The record-union., 1896-05-24
and sputatory efforts to a

We're ABOUT, ana lne women tnerS d1d
not vote at all. The precincts which
We're supposed to be seats of intellect
and culture sent but few representa-
tive women to the polls. This fact was
brought out with such startling dis
tinctness that all the papers of Kansas
City, Mo-, remarked it, and many were
the editorials upon it. Some precincts
were so arranged as to take in both the
higher and lower classes of society. In
these precincts the polling place just
swarmed with loud and rude colored
women and ruder white ones, and the
disputes and wrangles during the day
were more disgraceful than any / have
ever seen men INDUCED in. AT one pre-
cinct polling place in the afternoon
saw a colored woman with an illicit
breath strong enough to hold up the
Ferris wheel, throw her arms around
the wife of a prominent attorney and
say to her, Look hyar, honey; if you
doan vote dis ticket III swat you sure
1t was with much difficulty that this
greasy colored female hustler was got
ten away from her victim. Young
man. am not exaggerating this at all
| was an eyewitness to it, as also were
many newspaper men from St. Louis
Chicago and Kansas City. Mo, and
they VIII all testify TO the degrading
and disgraceful scenes around many of
the precinct polling places. This was
in the largest and most populous city in
the State of Kansas. The fact is that
the scenes around the polling places
were so disgraceful on that day that
understand that ever since then there
has been very little suffrage exercised
by the women of that city on any cleo
ton day since.
Il will say, however that all the cities
and towns in Kansas were not like this.
OF course in the largest cities. like
Wichita Topeka, Emporia. Arkansas
City, Hutchinson, Lawrence. Atchison
and other cities, the same scenes were
observed; but in the small towns. vii
hges and hamlets most of the women
exercised the right of suffrage and the
election went off quietly smoothly and
without friction. Since the first election
when women exercised the right of suf-
frage in Kansas l have visited many of
the smaller towns and have seen the
women vote. You must bear in mind
that the small Kansas towns and vii
lagos are mostly situated on prairfes
and the houses are separated from each
other by large farms and ranches. The
caring for these immense acres engages
the attention of the farmers to such an
extent that they have but little time
for political discussion; whereas the
women have plenty of time to read, and
are the greatest subscribers to the
newspapers. They not only read, but
think for their husbands, brothers and
sweethearts, and whatever they say
goes, not only on matters of church and
society, but also in matters OF state
Election day in these places is to them
exciting and important, and all the
women attend the polls in the same
spirit as they attend husking bee. a
strawberry festival or church raising
IN the town of HiaWetha, Kas., l saw a
crowd of women around the polling
place earnestly discussing suffrage, and
got near, expecting 20 hear learned
dissertations on economy and political
subjects. But to my horror and amaze
ment l heard the spokesWoman descant-
ing on the cheapest place to buy calico
in Kansas City, No The judges and
clerks of the polling places were all
women, and they had gotten up from
their desks to hear the discussion on
dress goods, and several farmers boys
sitting on the country wagon with their
mouths agape, and rimless straw hats
on their heads, stood drinking in the
conversation with open mouths, while
their hands We're busily engaged in
whiting chunks of wood. The contrast
was so great between this polling place
4 I
on the event of the first election day in
which women participated, that 1 nat
urally made a comparison between
them.
I'VE see from time to time articles in
the big daily papers about women May
ors women clerks and other women
municipal officers. We hear about the
wonderful and strict attention to busi-
ness of these women financiers. A good
deal of this is sheer rot and poppy-cOck.
In most of the Kansas towns where the
government is in charge of women, the
people are too poor and so occupied
with the cares of subsistence that they
haven't the time nor the disposition to
linger in politics. The women who are
generally fairly we'll educated, know
ing the stress that their husbands
brothers and sweethearts are under
and having been by experience taught
the necessity of economy and frugal
ity naturally carry out and exercise
these good qualities when elected to the
offices that the men have not the time
nor the disposition to fill. In most of
these cases in the large towns that
have women officials, the women almost
o[ Nv fn hn u
important matters of government and
generally act on the advice of their
male confreres. Notwithstanding the
fact that the women have exercised
suffrage in Kansas for some years,
they have not yet, as far as I have
sent any women Representa-
tives to the Legislature. They might
hold offices in small villages and muni-
cipalities and probably occupy impor-
tant county offices, but it is the 'horrid
men that they always send to the Leg
islature and Congress. When Jerry
Simpson first made his campaign for
Congress in Kansas / had the good for
tune to hear him address a mass meet
ing of his felloW-citiZens and citizen
esses. There were about three citi-
zeneSses to one citizen in the hall The
citizens mainly employed their time
during the meeting sitting in small
knots on the outside of the building.
smoking and discussing matters of state,
waiting for the assembly to disperse so
they could take the ladies home
Il once asked Senator Plumb of Kan
sas his opinion on woman suffrage, and
he told me that he did not consider
woman suffrage as practical. He said
that but few of the intelligent women
would vote. Many of the lower classes