The Montgomery advertiser., 1909-12-20

Nothing like doing complete Job
when one attempts thing. The old
expression--"the whole hog or MOTH
Ing" often finds application. either In
projects or in actual performance.
Take the suffrage question. about
which there Is so much being said just
now. We have In this country advo-
Gates Of female suffrage. but they can
all take back seat and lot French
man occupy the stage. He - one En-
lie Faurent. member OF the French
Academy. and here is what he favors;
have said good many times that
am in favor Of women being allow
ed to- vote and hold office, since
desire absolute equality OF rights OF
the two sexes. i am even In favor OF
the vote for children (the father vot-
siSs whieh Would give % the fath
ers and mothers of families the So
ctal preponderance which they ought
to have. I think that for every coun-
moral and conservative force. women
being In general a little less sensual,
much less criminal, and infinitely less
Incorporate In strong drink than men.
That really leaves very little to be
dtsired in the way Of universal suf-
fragt. When the man walks UP to
tht polls with haif-a-dozen little boys.
and the mother goes along with an
equal member Of girls. and they thus
cast fourteen votes, the business and
privilege of voting will become large
ly family affair. Plainly the
Frenchman holds that parents OF chill
dren should have pre-eminence in pub
lie affairs, and let others stay in the
rear. No race suicide for him. The
more children. the greater the family
influence In government. II is a d.
rect and strong incentive to men ard
women TO marry and raise large fami-
lies.
This is what we may truthfully call
universal suffrage" for II takes in
the entire population. 'sThe plan"
says The New Haven Register. "of-
fers something to think of. It should
at least meet the favor OF that dis
tinguished gentleman who has been
driven to Africa because Of the pre-
valence OF race suicide in this coun-
try. It would be great deterrent to
under-production. It would increase
the quantity of votes--and never mind
about the quality. If we should vote
on that plan, we should not only need
should need to have them run by pow
err"
No doubt this scheme will appeal
with mighty force to one t. r. who
has had so much TO say in conden-
nation of race suicide. It will appeal
as well to the male portion of HUI
mainly beyond question. When an old
bachelor goes up to the polls and de-
posts one vote. and sees a friend and
his family come along with eight
or ten votes. the single-shot fellow
will realize where he is at, and will
get a wife as soon as possible.
1t Is a great scheme, but we won
der how 1t suits our ardent suffra-
gettes who are not mothers7
VIII the woman who are not wives.
and the wives who are not mothers
fall in with the plan? 1t would de-
prive them Of much Of the influence
they would otherwise have IL woman
suffrage should become an actual fact.
and set them back in a way they
would hardly enjoy. Whether 1t
would influence them In the way of
obeying the primal laws of our hui
manity is question. but perhaps 1t
tent. They would reason that If their
standing and influence in public af-
fairs had to be governed by tile size
of their families IL would be to their
interest to bear and raise children,
and thus make themselves OF more
consequence.
AS to the difficulty anticipated by
The Register. of getting SO many bal
lots cast and counted, there would be
more than one remedy. Voting ma
chimes would help very much. but we
think a better solution would be to
have family ballots printed. and let
the father or mother hand in a bal
lot representing the entire strength
OF the family as voters. It is true
that some inscriptions parents would
hand in a ticket with more votes on
it than would be Just and fair. but
that could not be helped. Elections
are not Sunday School affairs, at best.
and If the time ever comes when there
will be no such thing known as ille-
gal voting and counting we may con-
slider that the millennium is with US as
a settled fact.
1t may be. for anything we know.
ured out in detail, so as to provide a
remedy for all possible objections.
We have not seen his ideas set out in
full, but what We have quoted shows
that he lays over" all previous ad-
vocates and apostles of suffrage. II
Mrs Pankhurst, Mrs. Belmont. or any