Indian chieftain. [volume] (Vinita, Indian Territory [Okla.]) 1882-1902, 1898-08-04
ONE MORE OBJECTION.
Weak Spot in the Much
Talked Of Curtis Bill.
VrNITA, 1. T., July %, 1898.

| VINITA, l. t., July %, 1898.
Much as the Curtis bill has been
discussed pro and con, there still re-
mains one offending word, which as
far as we have been able to observe,
has not been touched upon, and TO
us it appears very strange that word
of so much meaning should be over
| looked.
The discussions and debates as to
whether woman is mans equal have
become out of date, old fashioned,
simply because it is conceded almost
universally that woman is mans
equal.
But here comes the Curtis bill and
says that every male citizen in the
Indian Territory on the 10th OF Aug
ust may he allowed to vote.
Why, we wonder, in these days OF
reform and remodeling of territorial
affairs. did not the women of the
Cherokee Nation put flea in the car
of some lobbyist at Washington and
have one OF those ever convenient ar
ticles, an amendment, regarding this
matter
Are there not numerous instances
throughout the territory, where the
woman and not the man is the real
property holder:
Taxation is to be imposed upon
property holders. here then viii be
found the same injustice that our
early fathers thought serious enough
to fight over, Taxation without
representation" The unmarried
woman, the owner of taxable property
cannot be assured that her hired col
ored boy of twenty-one years will rep
resent her to her best interests, espec-
tally if he be unable TO read or write,
and may possibly and not improbably
be "Jum tonically'' drunk on election
day Such dependence cannot be
otherwise than unsatisfactory. If an
election means anything, it means
something to women as well as men.
Women suffer from the dust of un
sprinkled streets, or wade through the
mud of undrained ones; they stumble
through bad sidewalks; they and their
children are exposed to the dangers of
diseases which result from the unsani-
tary conditions of the town, and they
are subject TO punishment for misde-
meanors by laws they have no voice in
making. Nevertheless many have
been the arguments made long ago
why women should not vote. 1t was
argued that women would lose her at
tractive feminine ways and become 4
more masculine.
No objection, however, has been |
made that the women 60 to the post |
office, get their mail and read it too,
war news and all, that does not make |
them masculine. They also go TO
Fourth OF July celebrations where |
they can see as much drunkenness, |
encounter as many tobacco wads, and /
hear as much profanity as could well |
be at the polls on election day, and |
still the sale Of feminine hats and |
fans, haudkerchefs and parasOls is
not diminished. Then the demOral-
izing mascuining influence ofelection
day occurs but once a year, and most
women would be able to withstand
the temptation TO initiate the tipsy
maudllng, or profane excited brother
hood once year.
Another old argument used to be
that as women were unfit to bear
arms in defense of country during
time of war, she therefore had no
right to the full privileges Of suffrage.
Now we know, and are beginning to |
the fact that though she is
unfit to bear arms in warfare, she |
bears the soldiers who bear the arms,
often going through the valley Of the
shadow OF death that soldiers may be |
porn into the nation. Then after I
she mas nurSed, clothed, trained, edu- |
Gated them in the love of their coun-
Try from babyhood, she gives them in /
Iilhes oi danger to her country while |
she remains at home and uncomplain- J