Los Angeles herald., 1909-08-11
WANTS BIG SUM
FOR SUFFRAGE
SUFFRAGETTE TALKS OF VOTES
FOR WOMEN
DEVoTEs TIME TO COLLECTING
FUND OF 100000
Will Be Known as Susan 3. Anthony
Fund and Used for Campaign
Purposes-How to Better
Conditions

A. woman prominent in the national
| councils of the suffragettes, who is
passing a few days in Los Angeles en-
route to her home in New Orleans, is
Miss Kate M. Gordon, who for eight
| years occupied the position of CORE
spending secretary in the national or
| ganization.
Miss Gordon was followed in office
! by Professor Frances Squires Potter,
who in order to accept resigned from
| the chair of history in the University
of Minnesota, and who was heard with
pleasure by Friday Morning club MEM
bers and friends in an address a few
months ago.
It was in order that she might de-
vote her entire time to a new project
! that Miss Gordon resigned the national
secretaryship, namely, the raising of g
| large sum of money to be known as
| the Susan I3. Anthony memorial fund
and to be used solely for camapign
purposes. This is to be Miss Gordons
special mission for the next twelve
months or more, and as she has had
wide experience In her official capacity
beside having special adaptability as
| IN organizer, she is confident that soon
after the first of the year she will be
able to report fund amounting to
100000, which she hopes will be@arge-
| ly increased in the months Immediately
following
How to Improve Conditions
OF the national convention just
closed Miss Gordon is enthusiastic, and
feels that the outlook is bright for the
future and victory for the cause is
sure.
LIVERY problem in social life" she
| said last evening "goes back to gov
ernment for solution.
1.-THE only method of improving polit-
| ical conditions Is improving our cleo
| torate, and that must be accomplished
by raising the educational and mora
| average. The national census of 1906
! shows III, ,632 more literate females
more women able to read and write
than men. Increase in population Is
| largely by means of immigration, an6
here also figures tell the story Of one
woman alien admitted to the country
to every five men. Figures again show
| that women are largely in the minority
among the criminal classes, all oi
which certainly disproves the conten-
tion of our opponents that votes fol
women means an increase of incom-
potency
For Equal Rights
Suffrage stands for equal rights
not woman's rights alone. The law
wishing to degrade a man, disfranchises
him but idiots, criminals, women and
minors have no vote! Think of the
justice of 1t, In this twentieth century
Suffragists stand for equal property
rights, and would give women the
same privilege here as men enjoy, In
cluding the right to vote for the mel
who make and enact the laws.
Mothers. too should not be denied
Al. lit I,os,, III
| dren, and should have as much to say
as have the fathers concerning educa-
tional and moral advantages.
1.-THE lady cop will become ar
established institution before long
She will not patrol the beats, but she
will be active in every part of the
police system where she can do the
! greatest social service. She will have
the same unquestioned right of entry
that is accorded the men who now
wear the uniforms of the department
and when these men realize that the
votes of their women constituents
! count for as much individually as dc
| those of the men, then will women
have a weapon that will go far toward
protecting her home and her children.
Ballot First Step
"The ballot is the first step in any
sort of social reorganization, and
woman's vote is one of the strongest
weapons with which to strike at that
octopus that is debauching our sys-
tenn of government, the organized
is corporate wealth.
"I do WISH" said Miss Gordon, "that
the club women of the country would
make a concerted appeal to the United
| States government for legislation which
| shall prevent states allowing voters tC
| exercise the franchise simply by dec
laration of intention of citizenship be-
| fore they become naturalized. This
evil is crying one in some communi-
| ties"
Here 1t was suggested that it seem
ed strange that the women teachers
of the community, women who should
be leaders in every forward movement,
were not solidly for suffrage.
"There is one thing to be said for
them" laughed Miss Gordon, land that
is that their position is wholly politi-
cal, and because Of economio condi-
! tions they are helpless. The teacher
renders to the state the most valu-
! able service Of any Of it's employees
and in return the state rates them with
| idiots and criminals, at the same time
expecting them to instill patriotism.
"The women teachers have a tangible
excuse but there is none for the
churches. By siding against equal
suffrage these good people are throw
ing their influence with the organized
liquor traffic, and their avowed op-
position is Of no avail"
Miss Gordon is staying at the Leigh
ton, and will be in Los Angeles until
Saturday morning. She was guest
of honor at a small luncheon given by
Miss Jessie Anthony on North Belmont
| avenue yesterday, and in the morning
spent an informal hour with Madam
Caroline NJ. Severance.