The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1902-01-18
SATURDAY, JANUARY IS, 1902,
woaAN SUI f2AGE.


The question as to whether or not
woman suffrage in The West has proven
70 be successful has been much dis
cus.sed, but according 10 special cor
respondent Of the New York Evenins
Post, writing from Denver, Colorado, 1t
has proven 10 be worse than a failure
Ono OF the arguments in favor of giving
women the right to vote was that If they
should enter the political field, being
better than men. t:.ey would purify poll
tics. But this writer insists that the NO
mans ballot has worked against the
cause OF its creation, and that today
those States which are politically the
most corrupt are ti.ose where women
vote. lie declares that a large immoral
element, easily bought and sold. has been
brought TO the polls; that the better
class of women do not vote, and tLal
tho worst class. who can be purchased or
Ga1tercd or caioled. arc those who cast
ballots. He says that politicians soiicit
their votes, not with argument and re2-
son. but with flatfery and bon-bon4s An
ether evil result is that cllivalry has been
more or less impaired, and men are more
and more disposed to treat women as
they treat other men.
This is not surprising. By chivalry men
rave put women upon a higher plane and
have paid court to them as those Of q
higher order OF Gods creatures. bat Il
women descend from that enllnence ana
nut themselves upon the same plane
with men, and josue men in the poll
,jca; arena, they must take The conse-
oucn,as and we all know what that con
sequence is.
..Upon woman herself the Posts cor
respondent proceeds. voting has had
far from refining influence. She has be-
come a trihe coarser and a great deal
less feminine; home means less and the
world more"
Nor is this a surprising statement. 4
woman,s home must be everything 10
her or nothing. We do not mean thar
there is not a work for her to do in the
world. She may do and is doing a great
deal to promote charity, to promote pub
lie cleanliness and public commentator,
10 promote the great cause Of education.
But all this is clearly within her sphere
and merely incidental in her life. All
such work cnnoblcs her, and brings out
The best that is within her. But home is
first, ana this other work is merely the
enlargement of her home worl1-of her
housekeeping, of her moral and mother
ly influence.
Nor are VIC surprised to hear from
the Posts writer that the marriage vows
are nowhere more lightly taken and
more easily and frequently broken than
in the States where women vote. If mar
1ied women find their pleasure in politics
they will not care to be 1lampered by
marriage relations, and where they have
a hand in making the laws they are
very apt to make the divorce laws easy
But what is worst of all in woman
suffrage is the soliciting of votes and
lobbying by women politicians, This
takes them into places where they have
no business and frequently among men
Of bad manners and morals, and the log
zeal consequences OF such course OF
conduct are too distressing and shock
ing to be discussed in q newspaper
But if these evils exist in the Western
States where there are no negroes, what
would be tho state of things in the
soutl, under woman suffrage2 OF course.
Southern white women of purity and
refinement would not go to the polls,
but large number OF women Of the
colorcd race would be very much in CYL
dence at election times and we should
have Generalization such as was not
dreamed of even in the worst days OF
reconstruction Yet some men in Viz
einia have seriously proposed 10 put
the ballot into the hands OF the. women
Of this state as a means OF solving the
negro problem in politics. May the
good Lord save Virginia from any such
experiment.!