The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1907-04-26
THE MYTHICAL BENEFITS.

mans suffrage, and these are still the
stock arguments in States where that
suffrage has not been conferred, arc
that the woman vote would purify poll
tics, would compel many social and civic
reforms, and would throw the protect
ing arm of the law around women who
need that protection TO far greater
extent than the laws enacted by men
could be expected to do. If these prem
ises are correct, we should expect to
find IN those States where women enjoy
the suffrage, a much improved condition
of womankind under the law as against
their condition in the States where wo-
men do not vote. And this should be
true not alone as compared with
States in the American Union,
but as compared with nations or
sub-natjons which have local rule,
such as the English colonies have,
compa ring the suffrage colonies
with those which do not admit 1t.
voice from Il New Zealand woman, c1
pressed in the London Public Opinion
and summarized in the Literary Digest,
claims cmphatically that woman sui
fragc in that British colony is a fan
urc. II admits that women have AS
much right to vote as men have, and
that they vote as squarcly as men do,
but asks what they have done in the
particular lines that woman suffrage
was supposed TO be certain Of bringing
about. That question is squarcly put by
this New Zealand woman, and She an
swcrs thus:
What has the ballot done for our wo-
men In New Zealand? After we have ad~
mittcd that they arc fully entitled TO II,
and that they are wise and self-controlled
enough to merit Il. what have they
gained by II? They have vote. the
power to vote for or against the country's
welfare. They in New Zealand have many
advantages, but the franchise did not
siblc for their husbands debts, they can
hold property in their own right, they
can compete In university examinations
and enter the professions They are pro-
tected from cruelty, must be maintained
by their husbands, athletic sports. are
open 10 them, and great freedom or lie
Is theirs. But the franchise won none
OF these things for them. and men have
not tried TO prevent them from having
them. The things men try to Keep from
women generally arc those Things they
side.
So much for what men have done for
the women by legislation, And now
what have the women of New Zealand
done for themselves through their sut-
fragc7 Here is her criticism on that
question:
So far they have not taken up ques-
Of rIt al mi their
to bring about any Improvement, more
than do women in England. They have
not brought about wise educatlonal
system for girls, although the State
school system OF the present day disre-
CARDS the sex OF its pupils and trains
them as inferior commercial machines;
they have not righted the divorce laws;
they have not leglslated for the assist
ance and protection OF helpless and
povcrty-stricken mothers OF Young chill
dreu. they have not agitated for the care
OF the youthful inhabitants OF the gutter;
they have not used their power TO bring
in some simple true form OF religious in
structlon In schools; they have not
solved the comparatively simple question
OF the domestic servant-simple If il were
made an honorable profession, for which
State training is necessary. They have
made material difference In the well
fare OF their SEX.
The power 10 do this lies In the hands
Of enfranchlsed women; yet they are idle,
openly idle, in The lea Of the forcspent
|. line
We may now consider the question
whether woman suffrage in Utah, in
, Colorado. in Wyoming. in Idaho, has
been of any special benefit TO the public
OF to the sex. Has 1t improved the
moral tone Of the community? Let us
say. in passing, that in Utah the large
! ma iority of the woman vote would be
/ squarely III favor of polygamy if that
matter could be dealt with at the polls.
/ In other respects there has been no
gain; woman suffrage has added to the
viruIence and the acrimony of political
contests wherever there has been spe-
cial participation of women in them.
They are more bitter antagonists, more
unreeptiug foes. more indiscriminating
! supporters and friends than are men.
, Their social functions are often made
political functions, And in no respect
has the moral tone Of the community
been appreciably elevated by the wo-
man vote. Let us coucede al once the
main contention. as conceded by the
New Zealand woman, that women have
Just as much right to vote as meu have.
That, however, is not the question. The
argument for woman suffrage is that
the votes of women will purify the bal.
lot, stimulate the moral tone of the
community, and support the move
ments for good works and for purity
and cleanliness in social affairs and in
public life; that ii will throw the pro-
lection Of the law more certainly and
more eifcctually around unprotected
women; that the corruption lin public
life will be lesscned thereby, and that
public officials will be held to better
and more rigorous responsibility in their
public trust, Can any one say, however,
that these results have been achieved
in the woman suffrage States TO an ap.
precJably greater degree than they are
achieved in those States where men alone
do the yotiugl We may have our own