The Portland daily press., 1895-03-08

member the part women took in the late
war. we fail TO see the force of the argu-
ment. do not believe bullet and ballots
go together. If they did one-third of the
male population would be debaIred from
voting. do not believe that if woman be
given the ballot the time is not far distant
when might will cease 10 make right. l do
not believe for moment that the right of
suffrage will lob woman of any of the
modest womanly qualities Where woman
has associated with man in the workshops
ana otlce this has not occurred. but man
has been refined ard elevated by the asso-
citation. 1t is claimed that the majority OF
the women DO not want the right of
suffrage. What was the meaning of the
immense throng of women in this House the
other day and not one wonial's voice rasied
IN opposition? If as a matter of right am
entitled to the ballot should | be deprived
that right simply because my neigabor does
not want ig2 l believe This measure SO con-
ducive TO the public good that as sure as
the sun is to rise and set this law is bound
to come. tApplause.) Our own distin-
guished citizen, Thomas B. Reed, favors
woman suffrage. (Appause.)
-. MN. ii1C MMbEL3 QH DEAIEIi,
was thenext man to advocate tho cause OF
the women, and did so III an earnest
speech Mr.. Hummer declared thai the last
part of the nineteenth century was the
time. and the United States of America the
place to show to tho world the wisdom of
the enfranclisemenu of the better half OF
humanity. There was no state better than
Maine IN which to extend the SURFACE to
women. he daughters Of Maine came from
the same stock the sons of Maine, they
We're subject to the discipline and amenities
OF the same homes, they read the same
magazines and papers,
What DO the opponents of this measuI o
say5 They urge that the majority of women
do not want the ballot, hut so, coo women in
Massachusetts petitioned for it. In Wyoming
women have voted oger twenty years and
they cast AS many Votes as The mep. When
struggle was lately made in Colorado to
free the state from the demogogic, popU-
listic, socialIstic Governor Waite. ninety
per cent Of The registered women voters
went to the polls while only eighty per cent
OF the men voted.
Another objection is that all the bad
women wonld vote and only a few of the
good. Figures have showed, this not to be
the case in states where women now vote.
And then there are many more good
women than good men. The penitentiaries
of This country contain eleven times as
many men as women. f:.
Another class of objec tors say that the
women wonid vote as their husbands do.
and SO the, suffrage would amount TO moth
ing. if that be SO, what becomes of the
hat
cause family broils? Even if this is so, it
does noi provide for the case of those
women who from choice or necessity are
not married. In Massachusetts there are
10000 surplus women who could not marry
If they wanted TO. tLaughter.)
II is objected that wome do not know
enough 10 vote, but in the higher schools
of this state today there are ten girls to one
boy. And then the directors say that it
would contamiuate women to have to go to
the polling places. ] do not see how going
into a rallied spJ ce. taking ballot from the
son of neighbor, marking il and deposit
ing it in box presided over by the town
fathers could harm an angel from Heaven.
But if the polling places are as their oppo-
nents represent hem, then sood and pure
men should not be required o go there
III COHIiaSioH, MI IfulB!neF% caIleu upon
the members of the House to show that they
represented all the people of the state and
not half of them.
MR. HOLBR0OK OF BRUNSWICK
in bIlef speech, whose earnestness and
eloquence, called out long applause.
favored the bill. He believed votes pro
| and con were votes expressing or denying
| confidence in the mothers of the land, and
said that women had been standing long
enough between the armies of right and
wrong.
| Mr.. Whelden of Portland was the first
speaker in opposition. He presented a re-
monstrance against the bill signed by six
hundred women of Bath. Mr.. Whelden said
that he WAS not a disciple of that school OF
| philosophy that would do justice by grant.
ing the request of eight hundred or nine
hundred women when Ole hundred and
thirty thousand opposed it.
THEN CAME MR.. KEEGAN
who told the House that he thought Mr.
Whelden had struck the key note Nobod y
would object to giving the ballot to women
if majority of the women wanted it, but
they did not. Then Mr.. Keegan stated some
objections which did not seem to depend on
the wishes of the women. He said he would
be as willing to have women enter the arena
of the prize fighter as the turmoil Of
town and ward politics. They say we are
| tolerant of opinions in Maine, bur do not
| believe man who drove to the polls witt
| his wife and knew that she had cast ballot
which nullfed his could come a way smilina
| and think it was all right. 1t is those little
| things that make trouble in the family
| There is now one divorce case to ever,
| eight marriages in Maine. and if this meas
ure is made law, should expect to see on,
divorce in every three or two marriages
| and finally the institution of marriag,
would be done away with altogether
| Women are better than men; they ar,
| eq ually intelligent, but there are SOM
things that men are better calculated t,
| do then women, and voting, in Nh Keegan'
| opinion is one of them.
Messrs. Patten, Howe of Milo, Powers an,
Fairbanks spoke briefly in favor of tn
measure, Mr.. Powers replied particular,
10 Mr.. Keegan. and told of the orderl,
elections held in Massachusetts towns ant
cities where women voted for members o
1 Al r-I1.N al H~n.-