The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1897-05-06
HOT SHOT
FOR WAITE.
The Ex-Governor of Colorado
Catches a Tartar.
His Lecture on Restricted
Suffrage" at st. Louis,
CALLS FORTH A REPLY
From the President of the Local
Suffrage Club.
She Resents His AlIusions to
Abandoned Women.

st. Louis, May 6.-BlOOd, brides deep,
has no terrors for Davis H. Waite, ex-
/ governor of Colorado. but he fiinched
! last night under the flashing eyes and
scornfuI glances Of a woman. For an
hour he squirmed in his chair on the
platform at jefferson Club hall, listening
with bowed head, buried in his hands.
to the Indignant reply of Mrs. Victoria
COnkling Whitney, president of the St.
Louis Equal Suffrage club, to his lecture
on Restricted Suffrage"
When Mrs. Whitney introduced the
orator, she announced that it remained
to be seen whether there would be any
thing else on the programme.
That something else came rather
expectedly to the Coloradoan at the con-
clusion of his long and discoursive ad.
dress. Mrs. Reber, in a few words ex-
planatory of the action, introduced Mrs.
Whitney.
'It is with great trepidation,'' said the
latter, that I arise to discharge this
duty. 1t is not, however, because of any
fears of answering the governors argu-
ments, for he hasn't made any, or be-
cause he, a politician, an ex-governor, a
man accustomed to address thousands
had his address all written out, while 1
have only one sheet of paper and little
stub lead pencil. But 1 am disappointed
in his address. I sold fifty tickets to his
y i
Mrs. Whitney accused the governor of
begging the question at issue by wan
dering of into discussion of the money
question The COloradOan's lecture had
been largely a statement of his position
on the woman's suffrage question, and a
circumstantiaI denial of the report that
he had changed front, a defense of POpu-
lism, arraignment of the church infiu-
ence in politics and denunciation of Re-
Is of Ta tot
he had made: q am told that Mark
Hanna raised S16OOO,OOO to spend in the
last campaign. I believe that 1 was de-
feated for governor of Colorado in 1894
by fraud and corruption. The majority
against me was $4,000, but subsequent in
vestigations have convinced me that in
the three cities of Denver. Pueblo and
Colorado City alone 10000 votes were
changed by fraud and corruption"
Mrs Whitney said she could not see
how this statement bore out his argu-
ment for restricted female suffrage.
May I ask what votes We're bought?'
she inquired, and some one in the audi
ence sarcasticaIy answered, Women
The governor has spoken about aban-
doned women" she said. turning him
a scornful glance. Taking a step nearer
the gray-haired figure, whose Bonded
head still occupied cOwed attitude she
almost Missed: IF there is anything that
makes me downright furious, it is to
have man draw the line at any woman.
Why say an abandoned woman and not
an abandoned man? Why herd the one
and not the other? Who made the laws
that are responsible for these FEATURES?
Not the women They are at the mercy
of everything that walks in breeches.
Only few days ago the newspapers told
US how one of the finest had knocked
down a defenseless woman, and the
black maria outrage is still fresh in the
public mind. I say that it is a disgrace
to manhood to speak of abandoned wo-
men,
Mrs. Whitney read a stack of testimon-
ials from women suffrage states to con-
trovert Governor Waite's statement that
the evils of unrestricted woman suffrage
are double the evils of unres tricted man
hood suffrage"
Governor Waite's idea was that suf-
frage should be restricted only to those
who could read and write. Il notice that
our high school classes said Mrs. Whit
ney in answer to this, generally con-
sist of about ten boys and fifty or sixty
girls. BY and by all the intelligence will
be in our hands. Then we will restrict
suffrage"
This was the equal suffrage champions
parting shot. When she bowed her ac-
acknowledgements to the small audience a
change came over her opponent. The
governors head rose, his bent form
Strengthened and before Mrs. Whitney
had taken her seat he had begun his re-
ply
Il didn't hear all that the speaker has
said" he declared, alphabetically.
''WeII, guess you didn't miss nnuch,'
retorted Mrs. Whitney from her seat.
This was the Coloradoan's opportunity.
Pointing a long finger at his feminine
disputant, he demanded angrily: why
do you talk of abandoned women? You
yourself will not associate with them.
You shun them at every opportunity.
How is it with the abandoned men? Do
you not make lions of them at your So
ciaI functions? Are they not sought aft
er at washington and New York, and do
not fashionable women smile upon them?
Why do you not apply the same rule to
men and women
After this burst of indignation the gov
ernor told the story of the wife of a SEN
ator from a northwestern state. She had
once worked for living a a dressmaker.
and Washington society refused to re-
ceive her for no other reason.
why should hired girls be considered
beneath the notice and contempt of So
eiety women demanded the speaker as
he stamped his heavy boot and agitated
the atmosphere with his arms. There
are many hired girls in heaven. but you
don't need to go there to find fashiona-
bic women. Suppose one of your St.
Louis 400 should marry a hired girl
'sThat'd be all right" said a shrin
voice
''Oh; but it wouldn't declared the Col
oradoan with spirit Would your So
| ciety women recognize her? They
wouldn't let her enter their sanctihed