Los Angeles herald., 1909-07-27
BAD WOMEN, LIKE BAD MEN, Y
WILL BE ACTIVE AT POLLS

LOS ANGELES, July 22.-[Editor
Herald: For some months past l have
read with interest the letters appear
ing in your Letter Box relating to the
questions of prohibition, female suff-
| rage and others.
anyone on these questions, but to pre-
sent a phase of the suffrage question
which has not yet been touched on.
For arguments sake we will admit
| that the proportion of good and bad
women is the same as the proportion
of good and bad men, and IT is a well
! known fact that the good are in the
! large majority. Why, then, Is 1t nee
essary to wage such fights against
wrong as that now being waged In San
Francisco, or such as we have just
gone through in our city, and such as
will have to be repeated in the coming
city election? In my opinion the rea-
son of this condition lies in the fact
that the so-called good man does not
take sufficient interest in the political
questions of his city, county or nation.
He tells you, when you approach him,
that his vote will not be needed; that
John Jones, Bill Smith and the rest
of the boys will be there, and that
everything will be all right, anyway.
But were John Jones, Bill Smith and
the rest of the boys there? Not muchl
If you saw them, John and Bill both
had the same excuse; couldn't get
away from business; too hot; too cold;
too far to walk. or some other like
| excuse.
If this condition exists now, and
maintain that it does; If it is difficult
and sometimes impossible to get the
| so-called good man to take sufficient
| interest in things political, so that he
may vote with intelligence, will II
not be more difficult to prevail on the
| better element of women to take this
necessary interest? And will 1t not
an as it has been to get the vicious man
| to take too active an interest. In
| politics, thereby bringing politics to
! a lower level than at present?
! I believe that the governor of Colo
RADIO is right when he says that 1t Is
only the lowest class of women who
| take advantage of the voting privilege
| This has been found to be true in re-
| gard to the male voter The decent
| intelligent man has to be dubbed into
| taking an interest in political matters
| while the lowest elements are there
| without even the asking. If this is
| true of men, who have had the privi-
| lege Of voting since the birth of the
nation, and who have become used to
| 1t and expect it, will it not be harder
| to convince the decent and self-respect-
| ing woman that 1t Is her duty to vote?
! You may rest assured that the lower
! class of women will be there with
the lower class of men and that they
will combine their forces for evil. The
! fight is hard as it is, and If the proper
| ton of the better element of women
who would take advantage of the vot-
ing privilege is less than the proper
| ton of the better element of men who
! interest themselves in politics, the
! fight would be harder still.
i,
and am proud of it, and I want to say
to the sister 'long hairs" that if you
want things improved politically. a
good place to begin would be in insist
! ing on your "long haired" brothers
| taking more interest in politics, and
in the end in taking the position that
| is Justly theirs, viz: assume the po1-
| sition Of dictators of the political pol
| icies of our city, state and nation.
ANTI.