Los Angeles herald., 1909-08-11
EQUAL SUFFRAGE

Mrs, Mark Cohen of Dunedin, New
Zealand. has recently, in London, given
some facts regarding equal suffrage
that ought to be of particular interest
in this country where taxation with
representation" is just now being SO
roundly commended, writes e. q. Lewis
in the Woman's National Daily. MIS-
Cohen, who has done great zeal at
home to promote the technical educa-
tion of boys and the instruction OF
girls in domestic science, IL OF the
opinion that "women's vote has come
to stay in New Zealand and that the
longer it is exercised the better and
purer New Zealand politics will be-
come" She denies that woman sutfrage
leads to marital discord, that homes are
neglected, that the moral STANDARD OIL
womanhood has been lowered or that
wives vote as their husbands dictate
"Our men and women" Mrs. Conen
says. tackled the suffrage questloii
sixteen years ago in a serious anu
judicial frame of mind, and events have
Drovad that thew have had no cause
to regret their decision She mus
that verv few women desire to hold
office. but that between rs ana 30 per
cent of the qualified woman voters go
to the polls on election day. New Aea-
land's experience has further been, ac-
cording to this authority, That women
take considerable interest in the pom
tical gatherings that precede elecIloIis
and that their presence at these meet
ings "has unquestionably produced tne
happiest results. You cam" she adds'
Tread our papers from one end or the
dominion to the other without fndlns
in them any trace of the personal ieeI-
ing that marked political contests
thirty wears ago" Mrs. Cohen 1urllier
declares that the political banquet mas
given way to social atfalrs thaI are al o..
tended by both men ana Wolhen e,l oo,,- GU
that these affairs are by no means coll-
trolled by the rowdy element. IN
word - she. concludes, "I have not tne
slightest hesitation in saying that tne
enfra anchisement of women in New Aed-
land has stood the est of time
There is no good reason why the en-
reimbursement of women should not
stand the test of time, whether the
fest be made in New Zealand or IN any
other land of civilized people we Ia .
quoted Mrs. Cohen, not on account OF
lacl, of faith in the outcome OF the sur
frage movement, but rather because OF
lack of confidence in some OF our lei
low men. Credulous people may ac-
cent as true some of the stories resard-
ing the so-called woman suffrage -eX-
neriment' that is being made In Col
orado, wyoming, 1daho ana Utdn' pul
if they do so it is without calling rea-
son into the conference. The arguments
that are advanced against extending
suffrage to women are for the most
part trivial. They are founded on fear
rather than on fact. Volumes might
be filed with the predictions that have
been made of What would happen when
women voted, but actual adoption OF
the principles of equal suffrage has
never given the prophets opportunity
to thrust their right hands into their
bosoms, throw their left legs carelessly
in front of their right legs, draw them
selves UP to their full height and pose
for 81 told you so" photographs. It
has ever been our contention, and still
is. that the question before the people
today Is not whether women ought to
be given the privilege of voting, but
whether the women desire that privi-
lege. If they desire it, they not only
ought to have it, but as certainly as
day follows night they will have it.
The suffrage campaign in the United
States has been conducted along right
lines. The object has been to interest
the women themselves in demanding
the ballot.