The San Juan islander. [volume] (Friday Harbor, Wash.) 1898-1914, 1910-11-18
Women Should Vote On All Questions

Women Should Vote On All Questions
Now that the voters Of the state
have by a heavy majority extended
to women the right of suffrage 1T
It would be we'll for the latter to
study carefully existing conditions
in national state and county affairs
that they may fit themselves for
intelligently considering the many
important questions that will con-
front them. 1t will require much
study and careful thought but the
benefits accruing will well repay
them for any energies exerted along
this line. That the vote of the wo-
men will have tendency to purify
politics there can be no question,
provided all, or great majority at
least, exercise the privilege granted
them. Most women have always
desired to take hand in the settle
ment of any question affecting the
liquor traffic, but they should be
equally DESTROYS of voting upon all
other questions coming before the
people of this great state and nation.
It will require no coaxing to get
them to the polls when certain issues
are being considered, but when 9TH
ers that may seem to them of minor
Importance are being voted upon it
has been suggested, that it will be
hard to get the women out. Wheth-
er this proves true or not it OF
course remains to be seen. There
is no possible reason why women
cannot vote as intelligently as any
man and there is no reason why
they should not. They should learn
to vote as their better judgment die
tates regardless of what their hus-
bands, if they have such, think, and
they should vote upon all questions
to be settled at the polls. Some wo-
men may vote as their husbands
wish or in some instances possibly
dictate, but the Islander is liberal
enough in its views to believe that
the majority of them will study
most questions carefully and will
cast their votes according to their
own views and for the side that seems
to them to be right and for the
best interests of the masses. En-
ma Smith De Voc. president of the
State Equal Suffrage association,
when asked in Tacoma recently what
women propose to do now that they
have the ballot said:
my reply" said she, 'has invari
bly, been, we are going to rest and
think
"We are not going to engage in
the organization of republican, or
democratic or other political clubs.
eve are not going to engage in
spectacular political methods, nor in
spectacular demands nor in spectac-
ular legislation.
eve realize that we are under the
scrutiny not only of this state but
of all other states, and our proceed
ure is going to be as deliberate as
we can make it.
eve have no intention of attemp-
ting to overthrow the laws that
have been made by men. We con-
template no sweeping reforms. We
may have ideas that some amend
ments are needed to certain laws,
but we are not going to press these
matters unduly.
''Most of us have the belief that
in many matters pertaining to bust
ness affairs and legislation, men are
superior. But we believe that we
can be of assistance along certain
lines, as, for example, in the max
ing and enforcement of pure food
laws, in sanitation, in legislation
pertaining particularly to women
and children, in civic Identification,
and, to certain extent, in the man.
agement of the schools.
1--WE are not being carried off our
feet by the immensely of the victory.
We are not being bamboozled in
the least by the Establishments of
certain politicians who suddenly have
discovered that a new force has
risen in the state of Washington.
"Our victory is the biggest adver-
tisment that the state of Washington
ever got"
Rn0Sf. Don'f Knork