The Kosciusko star. (Kosciusko, Miss.) 18??-1898, 1895-05-10
WOMAN SUFFRAGEIN KAN
SAS.
A Former Citizen of BrOOkline
Gives His Views on It's Effects.

E. Wilder, formerly of Brook
line, Mass, but now a citizen o
Topeka, writes as follows, in res
ponse to a request for his views OF
the effect of woman suffrage il
Kansas:
1T seems to ne very difficult t.
establish, even in ones own mind
a correct principle for guidance il
discussing the problem, because
the advantages and dangers are 81
various and contradictory in differ
ent parts of the country, owing tc
the widely varying local condi
tons.
81 can easily appreciate that
there have been excellent results
from the women's vote in some OF
of our far Western States, where
there are few or no large cities,
and where women, as a whole, are
more uniformly interested in good
government and less liable to i'm
proper influences which prevail in
our cities. Even in the farming
communities of our own State the
women might be allowed to vote
with advantage.
1T seems to me. however, quite
clear that the advantages under
such conditions would not be ei-
ther sufficiently great or general to
justify what | am convinced is a
very serious risk in extending the
franchise in our smaller cities, and
the evil which am sure would re-
suit in the larger cities.
1--WE have the suffrage in Tope-
ka for municipal elections, and
one needs only to watch the su :
cessful efforts by free carriages end
otherwise to secure the registra.
tration and voting of the colored
women, and the vicious as well as
the lower class, and observe the
general unwillingness Of the better
classes of females to subject them
selves to taking their turn in n
line of registration applicants of
both sexes, c0lors and all condi-
tons, to become satisfied that t, e
result Of the franchise will unuues-
tionably be in favor of the worst
side Of politics.
Il probably can not make my
point palmer than by giving my
personal experience in connection
with our city election, which took
place recently.
Being very much interested in
the selection Of proper officers,
induced one Of the ladies of my
family to vote at the primary, but
upon my suggestion that she should
90 down and register so as to be
able to vote at the main election.
she declined emphatically, and my
inclination to further urge my wife
and sister, born of my strong in.
terest in the election, received an
absolute quietus when | went to
the registration office to get my
own certificate, and saw the line
of applicants with whom they
would have to take their turn.
Aside from these considera-
tons, | can not escape the convic-
ton that the result Of the elections
in the majority of communities
would not be changed in the least.
or If they We're, the interest and
consequent energy of the profess
sional politicians and their worI :
ers would always oye,balance the
better class of female voters.
Voting does not seem to me a
Gol-glNth right, hut simply a hu-
man invention TO ASCERTAIN with
reasonable clearness the wishes Of
the majority of u community, and
while the women may be pardon
ed for pointing to the large number
OF illiterate persons who are allow
ed to vote, this does rot seem to
me an argument so strong in favor
OF woman suffrage as in favor of a
revision of eur laws by which the
ignorant and the foreigners, who
have not IN any sense imbibed the
true spirit of American institutions
should be barred out"