The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1909-12-01
SAYS WOMAN SUFFRAGE GOES
HAND IN HAND WITH POLYGAMY

At the Peoples Forum in the Mason
lc Temple in Brooklyn Sunday, Novcm-
Der 81, Mrs. Gilbert II. Jones, a noted
speaker on public questions. propoundcd
TO her large and Interested audience the
question ''Why Do Sutfragists Not
Tell of Utah Women Votcrs!' She
said you would hear them from all plat
forms talk of Colorado women voters,
but not word had she YET heard from
ono of those platforms of Utah. ''Wo-
mau suffrage has been hand in hand
with polygamy in Utah for years. Wo-
men thcre-wivcs of Mormons-havc no
freedom, but vote aS the elders tell
them. And the women there like the
polyGamous life! Just think of that. y
Mrs. Jones said there are 200 women
who are blacksmiths. " Fancy having
a blacksmith for Il mother-In-law !'f
And then she made hit and every
body applaudcd
The following is an account of the
meeting taken from the New York sun:
They were to have had moving pic
tures Of Rome AT the Peoples Forum
in the Masonic temple In Brooklyn last
evening. but the insurance people inter
fcrcd II was announced and so they
bad moving words from Mrs. Gilbert y.
Jones instead.
IT'S the first time I ever appeared
as substitute" said Mrs. Jones. and
Mrs. Jones was there to talk OF Some
Fundamental Reasons Why Women
Should Not Vote and she gave some of
her reasons plainly. She said that
The West and other things like that.
until ii appeared as though political things
might be said on this non-political ros-
But she declared did Mrs Jones,
that she had no reason al all Tor say
ing ANYTHING about the question ei1"cr
for suffrage or against suffrage except
with view to educating women as to
what the suffrage is. what the lrlnchisc
means.
81 rather think that when women have
the right TO vote l shall decline to
vote she said and some folks noted
what they thought was tacit admission
OF lost cause: Any woman, she add
one side OF this question is not az i'm
telligcnt person. When heard n suffra sc
speaker say that motherhood was n dStrl-
ment To woman that was a last straw
for me.
"If we give the ballot to women as
We give il to men and all citizens in
stead OF all male citizens OF the age
of u vote the same elements viii nhpcar
among the women voters as among the
men voters We have good women. In
tclligent women, ignorant women and inn
moral women and they'll all vote just
as the several classes OF men vote to-
day.
"rll not put into my argument 10,
night what | as a woman think. sad
Mrs. Jones. Then she demanded:
s'Why has government denied the vote
TO women through all the centuries?
Why has government given the vote 10
ignorant negroes and not to Intelligent
women? It's so simple It's scarcely be-
licvable, Government is the every day
practical business OF keeping civilized
community In order When women run
ness management Is usually put into the
hands Of men. Women haven't even
solved that problem yet
ITO whom does government look for
its support and its sustaining qualities
to women? No, TO men To whom for
peace and ordor-to women? No. TO. men.
All government must have basis in fun
damcntal natural force
"The men are the every day stock and
capital of the government. Ii was caiv-
airy and reverence and protection for
bring them into the rank and Tile of
men in sustaining the government. not
prejudice. Has government ever said 10
men. 'You can vote only, because you
are Inoral?' No. II asks but one thing,
that man he loyal TO the safety OF the
country.
'If YOU are going TO give women the
vote without responsibility. YOU create
into AN arlstocracy. Women can never
give such service TO the state as man
Never in history have they given their
lives in service TO the state as have men.
Think OF the New York women who
have had fortunes thrown into their laps
without turning a finger to earn them
having a vote on 2 property qualification.
such as some suffraGists demand, while
college professors without property would
be deprived OF the vote
Mrs. Jones warned her auditors against
the false teachings of suffragists. who
begged the vote for women in order TO
help wage earning women. and urged her
hearers to so home and send dollar
instead 10 every womens trade union they
knew OF as a better way TO help those
wage -earnerS.
Remember" said she. that promising
wage earning women so distant 4 thing
as the ballot is like Offering them Il dis
tant star, Most of the 30 per cent Of the
so-callcd hest wage -carncrs among the
1000, 900 wage -earnerS in the country do
not want the ballot. Some do But even
they hesitate To call themselves sunrag
lists. they declare themselves Socialists.
The suffragist speakers say that all trades
and professions nearly arc open TO women.
and they cite some 200 bla acksmiths and
a Ike number of undertaEers' That. 10
Fancy having n blacksmith for a
mother -law.''
whereat there were impulsiye hand,
clappings. Mrs. Jones said ,hat while
plenty was heard OF Colorado from SUI
tragist platforms. not a word had she
yet heard from one Of those platforms OF
Utah. I've never heard suffragst
speaker mention Utah" she said "Wom-
goIy;gaamy In Utah Tor yeaTs WOMEN
NO FREEDOM. BUT VOTE AS THE
ELDERS TELL THEM. And they keep
the vote just because there are more OF
them. and so the votes count And the
women there like (here she lowered her
voice but intensified her dellvcry)-thc
women there Ike the polygam9us life!
clamatiou sounded Ike an echo of this
familiar locution OF the mayorelect who