East Oregonian : E.O. (Pendleton, OR) 1888-current, 1909-02-10

New York-Alfred Henry Lewis
writes the American from Washington
as follows: This is true talk Some
days ago l made pact with the ladies
of the land of liberty to search out
senate sentiment touching woman and
the ballot. In the more important
particular to which my hunting was
addressed I failed.
1t was part of my plan, the part Of
consequence, indeed, to identify to
woman what statesmen of our upper
house were most obdurately set
against granting her the ballot, and
all to the end that she might surely
know where and how to plant the
javelins. or, rather, hat pins, for her
argument to secure a best result.
Not one of these togaed hoary rec
reants. while bold enough to voice an
attitude inimical to woman, owned
what honest courage was needed to
let me use his name.
In one sense. perhaps, this skulk-
ing timidity might be regarded as a
compliment. Certainly it spoke for
the intrepid. death-defying sort Of
lovely woman, when men, grown old
in strife and who have stood up
against the unblnking iron without
flinching. took to the shivering woods
at a first suggestion to link their
names with those anti-woman suf-
frage views to which they gave ex-
preston.
Senate Would Not Arm Her.
In the sense general the majority,
almost the unanimous senate feeling,
are unfriendly to womans "cause."
I personally probed the souls of 10.
Taking the broader course, I went to
leeward of the senate, and what scent
of sentiment I gathered was one of
unbroken hostility to woman and her
rights
To the final senate man. as I be-
lieve and here report, they are op-
posed to arming with the power to
vote the tender feminine hand. The
first senator I approached was young.
He had been married but two years.
a happy father of one. Adopting a
manner light and careless, the better
to throw him off his guard and cloak
from him the dangerous gravity Of
the questions I would ask, I demand
ed whether or not he favored giving
woman the ballot. His face, all sun
shine, was on the instant stricken as
gray, as cold, as cherries as an
April day. He turned and before I
could say aught that might stop him
had fled like a frightened fawn.
Elderly Man Expresses Views.
My next statesman was square,
headed gentleman of means. His
face, ,eyes-all wore a stony express
sion. Even his beard seemed craven
and stony like that of the Farnese
Hercules This man didn't run away.
He talked and played a virile part to
that extent.
81 shall need all my faculties" he |
exclaimed, 4for the fight I'm making
for postal savings banks and must not
be harassed by delegations of women
demanding what they call their
rights and what I call their destruc-
tion.
"The work of the world is divided
into two parts-wOman's work and |
mans work. The work of one is as
important as the work of the other. |
It Is his to kill and hers to cook, his |
to earn and hers to save He is the
hunter, the provlder; she is the home
builder, the nest builder. The man, |
no mattr how long he let's his hair
grow, has no moral right to abandon |
his appointed field of effort. The |
woman, however, short she cuts her
skirts and hair, should stick to hers
"In that role of warrior under the |
and changes wrought by
our civilization the man Is called up
on to vote. He casts his ballot as be-
fore he cast his spear, and with the
last argument he must be ready to
march away to war to defend the in
tegrity of what rule of government
he has voted for The woman, who
is not the warrior and therefore not
the voter, has no more native business
at the ballot box than on the battle
field She is no more fitted to cast
ballot than to cast a stone.
'Man Has Sense, Woman Sentiment"
"If you would know somewhat Of