Red Lodge picket. [volume] (Red Lodge, Mont.) 1889-1907, 1902-10-31
Noted Female Suffrage Lecturer TELLS
Why Women Should Be Grant.
ed the Ballot. 5
MISS LAUGHLlN SPEAKS
Club Formed With View Of Inducing
LEGISLATURE to Submit Question
to Popular Vote.

Just to vary the monotony Of things
in this political campaign and in order
to prevent the interest in the coming
election from being monopoliZed en-
the women, meeting was held at
the courthouse Wednesday evening to
advance the cause of woman suffrage.
A very good audience, composed large
ly of the fair sex whom the move
ment seeks to enfranchise, was pres
ent and listened with more than ordi-
nary interest to the logical and force
full presentation Of the case by Miss H
Gail Laughlin of New York, who has
attained national prominence by her
Jealous work for the cause which is to
place woman On all equality with man
in the exercise Of the elective fran
chise.
At the close of her lecture the !
speaker invited all those who were in
favor Of woman suffrage to join club
which was to be formed in this city
for the purpose Of securing signatures
to petition that would be presented
at the next session of the legislature,
asking that body to submit the ques-
ton Of woman suffrage to vote OF
the people at the election to be held
in 1904. Slips Of paper were passed
through the audience for signatures OF
those desiring to join such club and
as result thirty-four names were OBJ
| tanned. The club was duly organized
then and there and the name selected
for the new organization was the Red
Lodge Equal Suffrage club.
Rev. W. H. Watson occupied posi-
| ton upon the stage and George w.
Burke presided, introducing Miss
Laughlin as the speaker of the occa-
sion in an appropriate speech.
Miss Laughlin is very earnest ad-
yocate of woman suffrage and an elo-
quent and convincing speaker upon
all subjects which possess any bearing
in this connection. She traced the
emancipation of man from the day
when he was ruled over absolutely by
a one-man government down to the
present time. At first he thought that
an absolute monarchy was all right,
but as he became more enlightened ne
began to think that he should have
some say in making the laws which
he must obey. This idea had grown
and expanded until the days OF the
American revolution, when the declar-
alton Of independence was evolved,
which declared that all men were Gre
ated free and equal, and guaranteed
to every person voice in the govern
ment under which he was to live
But the spirit Of this grand enuncla
ton of principles had not yet been full
! IN attained. At first only taxpayers
were allowed to vote in the United
States. the elective franchise not eX
+ tending to the black man nor to Wo
man. This right had been extended tc
the black man by the emancipation
proclamation but as yet woman hae
not received the right to vote, excep
in the states of Wyoming, Utah, Colo
RADIO and Idaho.
Woman, contended the speaker, pos
sessed an inalienable right to vote
in the passage of the laws that wer
made for her government as we'll a
for man. All the laws that were upo
the statute books applied with equa
force to both sexes. The argumen
had been advanced in opposition t
granting woman suffrage that the w
linen did not need the ballot becaus
they were represented and protecte
in the ballot which the men cast
the shoe was put on the other 100
however, and the proposition wa
made that men should be disfra
chised and women allowed to vote II
them it would be laughed to scor
Yet one position was just as tenab
as the other. AS an illustration tt
speaker said that she had lat
!. friend whose four brothers belonged
four different parties which We're
tagonistic to the views which she hel
At the last election she had write
them each letter asking them vi
was going to represent her at I
polls. The reply received from ca
one was, Not L; my vote will be ca
for my own party" Until woman
|tt- ceiyes the franchise, said the speak
she will have no influence in shapl
legislation for the betterment of
manity. Only those with polite
pull can induce legislators or congre
men to. pass. any particular meas,
- which they desire. and when ths