Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1898-08-12

The Tacoma Daily Ledger timely
and kindly sends out to the women of
the State OF Washington the following
questions. 1t is timely, because it is
not too soon that women should be
able to answer such questions. and
kindly of the editor to give them an
opportunity to do so irrespective OF
his opinions upon the subject Such
answers must necessarily he brief and
those who desire to be more explicit
must seek the indulgence for more
space Of the willing editors of our
weekly papers
TACOMA, July 80, 1898.
DEAR MADAM:
At the coming November election, the
Equal Suffrage Amendment will come
before the voters OF the State of Wash
ington for adoption or rejection.
DO you personally wish to be one of
the voters OF the future?
What is the prevailing sentiment of
your women friends on this subject?
The Tacoma. Daily Le1yer wishes to
print symposium on this subject and
will feel deeply indebted to you if you
will kindly take the trouble to write out
your views upon this subject as briefly
as possible. Please write upon but one
side OF the sheet, sign your name and
pOstotfice address and county in full,
and mail in an envelope addressed as
follows: THE TACOMA LEDGER,
SYMPOSIUM EDITOR. Tacoma.
We trust the young ladies and wo-
men OF this county and State will re-
spond promptly.
We hope that we are not unchari-
table, but in some way the questions
impress me with the idea that the
chronic habit, since Adam, of laying
the blame on the woman, still exists.
Suppose the following question was
propounded to the unmarried of Wash
ington. DO you personally wish to
marry a poor man and do your honest
part working for God, and home, and
native land? Suppose many would re-
ply: My father and mother supply
all my wants. Why should i soil my
hands in assuming new responsibilities
incident to manual labor. / have
time for novel reading, the study of
fashion plates, and to enter into the
gay and festive scenes of fashionable
society. l have all the responsibilities
l want" Suppose many should say !
prefer to teach, or to preach, or to sew
or to nurse. Suppose a small major
ity should say nay; would it be any
argument in favor of Withholding the
holy privilege from intelligent, wo.
manly women who might conscien-
tiously desire to enter into such a
worthy partnership? Would it be fair
orjust to have it heralded throughout
the land that the women of Washing
ton do not desire to marry?
1t may be..a concise, business, manly
like way of meeting the subject, but a
woman trailing in the grand and bril-
liant phalanx of idiots and criminals
mould be more likely to take some
round about way after this fashion:
l. DO you wish to help man i'll pc
litical affairs as you do now in home
school and church matters?
2. Do you wish to assist your faith.
ers, husbands, sons and sweethcarts in
improving the laws?
3. Do you think it just that women
who wish to vote should be denied the
privilege, when those who do not care
to do so will not be compelled to exer'
else the rightY
4, DO you think 1t just that small
majority Of men shall decide the ques
ton at the coming November election
And on and on, until there is nc
end to her unreasonable questionings
1t depends upon circumstances how
the scathing question, "Do you wish
to vote" is answered. At the beginning
of the Civil War, the writer was in the
Sunny South, boarding in a planters
family, and when the subject of free.
dom of the slaves was mentioned III
the presence of a man servant, his re,
sponse was: "Massa is good to me
why should l be free?" If interrogat.
ed by an outsider whom he could trust
his views were found to be decidedly
pronounced in favor of freedom. This
same slave hired his masters daughter
to teach him to read. For a small
pittance, she would steal away to his
cabin where she found an apt and
eager pupil. 1t frequently occurs that
when a gentleman asks u lady if to-
baccO smoke is offensive to her she
will reply: "Not at all, l quite enjoy
it," when her expression to an anti.
tobacconist would be quite different
Women dislike to wound the feelings
OF their gentlemen friends. We ex-
pect the Pauline type of thinkers, who
from heredity habit entertain illogical
ideas about the rights of women, to an
swer in the negative, but such preju-
dices are fast being eliminated. Even
ossified conservatism and hereditary
kinks in the brain will soon be diluted
by the sWift-hoWing stream of eyolu.