The Marion daily mirror. (Marion, Ohio) 1892-1912, 1909-11-16
WHY WOMEN SHOULD VOTE
BY Charres Sprague Smith.

frage are, briefly, that the franchise
III considered as right, belongs !
equally TO woman with man. | have
seen no negative argument that APP
peared to me to rave weight. The old
concept that the family had but one
head, and therefore was to he repre-
sented in all large, public matters
by the one-the man-goes back in
its origin to the time when the male
owned the wife and children and
was lord of their liberty and life.
The concept which has emerged
however, II of fellowship rather than
of single headships Man and woman
today, in the larger, truer thought OF
the world, move side by side, as
equals, together working out the
problem whteh each alone is inca
pable of solving. II is sometimes
urged that because woman is physic-
ally less strong than man and i'll
adapted 20 bear arms, therefore she
should be excluded from the arena OF
public life and denied the franchise.
am disbeliever in war as a means
OF settling international questions
The increasing recognition of the
complete interdependence of nations,
the inveltion of annihilating means
of warfare, the subjugation of the air
to mans control the fact that the
world is really becoming in many
senses civilized as is manifested by
al
the rapid growth OF peace movements
all these forces are cooperating to
put an end to war, and | believe that
within the lifetime of our children,
INT may be relegated to the rubbish
heap But, assuming that for a con-
siderable period of time still war Will
remain a necessity, woman's part in
war in furnishing the men-children
who are to bear arms, in presiding
over the homes deserted by the men
supporters. in enduring the anguish
of uncertainty and of loss, is certain
ly equally great with that of men
and affords no argument against her
claim to equality of franchise.
On the positive side, there is the
conserving agreement of all the best
informed representatives of those
lands, such as New Zealand, and
those states of our own country,
which have admitted woman to the
suffrage-and so far as my informa-
tion reaches there is here no dis
cordant voice-that the gain far out
weighs ary possible loss. ] have
yet to learn of any attempt or even
desire to retrace the step.
Personally, in looking out over the
field OF things to be done in the
swiftly coming time, the most i'm
portant question that faces the world
seems 10 me to be social organiza-
tion. At last human soiety has in a
large way awakened 10 the con-
seriousness that all men are entitled
TO heirship in what earth affords OF
life, liberty and the pursuit of hap
piness. Everywhere the social con-
science is stirred and experiments
are being made TO determine in how
far the liberty of the individual shall
be subjected, for the good of all. to
the control OF all. In this great work
of the construction OF society the
heart as well as the intellect must
have its place. II there be a diff !
ference (as there certainly is) between
the sexes as distinct groups, man
represents the result of a develop
ment which has exceeded on the in
tellect side, and woman on the heart
side. For the solution OF the social
proDiems pressing us, the presence
and participation of woman, with the
authority she can only receive
through the suffrage, is imperative in
order that these problems may be
solved in the light OF justice and in
full recognition of mans obligations
toward his fellow-man.
Summing up, then. There is no ar
gument or convincing character
against the equality Of right to the
franchise. the modern, truer ron-
Iception If headship in the. family Is
dual rather than singular; woman's
physical feebleness relative to man,
incapacitating her for the active SER
vice OF arms, does not initiate
against her suffrage right, since her
part as mother and wife gives her at
least equal share in the burden and
the pain OF war; the experience OF
countries and states where the suf-
frage has been bestowed is unanimous
IN approval OF the act; the social
problems facing us demand the SER
vice of those qualities which are dis
tinctive In woman in association with
those distinctive in man.