Every evening, Wilmington daily commercial., 1906-06-30
AN OBJECT LESSON.
Communicated

Communicated.
The campaign over the equal Suffrage
amendment in Oregon which hau Just
closed brough out in strong relief the
kind Of forces arrayed for and against
acqual rights for women. The amend
ment was endorsed By the State Grange,
the state Federation of Women's Clubs,
and the State Federation of Labor: il
had the support OF a majority OF the
churches, and of q remarkably large pro-
portion OF the press Out of the 23S
newspapers published IN Oregon. only
seven opposed equal suffrage IL had
against IL the organized liquor interest
the machine" of the dominant political
party almost ell the trusts and large
corporations, the Southern Pacific Rail-
road and al the vicious interests. A
handful of society women IN Portland
also formed themselves into an Anti
Suffrage Association and worked against
il; but their influence was tnlng COM
pared with that OF these other forces of
opposition
The Brewers and Wholesale Liquor
Dealers Association OF Oregon sent out
TO the retail liquor sellers q circular letter
saying 1T win take $4,000 votes TO de-
feat woman suffrage. There are 1000
retailers in Oregon. That means that
every retailer must himself bring in 25
votes on election day. Every retailer
can get % votes. Besides his employees,
he has his grocer his butcher, his land
lord, his laundryman, and every person
he does business with. If every man in
the business viii do this, we win win"
When we consider that, out of the
10000 registered voters of Oregon 1000
are retail liquor sellers, it will be seen
that this alone was a serious factor in the
campaign
The liquor interest also made q deal
with the dominant political party of
| Oregon, by which the party machine
agreed to throw its weight against equal
suffrage in return for a large contrbu-
ton from the liquor dealers to the party
campaign fund
Almost all the trusts and great corpora
tions signed an appeal to the voters
against it. They naturally object to
anything that would give more power to
the people. The Southern Pacific Rail-
road, which is said almost to own Oregon
| likewise used all its influence against
the amendment, as the Boston and
Maine Railroad did when an equal sui-
iIage amendment was pending in New
Hampshire, few years ago. Evidently
I NAN AeiAAhatl ANhklhNNn itli NNAl MOihtM
will prove less amenable than men TO
corporation influence. Il was said that
the street railway companies opposed
the amendment on the ground that
women we're cratic, and would be likely
to favor Scent fares.
The vicious elements were solidly op-
posed, Of course An indecent card
! bearing a picture OF a womans under
garment and a vulgar remark aimed
| against equal suffrage was mailed "a
the voters throughout the State. and dis
tnbuted in large quantities at the polls
The young man who WAS employed al
manager Of the anti-suffrage campaign
had been earning his living as agent foI
the women who run disreputable houses
in Portland. His character and pro-
iession were notorious.
THE Massachusetts, Association Op-
posed to the Further Extension of SUI
irage 10 Women" has now sent out o
letter asserting that the amendment was
defeated chiefly by the Oregon Asso.
citation Opposed TO the Extension of Suf-
frage TO Women" the little group of mil.
lionaires wives in Portland who ranged
themselves with the trusts, the liquor
interest and the brothels against equa
suffrage To anyone. who knows the
facts, this statement is simply laughable
The Portland Oregonian, the leading
daily of the State, and one of the few
papers in Oregon that did not favor the
amendment, said editonally of the Ore
gon antis:
"Ihere are arguments, and sound ones
against woman suffrage, but women who
live in luxury and ease, and spend theii
time over rich gowns, bridge whist and
pink teas, cannot represent them Every
protest from women of this class against
woman suffrage makes votes for IL"
The amendment had against Il the
strongest Combine" ever formed against
any public measure in Oregon; yet Il got
an extraordinarily large vote The ques
tion has been submitted in Oregon three
times. Twenty-Five years ago il wa,
defeated almost three to one; six YEAR
ago it was defeated by a very small ma
iority, and this year it came so neal
carrying that for a week after the election
the Oregon women did not know il they
had won or lost
Under the initiative and referendum
law of that State, they can have the
question submitted as often as they wish
aud they are already taking the neces
sary measures 10 have il submitted agar
at the next election "No question 4
ever settled till il is settled right"
Alice Stone Blackwell.