The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1904-12-02
Topeka Club Women Talk About
the Ballot.
Indignant Because They Are In
Glass With Criminals.
PROTEST TO BE MADE.
On Record With Reference to
Oklahoma.
The Historical Society Receives
Some Attention.

cember meeting of the Topeka fedora
ton of women's clubs which was heid
in the state house yesterday afternoon
came near being an equal suffrage en-
thusiasm meeting. Perhaps, however,
that was a result which might have
been foreseen. in view of the sympathy
which exists between the club move
ment and the equal suffrage movement,
most club women being equal suffra-
gists and most equal suffragists club
women. and the fact that the thought
of the meeting, as announced in all the
advance notices was the club woman
and the state. What saved 1t now
ever from being real susan b An
thony party was the attitude OF the
principal speaker of the afternoon, Sen
atOr Frederick Dumont Smith, VINO,
whatever his private views of the SUI
frage question may be, took that STAND
so Irritating to the suffragist, that wo-
men may have the ballot whenever they
want it, quoting the late John ]. In
gals who said he was persuaded that
the equal suffrage movement had been
a failure not on account of the hosttt-
ty of the men but because of the IN
difference of the women Whatever
you women have come before the leg
fslature of Kansas and sincerely ana
seriously demanded" said Senator
Smith, 1.-The legislature has given you
with both hands. And whenever a ma
1orfty of Kansas women or even sub
they will get it.
What brought the subject of the bal
lot before the meeting was that circu-
lar letter signed by Ellen G. Henroun
of Chicago and a lot of other prominent
club women of the country in regard to
the proposed statehood bill now pend
ing in congress which provides that the
new states of Oklahoma, Arizona, ana
New Mexico shall pass no law abr1dg-
ing or restricting the right to vote on
account of race, color and so forth or
for any reasons save and except and
so forth, uliteracy, minority, sex, con-
Viction of felony or mental condltlon
and so forth. This bill has aroused the
equal suffra gistS afresh on the subJect
of their ancient wrongs in being classed
with criminals and imbeciles and Mrs.
w. A Johnston made strong tax at
the meeting yesterday urging the TO
peka club women to join in a protest
TO their Kansas senators against the
passage of the bill it stands and de-
manding the omission of the word sex
Mrs Johnston took several shots at the
opposers of the suffrage movement VINO
talk of keeping women on a pedestal"
For her part, she gave 1t to be UNDER
stood, she was not so anxious ABOUT
being on a pedestal along with crlmi-
nails and idiots. when Jefferson Davis
was captured at the close of the war
of the rebellion" said Mrs. Johnston,
1.-The question of his punishment arose,
hanging and Punishment were suggest
ed but abandoned as insufficient ana
finally as a supreme mark of his dis
honor he was placed upon the Peoestal
beside women and DISTINGUISHED
Mrs. Johnston's little speech brought
about a motion which carried, to re-
solve" in opposition to the obnoxious
phrasing of the statehood bill The
resolution was not read at yesterday
meeting but the president of the fed
Grafton. Mrs. A. H. Horton, Will ap-
point a committee to frame one which
will be sent to the Kansas senators and
the members of the territorial COM
which Senator Beveridge of Indiana is
the chairman. This matter disposed OF
Mrs Horton, who presided at the
meeting, introduced George w. Mar
ton secretary of the Kansas State
Historical society, who spoke in place
of Judge John Martin, the president or
the society, who had prepared an ad-
dress but was Unexpectedly called out
of town Mr.. Martin read a few para
graphs from an address given by him
before the State Editorial association
a few years ago. 1t was all about the
Kansas Historical society, statistics
and all that sort of thing, to let the
Topeka women know, what many of
them have doubtless been only half
aware of, that they have within easy
reach one of the best reference
libraries on sociology and the history
of the western hemisphere in this
country with one exception" to quote
Mr.. Martin, the best and largest west
of Chicago"
Senator Frederick Dumont Smiths
remarks on the subject of women and
the ballot were only Introductory to
his main address. He was sorry, he
said, that he could not address the
women present as fellow citizens but
If they had not the right to vote they
had almost perfect equality in other
the law and sometimes more; he was
certain that If he were conducting a
case in which a woman was concerned
he would much prefer being on her
side and would consider his chances
of winning better than if a man were
his client aside from the franchise"
he said. "you have rights superior to
men. You have more privileges and
fewer obligations; more rights and
fewer duties. Perhaps you have fewer
liberties but liberty is a questionable
privilege" This hypothesis gave him
an opportunity to bring his wife into
the discussion (and everybody has
noticed what a hit it makes with the
women for a public speaker to men
ton his wife) in connection with the
explanation that since 1.-The lady who
shares my joys and doubles my ex-
penses sailed for Europe last spring
] have had perfect liberty, absolute
freedom from the eXtortions of dress
makers and the piracies of milliners,"
but that he had found the state very
irksome indeed. This may not seem to
have much to do with the relations of
the club women and the state but
most of the Topeka women know Mrs.
Smith. who visits here frequently and
has nerSelT addressed the IeOeraCOn.
and are always interested in her and
their respect for their speaker was
doubtless increased when they learned
that he is one of those model, indul-
gent American husbands who stay at
home and work while their wives do
Europe, thus partly compromising
them for the lack of the ballot
After Senator Smith dropped the
suffrage question, he talked about the
State Historical society-the federation
being the guests of the Historical So
ciety for the afternoon-and hoped
that the Kansas women would take
more interest in it do more for it and