Daily Arizona silver belt., 1910-04-14
WOMEN's SUFFRAGE UNDER TEST

don't want the vote, that they wouldn t use it if they had it, that it would unsex and destroy them if they did use it, and that to raise women to political equality with men would lower them to moral equality with men.
 These are academic arguments, all of them, and thus far they have been generally treated as such Yet with four states in the Union giving women the full franchise if the statements are true they are fully susceptible of proof If they are not true that can be proved, too.
 Helen L. Sumner, Ph D., has published book containing an analysis of the workings of equal suffrage in Colorado in which ample informa- ton on these subjects is given fairly and impar- tially from the view point of the well-equipped student and not from that of the 'suffragette" " propagandist or that of the opponent of equal suffrage
 This book shows quite clearly that woman $ suffrage does neither what its more ardent ad- vocates claim for it, nor what it's opponents say it would do There have been no political revo- lutons in any of the four states that allow women to vote; nor has the state of womanhood changed in any of these states. Miss Sumner shows that equal suffrage in Colorado has not destroyed the homes, has not taken women out of her sphere, has not made woman mannlsh. She also shows that equal suffrage has not mag ically purified politics. Nothing very bad has happened and nothing tremendously good. This statement of results of woman s suffrage may dampen somewhat the ardor of those who assert that it will immediately purify politics; but it completely overthrows the claims of those who affect to fear terrible consequences to woman herself
 A number of progressive laws have. been passed in Colorado, but the state was progress sive before women were allowed to vote. few Improvements in politics have been traced di- rectly to the influence of women, but there is plenty yet to do before politics is clean in Colo rado It has been charged that letting women vote would bring to bear "hysterical" and "emotiona'' influences. No such influences are discoverabe in Colorado.
 Miss Sumner destroys entirely the idea that letting women vote would destroy the home. It hasn't destroyed the home in Colorado, or in- jured it in the slightest degree. She also over- throws the claim that woman would be tarnish- ed by admission to the ballot. In many quar- ters good effect is noted in that mothers con- slider public questions and discuss them freely with and before their children, thus educating them in the subjects that elsewhere are not con- oldSlSu part Ol I1lelI ITdlulllS. w Oueu dI Guc polls meet, not rough and unfamiliar persons, but their own neighbors and friends. "In polit- ical conventions they often exchange recipes for cooking egg plant and choice information about the baby, the servant and the dressmaker, just as they would at any other gathering" Women go to the polls with their fathers, brothers, hus- bands or sons or with their neighbors Many mothers have cast their ballots with sons just arrived of age,
 In Denver about the same proportion of wo- men vote as of men. In the rest of the state the proportion of women is smaller. A number of women have served in the legislature, where their record has been fair, but not brilliant. They have averaged above the men as whole in intel ligence, but none of them could be classed with the ablest men. The character of the bills offer ed by them was higher than the average of those offered by the men. There have been many women office holders, and their record is high There has been no woman defauter, no woman has shown herself grossly inefficient, and sev- eral have made brilliant records
 This review of the Colorado situation puts the issue of votes for women where it ought to be, in this form: "Has woman a natural right to vote, or at least a right equal to that of man?" That is all there is to it.
 MOTHERS DAY