The sun., 1903-02-01
The CAUSE OF WOMAN.
THE BROOKLYN EAGLES ARGU-
NENTS AGAINST WOMAN SUFFRAG
A Dissection OF Its Reasonable Question
In New York and In New Hampshire
New Mexico's Argument for State.
hood Appli ed to the Suffrage Nov yement

In New York and In New Hampshire
New Mexico's Argument for State
hood Applied to the Suffrage Movement
On Jan. % the Brooklyn Eagle contained
An editorial entitled, .Why New Hamp-
shire should Vote Down Woman Suffrage,
in whic h the following reasons were given:
As the men and the women OF the state
Of New York, by a very large majority.
think that the suffrage should not be ex-
tended to women. they hope that the vote
in New Hampshire will be to the same
.TSt"
The editor Of the Eagle could not bring
a ves,ige OF proof which would DO accepted
bv any court that very large majority
of the mel and women OF New York are
opposed to woman suffrage. The only time
they ever had a chance to express them
s.lyes was when the petitions were cir
cula,ed in 1894 asking the Constitutional
convention to submit an amendment to
the voters, as that Of New Hampshire has
iu-, done These were signed by over
half a million in favor ard by $4,000 In
oppo-ition Since that date the New York
y ate Sufrag, Association has doubled
its paid-up membership and has now over
5000 regularly enrolled. The Anti-Suf-
frag, Association, organized at that time
and requiring no fees or dues, has muc h
loss than one-tenth of that number en-
rolled, so far as any outsider is permitted
'o learn These official figures dsprove
abs utely the Eagles statement
What is best for New Hampshire a. .
whole should be the determining considers-
ton in the vote on abolishing the sex line
In the ballot. The people Of New York
hav, decided to retain that line on general
suffrage for we'll considered reasons
The people Of New York never have
made any such decision. Not even the
male half Of the people ever have had q
chance TO decide this question, az 1t never
has been submitted to a vote. All that
vas asked Of the convention of 1894 was
IN let the electors pass upon 1t. and this they
refused 10 do by nearly a two-thirds vote.
II the people Of the State are so over
vh-lmingly against it. why were they not
permitted to snow 1t under?
The betterment of politics and tho
maintenance Of womanhood are the rea-
SONS which impel the moiety Of both sexes
10 this commonwealth TO oppose the eIten-
sion Of suffrage TO women
Moiety' il good-the half. Probably
that proportion does oppose it. but a few
lines further down we are told that in this
State (New York; the concession IL that
vast ma jority Of women do not want
the ballot given to them. Accordingly,
it is not given to them" Which is ii then
the -moiety' or the vast inajorityf' And
II the ballot is not given simply because
half or more Of the women do not want
it. what becomes OF the argument that
the betterment OF politics and the main
tenance Of womanhood" require that It
lie withheld? Would the men cheerfully
sacrifice womanhood and pure politics
if the woman wished it? Well. they have
sacrificed both for other reasons.
But who makes he concession" referred
TO? The Anti-SuTrage Society and the
editor Of the Brooklyn Eagle are the only
ones on record. The latter says, how
ever: Those women who, all things con-
sidered. are the most useful. helpful and
earnest factors In the life of the State--a
number, we are glad TO say who form the
vast majority OF their sex-are opposed to
the extension Of the ballot to themselves.
and they protest against it
Which women--those Of New York or
New Hampshire? II the for mer. when
and where have they protested? The
petitions for woman suffrage have lad
TO be carried to the New York Iegislat ure
in . wheelbarfow and there was no table
large enough to hold them after they were
stacked up. The petitions Of the -antis' y
have consist ed Of The oral remarks Of three
or four women before a Legislative COM
m mittee. This is the sum and substan
OF the protest Of the vast majority But
IL II is New Hampshire that is meant, there
never has been any protest at all except
the one sent up by the New York and Massa-
chusetts -antis.- while the sufrragists Of
New Hampshire have sent in petitions
signed by thousands. And IL .the vast
ma ioriiy of the most useful, helpful and
earnest women of the State are opposed
To suffrage, where do the women of the
27o Oranges OF New Hampshire come in,
and who swung ,ha. enormous influence
in he convent ion?''
Much OF the reason why good and oom-
petent women object to the ballot is the
fact that bad or incompetent women
would abuse it. Should the sex get the
ballot against the protest OF its hest
representatives,. the latter might be moved
the worst. That can only be averted by
Withholding II altogether. The flood can
b. kept out only by giving no entrance
% IL at all"
There are only about 80 900 women in
the whole State Of New Hampshire, and
when the vast majority Of the best women
who are opposed to suffrage are taken
out. and the thousands Of Grange women.
and the really admirable" women, ac-
oording to the Eagle. who are trying to
get II. there surely cannot be 30 large a
number OF bad" ones left as seriously
10 threaten the State.
We do not presume the population OF
New Hampshire. in proportion to its num-
bars presents markedly different con-
dtions from that Of New York, says the
edtor-a wise observation. when one con-
siders the conglomerate population Of
New York city, which alone has over eight
times as many inhabitants as the whole
State Of New Hampshire. while the State
OF New York has I 400 .00O foreign born,
against 81 ono in New Hampshire, and
over thirteen times as many illiterates.
There is practically no comparison be-
tween the conditions In the two States.
Those Of New York city present the greatest
stumbling block to woman suffrage which
exists in the United States, while New
Hampshire has no large cities, the per-
centage Of crime and paupertsm Ia very
small, and this new Constitution provides
for an educational suffrage qualification.
There can be no objection to the enfran-
cliise ment of it's women except through
that ancient prejudice which would deny
them represent alton simply because they
are women. and the strong sentiment