The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1900-08-02
SUFFRAGE IN COLORADO.
Elnora NJ. Babcock Replies to the
"Horrid Men,

To the Editor of the State Journal
For the past few weeks the newspa-
pers throughout the country have been
quoting profuseIy from an article writ
ten by John Cotton Dana of Springfield,
Mass, upon Woman Suffrage in Col
orado-" In this article Mr.. Dana has
evidently sought to be fair in his con-
illusions to everyone and to please both
those who believe woman suffrage to be
a success in Colorado and those who do
not believe it to be a success, and as a
result, has neither proved anything or
pleased anyone. The whole article is a
mass of contradictions and to the think
ing person would carry no weight what
ever in either direction
Alice Stone Blackwell. in a review of
his article in the Boston Transcript
points out some of his inconsistencies in
manner that makes them readily COM
pretended by anyone. After citing the tes-
timony of almost every prominent man
and woman in Colorado as to the bene-
fetal effects Of woman suffrage in that
state, she says:
What does Mr.. Dana give US to offset
this? The testimony of an ANONYMOUS
professional politician one anonymous
Colorado woman and one anonymous
Colorado lawyeri
Moreover, the assertions of the an
OnymOuS politician frequently contradict
each other, and also contradict those of
the anonymous woman and the anOny-
nous lawyer. while Mr.. Dana'S own as
sertions contradict all three The only
possible answer to this riddle is the old
one: The boy lied do not mean that
Mr.. Dana lied: no doubt he has given
his own impressions correctly; but 1t Is
clear that the professional politician and
the anonymous lawyer havstO put it
nildIy-indUlged in misstatements of
ma gnitude.
Look at a few of these contra dictions.
The politician says: The politicians
have to cater to the decent element as
represented by the women yet he as
serts that they have deliberately at
tempted to conduct political meetings SO
as to disgust reputable women A like
" story, when they want the wOmen's
votes. He says that the bad men and
the bad women run things Immediate
ly afterward he declares that the dozen
or twenty women delegates sent to a
convention to help run things will get
together in a corner and there some
man known to a few of them and con-
sidered by them respectable can talk
wishes. But if they are bad women
why does it take a man whom they
consider respectable to persuade them2
This professional politician COM
plains of the uncertain and vacillating'
character of the women. and says that
they cannot be counted upon to remain
of the same mind between leaving home
and arriving at the polls The anony-
nous lawyer, on the other hand, asserts
that the women. almost without excep-
ton, vote as their male relatives direct
in which se,of course. their vote would
be neither more nor less 'vacillating'
than that of the men
The politician says that two men
have offered to try and secure the re-
peal Of equal suffrage, but they wish to
be paid enough so that after they have
made their attempt they can afford to
leave the state for fear of the wOmen's
wrath, presumably, and he adds: AS
matter of fact, no one has the nerve to
start a movement against woman SUI
frage- Yet he asserts in the next
breath that the majority of the women
would vote against it (woman suffrage1
today Truly, these are what Col. T.
w Higginson would call Kilkenny ar
guments,' arguments which are no soou-
er set down side by side than they de-
stroy each other like the celebrated Kill
kenny cats.
Not long ago I addressed a letter of
enquiry about suffrage to the presidents
of more than a hundred woTnenS liter
airy clubs in Colorado Out of the whole
number only two replied that equal suf-