The Caucasian. (Shreveport, La.) 1900-192?, 1909-04-11

/
| far as appearance goes. she is well
| groomed. becomingly dressed and has
| a diplomatic rather than an aggressive
| manner. Her mind is logical, her man
| ner of argument calm and her person
ality magnetic. and she is anything but
mannish. The suffrage movement OF
today counts thousands of women
who, like Mrs. Henry Willard. Mrs.
Clarence Mackay and Mrs Gabrielle
Stewart Mulliner, are noted for their
social tact and charm as well as for
their intellectual qualities.
The present suffrage movement in
this country frowns upon the mascu.
line woman. 1t makes, on the other
hand. an appeal to the mothers Of the
land that It may help them do more
for their children and to the home
women in every state in the Union
that they may be able to vote for laws
that will protect the fircside and better
existing conditions
Woman's suffrage wants the support
Of every wife and every mother, and it
hopes sooner or later to have the sane
ton of every husband and every ia
fher. The movement is for the better
ment OF the entire human race. Let
me quote from Il recent speech Of Mrs
Gabrielle Stewart MulIiner:
do not start from tue mistaken stand
point that all men are uneducated. tricky,
dishonest, incapable voters and officehold-
ers, who have made a failure of our gov
eminent, and that all women are refined.
uplfted. educated angels who will reform
the government and turn the United
States into forest Of Arden or a Utopia
but ! do say that there is something
wrong with the present system when
building on our constitution. which prom
ises so much. the people of America can
be laboring under the burden of so much
suffering and want and ignorance and
crime
Some one has made mistakes and some
one has misappropriated the functions OF
self government when there is bread
line ana when there are supplies of poi
sOned food. when the milk supply is dead
ly, when children cannot get schooling.
when people starve to death, when men
and women commit suicide because life
Is cherries There is something wrong
Men have had the affairs of the nation in
their control now since 1776 and they have
not been able to work out the problem to
the satisfaction of any one. Themselves
included.
/ have no desire for suffrage for women
for the sake of casting a ballot, but it is
what it stands for. 1t means that one
can have voice in selecting the men
who make and who enact the laws.
eve women who pay taxes" says
Mrs. Henry Willard who by ever in
creasihg hundreds Of thousands are
compelled to earn our livelihood in
shops. in factories and in Offices. are
simply raising the banner of 1916, NO
taxation without representation
Mrs Clarence Mackay is devoting
her large fortune to the advancement
of the cause She has opened head
quarters in the Metropolitan Life
building. New York. where she works
earnestly every day.
'TO my mind she said recently,
"the real importance Of giving women
votes would he found in this-tbat a
multitude Of practical questions which
are now left quite unsolved would be
taken up and solved. We see our op-
portunity. There are schools which
educate the children Of the women Of
today. and these need constant care |
There are the injustices and the op-
preston suffered by these women who
have TO make a living for themselves. |
There are hospitals to ne worked fer
and public charities to be improved. |
The woman Of leisure should devote |
her energies to working with her sex, |
standing shoulder TO shoulder with the |
wage earners. ready to help the cause |
which unites all women upon com |
mon ground because they are women |
and for the sake OF their wOmanhOod" |
MAUD ROBINSON TOONRS