The Jasper weekly courier. [volume] (Jasper, Ind.) 1858-1922, 1902-11-14
w. CT. U. COLUMN.
CONDUCTED By MRS. Nj. L. HOBBS.
Woman Suffrage.

Kew. Dr. Ec0b, formerly OF New
York, later OF Colorado, row o
Philadelphia, said at the recen
Festival Of the New England Suf
frage Association:
i am glad in a few words to Civ
you my impressions Of equal sui
Ifrage in Colorado. had the gooC
fortune to live in that new kingdom
for two years. | will tell you some
of the things | saw, and some o.
things did not see.
The first thing which impressed
me was that the women were more
serious than the average Of womer
Elsewhere, and that they we're dis
cussing different order of utjects
The topic was not hats, or pink oil
yellow teas, but questions of the
state, Of the city, AMI especially Of
the schools. You could not find Q
group OF mothers anywhere but
they were discussing the best inter.
ests Of the schools, and inviting the
teachers to their homes, ard try.
log TO elect the best men to the
school board. | said to myself,
Colorado is now where New Eng
land was fifty years ago." New
England is a spirit, and il has gone
westward.
The second thing | noticed was
tha, municipal affairs we're regarded
as the larger housekeeping, and at
every little social function the WON
en-, instead of talking about their
servants, we're discussing the welfare
of the city.
In the third place, | found the
women reading the newspapers,
and things relating to the welfare Of
the state, and keeping in close touch
with all the doings Of the political
parties. This is one of the most
important gains of equal suffrage
for those mothers were in-tructing
not only their daughters but their
sons in all the elements Of good cit.
|izenship.
An election was held soon after
got there, and | went to see. As
the carriages came up and deposi-
ted the women voters, there was a
young woman busy among them.
| saw at once she was lady. |
found afterwards that she was the
daughter Of multi millionaire, one
Of the socially elect. But there she
was, explaining to the women, and
to the poorer women especially, the
nature of the ballot, and how to
vote. Here was the beginning Of a
break in that iron system Of caste
which holds infinitely more among
women than among men; and | be.
lieve it is because women are not vo-
tiers. The women held club meet
ings, and took pains to go and Wis
it the women in the poorer quarters
and explain the issues to them. II
a washerwoman was busy, her visi-
tor, perhaps one Of the finest wo-
men in the city, would 60 right into
the room where the tubs were, aud
without interrupting her work would
sit there explaining to her.
Another thing | experienced was
going with my vile 10 vote, and it
vas a very simple and agreeable
process. Ii was not half so tire
some as going shopping with your
wife. Has the notion ever arisen
that women would be in any way
compromised by going with their
and brothers TO perform
that simple action? Since | have
done it, cannot imagine how any
body ever thought so. Going to
big department store, and home af
on a crowded trolly, is far
worse. Women at the East often
say to me, "How about going to
hose polling places?" They have
IN mind such polls as are often
iound in the Middle States, where
no decent man ought to be required
% 60. In Colorado, when the
women were to be voters, the polls
we're put in respectable places.
Now, as TO the things | dill not
zee. l did not see universal re-
orm. Why should we expect to?
Great moral reforms are OF slow
growth. On the other hand, | did
not see any disrupted homes. One ,
hing did see, often. Some over ,
worked man would remark, 81 said ,
o my wife," "You have been at ,
he club meetings where the tickets
we're thoroughly discussed by those ,
Who know about the candidates. 7,
Vow you tell mel" A busy physi.
ian said, ~ always have my wifeto
make out my ballot" II would |
lelp out some Of these corrupt cities
e TIA East IL women would do that