The Washburn times. [volume] (Washburn, Wis.) 1896-1976, 1906-11-08
ABOUT WOMAN SUFFRAGE
Ex-President Cleveland Does
Not Approve WomenIVoting.
A MENACING CONDITION
Votes of Thoughtful Would Be Out
weighted by Those of Dsreputa-
BILE and lgnorant-TriaIs Have
Shown No Uplifting of Politics.

Shown No Uplifting of Politics.
"ThOughtful and r1ght-minded men
base their homage and consideration
for woman upon an instructive con-
seriousness that her unmasculine quail
tiles, whether called weaknesses, frail-
ties or what we will, are the sources Of
her characteristic and especial strength
within the area of her legitimate en-
deayor," says ex-President Cleveland.
''They know that if she is not gifted
with the power of clear and logical
reasoning she has a faculty of intuition
which by shorter route leads her to
abstract moral truth; that if she deals
mistakenly with practical problems it
is because sympathy or sentiment
clouds her perception of the relative
value OF the factors involved. s:~ y
They know she is loving, long suf-
fering, self-sacrificing and tender be-
cause God has made her so, and with it
all they realize that whatever she has
or lacks the influence and ministra-
tions OF woman give firm roofing and
sure growth to mans best efforts.
None Of us can deny that we have
unhappily fallen upon time when
doctrines are taught by women and to
women, which tend with more or less
directness to the subyersion of sane
and wholesome ideas Of the work and
mission of WomanhOOd and lead to a
fanciful insistence upon sharing in the
stern, rugged and unwomanly duties
and responsibilities allotted to man.
LAS is usually the case when a radi-
cal and unnatural change is the object
of effort, those most extreme and pro-
nounced in opinion have forged to the
front and assumed leadership.
I'm outspoken discomfort with the
station and opportunity American
women now enjoy, these clamorous
leaders openly demand their equal par
| ticipation with men in the right Of
suffrage and in every other political
right and privilege.
Many other women, more consider
ate and conservative, who refuse to IN
| dorse these demands, nevertheless, by
amiably tolerating them or by advOcat-
ing other less direct attempts to en-
large the character of women's endeaV-
or, encourage and aid, perhaps uncon-
sciously and unintentionally, female
suffrage radicalism.
Il am willing to admit that it was
| only after a more thorough apprecia-
| ton of what female suffrage really
| hot T fY.l1y
| that it's Inauguration would vastly in
crease the unhappy imperfections and
| shortcomings Of our present man-vot-
| ing suffrage and that it was only after
a better knowledge of the spirit and
| disposition that stand behind it, gained
| from recent experience and observa-
| ton, that / was entirely persuaded that
its especial susceptibility to bad lead
ership and hurtful influences would
constitute it another menacing condi-
ton to those which already veX and
disturb the deliberate and intelligent
expression of popular will
"The most active in pushing the de-
mand for woman suffrage point In it's
vindicatiOn to what they deem whole
some legislation accomplished in the
| few states where such suffrage has
| been granted. I am afraid, however,
| that in dealing with this feature of the
| question these advocates occasionally
| take mistaken view of the relation
ship between cause and effect.
81 believe Il will be found that if TIE
wise and progressive legislation =
| these woman suffrage states is weigh 4
against such legislation in states
where woman suffrage is withheld. the
| balance will certainly not be found
against the latter.
CAS- bearing upon the credit d-e to
woman voters for legislation, where
full female suffrage has been adopted,
| it is worth nothing that the male vot-
| ers exceptionally outnumber the fe-
male voters in all these localities.
cit is sometimes claimed that woman
suffrage would have the effect of ele-
waiting and refining politics. Neither
! it's short trial in four states, contain
| ing in the aggregate d population very
slightly in excess of one-third the pop
ulation of the city Of New York, nor
our political experience or observation,
| supports this claim.
''The states in which full female suf-
frage prevails are Colorado, Utah, Ida
! no and Wyoming. In the first two of
| these states the proportion of female
| voters is considerably greater than in
| the others, and yet, the voters of Utah
have lately elected through their legis-
lature to the United States senate a
man whose fitness is now the subject
of a pending senatorial investigation,
and not long ago they elected to con-
gress another man whom that body
rejected. st Louis Republican