The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1899-08-20
RESULTS OFWOMAN VOTING.
ALICE STONE BLzCKWELL Defends
~. HER sLTORITE CAUSE

A.. d,c,ihc thu narrowing results Of equal suIrag,
in Colorado | lately addressed inquiries to sov
.,l women In thai State. who knew possessed
.oci,l position and influence, but about whose
views on tho suffrage question knew nothing
rrh. .,avcra show how basccss Is the fear that
eoual suffrage will lin tho words OF an anti leaf
Ie,) -unloosc the very wheels OF pcrdition.'
Mrs Ralph W. King, president OF the Saturday
Afternoon club Of Greeley. Col, writes: Il confess
,h.t when the woman suffrage law was passed,
v,a rather skeptcal as To the outcome: but
r,n tru,hfu,ly say that believe great benefits
h.y. ,lready been derived from It, and II there
have heen any evil results have never seen them.
Th. frst good effect noticeable was the changed
condition Of the voting places. The presence OF
women has done away with rough language,
loud talking and many other dsagrceable fea-
,urcs There has been great improvement in
municipal affairs because OF tho women's vote.
7 mink they are less bound to party than men,
One thing Is certain and acknowledged by all
that u the matter were again put TO q vote, wo-
man suffrage would be carried by twice the ma
FORTY 1t had before
81 know that the bad and ignorant women do
no, vote more generally than the others They
a, course have the same opportunity the bad
and ignorant men. but so also have the good wo-
men. and in this, az well as in other things, the
AS 10 the imparing of home happiness, have
never seen any such result Women take pride
In cine able to converse intelligently with their
husbands and friends on questions Of public inter
est
NO more efficient person than our State Super
int,ndent of Schools Mrs. Helen L. Grenfe
ever filled the place. In the last General Assem-
blv there were three women members OF the house.
who never missed roll CALL nor in any way neglected
their duties My father. Mr. j. Max Clark. was
also member of this body. and in his estimation,
as well as in that Of the other members, the women
filled their positions in every way efficiently as
their forty men colleagues | enclose a clipping
from the Greeley Tribune. of which my father is
editor which may give you a better idea Of this
than can.
As write l am lying propped up in bed with
a tiny mite of humanity beside me. and you may
understand how earnestly feel when l tell you
that believe shall DO better mother TO my baby.
and be more able to guide his thoughts in tho
right way. because of the rights have as a Colo
RADIO woman"
The editorial enclosed by Mrs King from the
Greely Tribune says that in Colorado mot one
man in ten would vote TO take the franchise away
from women and declares that the three women
members of the Legislature were much above the
average of that body.
Mrs b. F. Hotel of Fort Collins Col writes
eat first the ladies' did not seem to care partc-
ularly To vote. As their fathers. brothers and
husbands had always represented them, they
were willing that it should continue So But
after looking the matter more carefully. they
began to think of those who were taxed without
being represented Then, again, our votes might
save some worthy individual from defeat Many
other thoughts arose which caused us to go to the
polls and cast our votes with less reluctance.
Everything about the voting places seems
clean and orderly; the gentlemen are polite
they never use tobacco in our presence. and never
yet have heard a profane word We keep our
selves well informed to the candidates. and try
10 elevate to Office those whom we think most
worthy.
Equal suffrage could not impair the happiness
Of homes it takes only few moments TO vote,
and but few OF our sex care to become politicians.
| think our gentlemen respect us more since We
have political views, and are able TO express them
% some effect During the Biennial of the Gen
Ral Federation OF Womens Clubs. held last sum
her in Denver. / thought this question had been
tettlcd for then heard many of the ladies say
they would return to their places of residence and
Use their inauencefor suffrage, as they had never
seen brighter and happier homes than those in
Colorado. As am Southerner, It took me quite
a while to become imbued with these ideas, but
now am great advocate of the ballot"
Miss Clara Barton. now at work in Cuba, esti-
mates that in that unhappy island there are so 600
destitute orphan children whose parents have
died of want Almost every living child among
them represents the sacrifice of a heroic mother.
When there was little food the mother went with
out 1t and died. The children ate and lived.
Yet some people think the maternal instinct Is so
oh all ND .l,,rkt IL
destroyed II women were allowed to vote upon the
expenditure of their taxes!
The victory Won by the women voters Of New
Orleans in behalf Of sewerage and pure water has
been wildly heralded. Now 1t seems that New
Orleans is not yet out OF danger. and many fail
TO get its sanitary Improvements after all. Re
ferring to the coming municipal election. the Time,
Democrat says:
"The voters of New Orleans will then be called
upon to determine whether the fruits OF the de
cision in favor Of drainage and sewerage shal
be gathered, or whether the dscredited ring shall
stand like lion in the path In this crisis Of the
oil the city's fate, there devolves upon the women
OF New Orleans a duty which, sure. they
will be glad to face 1t is beyond dispute that the
influence OF the gcntler sex turned the scale in
favor OF the special tax indeed there Is reason
to suppose that without the increasing efforts OF
those good angels Of the city's welfare the ques
ton could never have come TO a vote at all. Now
We ask the women Of New Orleans to remember
that bad administration in the City Hall will de-
stroy the results OF their energy and public spirit
1t is not necessary that wives mothers and sisters
should mix in politics, in the accepted sense OF
OF that much abused term. but II Is imperative
that they should use subtle coercion In behalf
OF those grander and nobcr ideals which mus
also rule in the realm of the practical II the life OF
this community Is 10 be something more result
full than perpetual grasping at straws We
trust therefore. that every woman will do wha
she can in behalf of a full registration and righ
exercise al the ballot"
just after the sewerage and drainage election
had been carried by the aid OF the women. Mrs
Evelyn W. Ordway of New Orleans wrote:
Next fall the election Of the State and city o.
nclas for the four years following will take place
AS there is great danger that corrupt city ad
ministraton will come into power similar 10 tn,
one displaced four years ago. II is safe to say
that the men then, in view Of this recent expert
ence, will realize how great is the loss they sue
by not having the help Of the women" Thi
prophecy has been quickly fulfilled. No doub
tho New Orleans women will try TO influence tn,