The Hawaiian gazette. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1865-1918, 1908-12-15
GOT MAD At
THE PRESIDENT

President Roosevelt believe in
woman suffrage, but am not an enthu.
siastic advocate of it.
Secretary Elihu Root do not con.
slider that the granting of suffrage to
women would be any Improvement in
our system of government.
Ellen +. Sargent, honorable presi-
dent California Equal Suffrage Associ-
ation-Anyone who will attempt to
take the ballot away from other
human beings, or to deprive half the
people of ballots, is tyrant Presi.
dent Roosevelt talks of equality. He
ought to know what equality means.
1t means equal rights for men and wo-
men both. We suffragists do not be-
lieve in special privileges for men
which are forbidden to women.
Mary Z. Sperry, president--The tel
egraph tells us that President Roose-
welt says woman's suffrage is can un-
important NATTER He is entirely
mistaken. Woman suffrage is of
vital Importance to women. Men
have suffrage. If the franchise could
be taken away from all men tonight,
they would forget all other questions
and unite early in the morning and
set about recovering their ballots. Man
suffrage is necessity for men. Wo-
man suffrage is as great necessity
for women-and women are awaken
ing to its Importance.
A letter from President Roosevelt,
read at meeting of the National
| 7 10 C,,.,, 90 We-
men, in New York, in which he de-
of women's suffrage, produced good
sized row among the women present.
The President wrote:
Roosevelt's Letter.
| Practically, 1 believe in woman IS
suffrage, but am not an enthusiastic
advocate of it, because / don't regard
it as very important matter. am
unable to see that there has been any
special improvement in the position of
women in those States in the West
that have adopted woman's suffrage,
as compared with those States adjoin-
ing them that have not adopted it.
I do not think that giving the
women suffrage will produce any
marked improvement in the condition
| of women. / do not believe that it
will produce any of the evils feared,
and I am very certain that when
women, as a whole, take any special
| interest in the matter they will have
| the suffrage if they desire it. But at
present I think most of them are luke.
warm; I find some actively for it and
some actively against it.
/ 60 ha rrir oh
rather what you would regard as
| it, because, while | believe in it, do
not regard it as of very much import
ance.
/ believe that man and woman
should stand on an equality of right
but do not believe that equality OF
rights means identity Of function
and am more and more convinced
that the great field, the indispensable
field, for the usefulness of women ii
as the mother of the family. It is hel
work in the household, in the home
her work in bearing and rearing the
children, which is more than any
mans work, and it is that work which
should be normally the woman's spe
cial work, just as normally the man''
work should be that of the bread
winner, the supporter of the home
and, if necessary, the soldier who viii
fight for the home.
There are exceptions as regards
both man and woman; but the full
and perfect life, the life of highes
happiness and of highest usefulness t.
the State, is the life of the man AM
woman who are husband and wife
who live in the partnership of low