Pike County press. (Milford, Pa.) 1895-1925, 1901-04-19
AN EDITORS OPINION
OF WOMAN SUFFRAGE.

It is abhorrent to all principle of
eternal right and Justice that one
half of the populaaun-should have
no voice in the enactment of legis-
latiUn and laws which are made to
govern all, There is, there can be,
no justification for it.
The idea that the degraded sot,
the loathsome wretch of the slums,
'he vicious and ignorant of the male
sex should be allowed equal partici-
patton IN the electoral franchise, and
that this right should be arbitrarily
denied TO females, no matter how
highly educated or refined, is On
ethical monstrusity-repulsive and
utterly untenable TO a mind in which
logic and reason abide.
Let us note bri, fly some of the
"arguments"-God save the appli.
cation of the word argument in this
instance--'yhich were used by the
opponents Of the amendment in the
California Legislature this winter.
Said Senator Cutter: The majori.
ty of women do not want to vote
and it is ridiculous to thrust down
their throats something to which
they are opposed. Twas ever thus
How many thousands of times have
we heard this statement before. 1t
was used so many years ago that
the memories of those long in the
tomb runneth not to the contrary.
Without wasting any time in con-
sideration of the truth OF falsity of
the statement that the majority of
women do not want to vote, grant
that it may be true. What then 2
Assuming that niue women do not
want to vote and that one women
does. should the one women be de-
MED her inherHnt right, simply be.
cause nine other women have no de-
sire to exercise that right? This
question has been proponded innum-
able times and it has never yet been
answered. 1t is unanswerabl BILE.
furthermore, no one wants to, nor
is 1t proposed, to thrust ballot
down women's throats. What is
lesired is that women shall have
the right to vote and then if there
be individual women who do not de-
sire to avail themselves of the right
to cast ballot, that is their own
business.
We have never yet heard it main.
tanned that the ballot in the hands OF
the woman is menace. We have
yet to hear of n single instance in
which harm has resulted from wo.
man voting. If she has the right tC
vote, and dosen't vote, why certain.
ly no harm is done,
In the debate in the Legislature, q
Senator admitted the 'intellectua
and moral superiority of women
and then fervently, and with mock
heroism, remarked that he was op
posed to dragging women down tC
the level of man as would inevitably
be the case if women voted" More
falsehuOd. more insulting assump
tiUn of the weakness of woman I
morality, moro incongruity of state.
ment, more mahciOusness, could no
be crowded into a single sentence
No woman will be dragged down tt
a mans level by the simple act o
voting. The allegation that sucl
result would ensue is insulting ant
in direct contradistinction to tn
admitted intellectual superiority o
women. The ballot in the hand o
woman does not mean heI moral de
terioration. Rather does 1t max
for the uplifting Of humankind il
general, Tor the participation OF gOo'
women in any of the affairs Of lif
has an unquestioned tendency tn
ward betterment. Neither VIII
woman by voting lose any of tina
delicacy and modesty which is til
charm of ner sex. Abundant proc
of this fact is to be found in thos
Stat 8 and localities where the Sc
line in suffrage has been blOtte
out.-Stockton, Cal, Daily Record