Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1898-10-28
The Matter Of Impartial Suffrage.

sic NblCu WIFI llIlclliStIl'C anu Wis
crcti0n, that she made n careful, just
and discriminating juror, and faith
ful and scrupulou>ly honest public
officer. The charge that she would
he swavcd by passion, instead of rca
son, was shown to be- wholly false !;
and the oft-rcpcatcd claim that woman
did not want the ballot and would not
vote II it was placed within her reach
was proven equally untrue. The in
tcrcst manifested by the prescribed sex
in political meetings now, and the part
they sometimes unconsciously take in
discussing and shaping political events,
Indicate that they have by no means
lost faith in n measure which so close
~ affects their individual interests
nor the zeal which active participa-
ton during that probationary period
had called into play. Many who had
opposed the suffrage enactment, under
Il mistaken prejudice, acknowledged
their error and took an active part in
selecting our officers and in making
our laws.
The great contention that participa-
ton in political affairs would degrade
woman was not only shown to he alb
solutely false, but it was demonstrated
that her presence ut the hastings, her
participation in debates, and her ap-
pcarance at the polls, UNNECESSARILY
elevated the tone of popular scnti-
ment, and places that were before not
ed, at times, for rowdyism and disor-
der, became, as everything else under
her benign presence, quiet, orderly and
in keeping with the important duties
OF American citizenship.
The objection that enfranchisement
would confer political rights upon
bad women was purely bugaboo to
restrain the timid. Bad women gave
no more trouble at the polls than bad
men, and not as much, for they are
seldom disturbers of the peace, and
hardened indeed must be the woman
who becomes SO lost to decency under
malign circumstances as her brother
man.
That women are at times, from
natural causes, incapacitated from
performing some of the duties of
citizenship, has very little weight,
for the law recognizes just such con-
ditions for man, and discretion is
given courts to excuse from jury or
other duty those who ask exemption
from temporary or permanent cause.
A little common sense will prevent
any hardship or embarrassment from
this obligation.
The constructive representation that
woman has through her husband, when
taxes are imposed upon her individual
property, or she is punished for an in
fraction of law that she had no hand
in making, is one of those refined sub
tleties which only the higher courts
devise to justify their arbitrary rul-
ings. When it comes to holding u
spinster to amenability for laws she
has no part in framing, this method of
representation becomes SO attcnuatcd
that it might puzzle even the Supreme
Court to discover enough incorporeal
substance upon which TO base an
q" opinion"
The Bloomer decision, by which the
Territorial act was rele2 ated to OBJ
security was the act of carital invested
in the liquor traffic, an was based
upon the technically o! n defective
title. Both the manncs of securing
the courts ultimatum, al ! the ground
upon which it was basea, reflect no
credit upon the tools emp.Dyed to ac-
complish woman's acknowledgements.
Very few outside of Certain class
of politicians and those that imagine
their business interests might be
placed in jeopardy by the Introduction
OF a higher element in politics, who
witnessed the experiment during Ter
ritorial days, will vote against the
proposition now, for it is grounded
upon justice and the result has demon
strated that women may be trusted
with the ballot without any fear that
it will be used for any other object
that the promotion of the true bust
ness interests of the commonwealth.