The San Francisco call., 1896-10-11
THE PRESS FAVORABLE TO
WOMAN SUFFRAGE.

The women in the stress of the campaign
for equal suffrage are deeply grateful to the
newspapers of the State. three-fourths of
which are warmly advocating the sixth
amendment Among several facts creditable
to the State, which the suffrage campaign has
brought to light, none are more SO than the
generosity and the disinterestedness shown by
the press.
The Santa Barbara Flag says: zone of the
arguments advanced against equal suffrage is
that women do not as a rule care to vote. On
the same line of argument women do not pine
forths privilege of making beds or sweeping
or washing dishes, and yet all these unpleas-
ant tasks are necessary to the welfare OF I'VE
men, and SO is equal suffrage. We have tried
to operate this Government for long time
and have not succeeded very WELL and 1t is
time for us not only to allow the women to
help US, but to ask them 10 do So"
The Tulare Citizen speaking of proper quail.
| reasonable that men of light complexion or
blue eyes should be disfranchised as 1t is to
dlsfranchise person because OF the accident
OF sex, over which she had no control and for
which she is in no way responsible No test
other than that OF the ability to exercise the
right of the elective franchise inteligently
should ever be applied among people laying
claim to an advanced stage OF civilization.
There is no good. intelligent reason
why woman should not exercise the privilege
on equal terms with man."
/
different amendments to be voted upon at the
ensuing election says: No. g, if carried, will
give woman the ballot. AS citizen, tax
| payer and mother she has right to it. AS an
! intelligent being, fully as much interest ted in
| good government as men, she Can lay full
claim to take as sensible part in elec tons as
men usually do. There is no good argument
against female suffrage, while there are hun
| dreds in favor of it, Vote great big yes for
No. b, and when you have done so you will
simply have performed an act, but one that
xr.Sll elra fn41
| if you live to see the effects of woman as q
voter you will bless the day in which you
were permitted TO put great big Y for amend
ment6.n
| We have come across two papers that pay
| their respects to the Missourian who is so
afraid of woman, the Hantord Democrat and
the Ukiah Herald. The first says: "John At
kinson OF st. Louis says If California adopts
equal suffrage he will change his intention of
coming to this State. Arguments in favor of
equal suffrage. multiply" The second paper
you are, John. California can do without you,
but without woman suffrage, neyerp'
Among several papers in Humboldt County
favorable to amendment we quote the words
of the editor of toe Eureka Watchman: "We
have never seen valid, tenable reason urged
for denying equal suffrage We look upon man
and woman as two individuals before the law.
There ca be no just reason why the law
should give one individual special right
or privilege over another individual There
can be no reason why the law should place
L
vidual TO render such Individual subject
| to the unchecked power OF another simply
because of the distinctIon of sex. Woman
must bear all the obligations, pains and PEN
aities that the law imposes, must pay taxes, be
| imprisoned, be executed on the gallows for
capital crime, and to deny her voice in
making and rendering such laws infiicting
penalties and summarily disposinr of her
person and property can only arise from the
| barbaric instincts that have not been educated
out of the so-ealled civilized man; in fact this
| indubitable evidence of former state of bar
barity seems to cling to some men with terrible
tenaeity-a deathlike grip. In all stages oi
civilization the barbaric and partially civil
| ICED inevitably go to the wall in contest with
| a higher civilization. The instinct that denies
| the individual woman the standing before the
law that ii does the individual man must Just
as surely go to the wall, and the time for this
event is very near at hand. The battle is
now onl'
| We close with good word from Holnster.
The West Coast Alliance says: "We do not re-
member when we did not believe in the equal
political rights OF men and women. We have
believed that the truth would come to be re-
stored and the natural rights of woman would
be conceded by those in whose hands that
vote now rests. We know of no rule or prin-
ciple which can be applied to women as an argu-
ment against the franchise which does not ap-
ply with equal force against men. We are glad
| the question is before the people in the shape
| of an amendment to the constitution. We are
| pioning the cause"
These samples of the sentiment Of the press
| taken at random, do not look as if the ''chiv-
airy" of men will die out when womans just
Claim to the ballot is gran ted.
ELIZABETH SARGENT.