweet
smiles. They will try organization and
club work. they will compel candidates
for the legislature to show their hands
and take a position one way or the
other. they will hold mass meetings.
and make things hot. That's business.
But we would suggest to the ladies
that one of the first things for them
to do is to secure unanimity among
themselves. If all the ladies of Mon
tana should unite in demanding wom-
an suffrage they would get 1t in no
time. A very large proportion of the
women say they don't want TO vote
and wouldn't IL they could. Divided
skirts may be all right, but history has
proved beyond controversy that d.
vided houses cannot stand. II Mrs.
DeVoe and her sister champions OF
| equal political rights can bring all, or
practically all, the women of Montana
to their way of thinking. they will
| have the battle won. for who can re-
sist the ladies when they make their
dear little minds up and put their pref
| ty little feet down?
The ladies have done well to begin
| their preparations for battle thus early
in the day. 1t is new business to most
| of them. this marshaling of forces or
| the tented field, these councils of wal
| and this distribution of ammunition
| They are likely To make quite a fuss
| But they will not succeed i'm getting
woman suffrage in Montana until Their,
| is a very much greater demand for 4
both among men and women than ha:
| hitherto been manifested.