The Oskaloosa herald. (Oskaloosa, Mahaska County, Iowa) 1885-1919, 1902-01-30
WouAN suFFRAaE IN 1oKA.

| OH dN DUF FrhduD IN IOH d.
Omaha Bee: Iowa woman suffragists
are preparing for an organized assault
upon the legislature, with a view to
securing the submission of consti-
tutional amendment granting Iowa
women the right to vote at all cleo
| tions. The advance guard of the
woman's suffrage lobby is already on
the ground at the state capitol and
the first onslaught is to be made by
bombardmsnt with petitions now
being circulated throughout the state.
If woman suffragists could bring
any tangible proof that the standard
of political morals will be elevated
and higher grade of public officials
will be- fished out of the political sea
than Iowa has ever had under man
hood suffrage, an enlargement of the
ballot boxes and the doubling of the
number of voters might be looked
upon with favor. But all theories
must be tested by experience, and
experience has demonstrated that no
material improvement in the breed
of officeholders has VT been brought
about by woman suffrage in the states
where it has been tried, nor has the
admission of women to equal suffrage
brought about any compensating or
beneficial results to Offset the brutal
izing effect produced by projecting
women into the political cesspool.
Woman suffrage prevailed in Utah
during the rule of Brigham Young,
but, Notwithstanding the fact that
there we're seven women voters to
every man voter, the women voters
of Utah utterly failed in the suppress
sion of that twin relic of barbArism-
polygamy.
Woman suffrage has prevailed in
Wyoming ever since its organization
as territory, but woman suffrage
has not diminished the number or
badness of Wyoming saloons, dance
halls and gambling houses.
Colorado has been blessed by woman
suffrage for number of years, but
the women of Colorado have not
raised the standard of social or politi-
cal morals in Denver Cripple Greek
or contributed in any way toward the
suppression of tolerated vice and
crime in the Centennial state.
So far as we can observe the stan
dard of morals in Iowa is much high
er than in Colorado and the charact-
or of fpublic officials in Iowa will stand
favorable comp arson with that of the
public officials of Colorado, Wyoming
and Utah.
The contention that woman suffrage
is an inherent right has long since
been exploded. The right to life and
freedom is inherent at birth. If the
right to vote were inherent in man
and woman, like the right to life and
liberty, it would be inherent to all,
whether born on American soil or
born in foreign lands, Every human
being has right to life, liberty and
the enjoyment of the fruits of his
labor, whether it be an infant or
matured man or woman, whether
they are born aud reared in darkest
Africa or in lightest America; every
human being has right to be free,
unless that right be forfeited by the
commission of crime.
But the right to vote is a privilege
coupled with obligations. The right
to vote carries with 1t certain duties,
such as the enforcement of law and
order in various capacities, civil and
military, and those who by nature
are incapable of fulfilling these duties
cannot justly claim the privilege.