River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1904-07-14

tation, there is noticeable the same old
apathy as formerly on the part of
feminity in general as to the right to
vote; and there is noticeable a strong
anti-suffrage agitation. Women band
themselves together to combat the
struggle of the suffragists, come out
openly to contest having political bur-
dens thrust upon them. The Catholic
World, in an editorial entitled Given
ty-flve Years of Woman's Suffrage"
thus summarizes the indifference and
opposition shown in the time men,
toned: 1T has come to be demonstrate
ed that women do not want the right
to vote. Outside the small coterie of
agitators, the rank and file of the
women have never betrayed burning
desire to rush to the polls. When the
Kelsey bill was enacted by the New
York legislature, giving women tax
payers the right to vote on questions
of appropriations at special elections,
only a very small proportion of the
women awaited themselves Of the priv
! ilege. The woman-suffrage amend
ment was defeated in Massachusetts
by vote of 1877 to AZ. In the Connec-
ticut constitutional convention there
! were but three votes in favor of CIV
| ing the suffragists a hearing on a
woman's suffrage amendment In
Iowa, where the great battle was
| fought, the waning power of the suf-
| fragists is indicated by the following
| figures: in 1898 the legislature voted
40 to AZ against a woman's suffrage
movement; in 1900 it voted SIS to 43.
and in 1902 when the roll was called
the vote stood 81 to 49, In New York
! state there is an organization forceful
! in numbers, but more particularly
i forceful in the character of its MEM
bership, which has for its avowed pur-
pose the making of a persistent protest
against laying on woman's shoulders
the burden of the ballot"
In recent reading on the subject, we
had expected to come upon great
amount of material eulogistic Of wom-
ans work in public life, but found most
of the articles perused either mildly or
else strongly critical of woman suf-
frage; both men and women writer's
seeming to have plentiful occasion for
criticism of the methods and results of
the use of the ballot by women. Eliz-
abeth McCracken, n an article in the
Outlook on woman's suffrage in Colo
RADIO, state where women have had
the equal suffrage for IL years, writes
rather discouragingly of the opportu-
nifty afforded women voters. Her main
argument is that grave disaster, has
been brought upon the women them
selves, that there is noticeable low
ering of womanly ideals.
A man writer on the same subject,
Mr.. William Macleod Raine, strange to
relate, does not chronicle any loss Of
womanly dignity, hut gives as his cor
illusions, after seemingly careful
study ofathe matter, that women voters
do not regenerate politics to the ex-
tent heralded by their friends; but
does think women are being awakened
to some desirable interest in civic af-
fairs: says that this newly-aroused in
terest has manifested itself in the
greater cleanliness of streets, In city
park improvements, in the care, VEN
tilation and artistic decoration OF
school buildings All of which Mr.
Raine thinks comes very properly in
woman's province, are matters that
she naturally would supervise very
successfully.
CHRISTOPHER WEBSTER