The evening star and Newark advertiser. [volume] (Newark, N.J.) 1907-1908, 1907-11-22
WOMEN AS VOTERS
LOCAL SUFFRAGISTS DE-
MAND EQUAL FRANCHISE.
Rev. Anna Howard Shaw Blames Cor
rupt Politics for Keeping Women
from Polls.

When the Rev. Anna Howard Shaw an
nounced at the afternoon session of the
eighteenth annual convention of the New
Jersey Woman's Suffrage Association held
in the Free Public Library yesterday, that
II necessary she was ready to march with
10000 women to Washington as did
Coxey's Army, to petition Congress to add
a sixteenth amendment 20 the Constitu-
ton, permitting women to vote, she was
greeted with the heartiest Kind Of APP
plause. In fact. all her utterances brought
forth bursts of approval from the audience
Of avowed suftragists and sympathizers Of
the cause. who filed the hall.
Miss Shaw. who Is the president of the
National Woman Suffrage Association, was
the principal speaker of the day. and she
powers for being responsible for the defeat
Of the suffragists. Politicians will try to
tell us" she said that women are not
ready for the ballot. How do they know?
They will not give us an opportunity to
make known whether we would go to the
polls or not. They tryto blindfold the pub
lie and keep them in ignorance of our real
sentiment but the public Is gradually being
educated and the thing to do is to talk and
preach suffrage until the whole commun-
iy is lmbued with it."
MISS OndW udu coifiStuilS 10 say OF the
public services women are performing in
small groups. She said that their efforts
would be recognized the sooner If con-
verted into one general movement.
Women are not working in concrete
FORM she said. and until we concrete
our efforts we should not look for great
results
Miss Shaw said that a great many per-
sons have an entirely wrong idea of the
question.
Many think, she said, that it means
going to the polls and showing people off
the sidewalk. Now, is there any more
ladylike way of determining the policy of
the country than going to the ballot box
and depositing a ballot?"
The speaker told of an interview the
members OF a committee from the Ma
tional Society had with President Roose-
Welt. He was then asked to consider a
petition containing the signatures of one
million women, asking for the right to
vote. They were advised by the Presi-
dent to get another State before pre-
senting the petition.
we got another State" the speaker
continued. I'VE got Oregon, but the
Standard OIL people and the Southern Pa
cihc stole the election from US. How
ever, that does not prove that women are
not ready for the ballot"
Perhaps another reason why we are
not successful" Miss Shaw said, lis that
men have the idea that II we get into
politics we will try to lead them and
est animal on earth to deal with Is a
donkey, and he must be led, and I
wouldn't give much for a man who
wouldn't respect the reasoning power Of
someone else when they were proven to
be better than his own.
A over this broad land other nations
have recognized the right of women to
equal suffrage; even In darkest Africa the
cry of freedom has been sounded, and the
women of the Natal now &c to the polls.
THE day Is sure to dawn" added Miss
Shaw. when poor back number United
States will hear that cry, and her men
who believe In freedom, and who nav
grown big and proud enough to want
freedom for their mothers, wives and sis
tiers, will rise up and demand 1t"
In conclusion, Mss Shaw said: "Oul
friend he enemy mas been driven into
the iast ditch, and the only reason we
have not won our fight before is that cor
rupt politicians would happen to be out
of a job"
Mrs. Florence Howe Hall spoke in place
of the Rev. Antoinette Brown Blackwell,
who was unable to be present.
Henry q. Blackwell, of Boston, who
was also one OF the speakers, said: I'VE
will never have a just government for rich
and poor until women are brought into 1t
and help put it in order"
Mr.. Blackwell urged the women to petit
ton the next Legislature to restore to
the women OF New Jersey their rights
Of suffrage.
Your rights IA never been repealed, .
he said. but were stolen from you by
the Legislature and should be restored.
We need women at the polls to make a
real democracy; we have nothing now
but a moneyed aristocracy."
The retiring president, Mrs. Emma l..
Blackwell. made a plea for pledges from
the Individual clubs for the continuance
Of the work Many of the clubs con-
tributed sums from 81 to $25.