The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1895-10-18
HERE ARE MEN sUFFRAGIsTs.
Boston Gentlemen Organize to Fight Fee
male Suffrage.

Boston, Mass, Oct 1.-THE Massa-
chusetts man suffrage association is the
latest political organization which has
been formed in the state. This asso-
citation has begun campaign against
woman suffragist, and opened head
quarters at IA Park street.
Members Of both the great political
parties have Joined the organization
The following executive committee has
been chosen: Francis c. Lowell, chair
man; Charles r. Saunders. secretary
Thomas Russell, treasurer, and Eben S
Draper, George G. Croker, William D
Sohier, John T. Wheelwright, John T
Burnett, Charles Warren.
The following protest, signed by 10t
prominent men of the state, has been
sent out by the association The docu-
ment explains the reasons which led &c
the organization:
To the People of Massachusetts,
law was passed by the last legislature
providing that all persons qualified 70
vote for school elections. whether male
or female, shall have an opportunity
at that election to express their opinion
eoither in the affirmative of negative on
the question: rs it expedient that
municipal suffrage be granted to wo-
men?"
The question is of grave and far
reaching Importance.
AS has been declared by the supreme
court OF the United States, no man OF
woman has natural or inherent right
to vote. The question must be decided
by considering what the welfare of the
public as a whole demands.
The preamble to the constitution OF
Massachusetts contains the following
impressive statement: THE whole peo-
pie covenants with each citizen, and
each citizen with the whole people, that
all shall be governed by certain laws for
the common good"
The laws of nature plainly call for a
division of labor and responsibility be-
tween the sexes. Equality does not re-
quire similarity of function. To create
conditions which suggest that the pow
er to make the laws may be in a body
different from that which has the pow
er to enforce the laws is objectiona BILE
To more than double the total number
of voters is in itself no advantage.
Women, as compared with men, have
had but little experience in private or
trust or corporate business affairs.
This is not due TO our laws, but TO
other causes. Our city and town gov
ernments are great public business cor
porati So long as the relative in
experience of women in business affairs
continues, 1t is not to be expected that
the cobbined vote of the men and wo-
men will give as good results as the vote
of men alone; and We submit, therefore
that the rights and property of our citi-
zenS, female as well as male, are now
better protected than they would be II
the mass of voters should be doubled
by establishing woman suffrage.
We submit that woman suffrage will
not promote the happiness or physical
welfare of woman, that it will not tend
to her social, or moral elevation, and
that it will not prove benefit, but
rather an injury to the family, which
is the basis of the growth and prosper
ity Of the state.
For the welfare Of the community as
a whole, we urge those who vote,
whether men or women, to vote mo"
We do not feel justified in urging wo-
men to register simply for the purpose
of voting on this question. The I'M
willingness of women TO assume the du-
ties of voters is so widespread and so
we'll recognized, and has been so plainly
indicated by the smallness of their reg
iStration to vote for members of the
school committee, that the fact that a
woman fails TO register and vote can
not be justly construed, and will not
be construed, either by the people or by
our legislators, as an assent TO or ap-
prevail OF the scheme of woman suff-
rage