The aegis & intelligencer. [volume] (Bel Air, Md.) 1864-1923, 1910-11-11
SHALL WOMEN yoTE1
The Uusnswtrsbls Argument
BY MRS Ida CALVERT oBRNcHAlN

BY MRS Ida CALVERT oBRNcHAlN
1t 10 asserted that "the average good
American woman's indifference to wo
mans suffrage" is an uuansweI alb e arau
msnt against the movement.
u this be true, there Is an unaI xer
able argument against every good work
and every reform movement OF he pres ent
day, or any Fast day, for It 10 fact that
"the average good American woman"
| aud her brother. the average good
American man." are shamefully ind,fier
c 1t to the things that make for the pub
Tic good.
A knowledge of sanitary science is a
good thing The average American liv.
| ing 10 town without a drainage sy stem
will permit the cook to throw dish water
and kitchen garbage 10 the back yard,
md the average American man. unless
De erred by law. does not hesitate to
expectorate on the public pavement and
the d ,ors of public buildings. Is this Ia.
difference to sanitary precautions an un,
answerable argument against sanitary
science1
The m.n and women who aie working
to abolish child labor encounter a vast
Indifference to this subject on the part Of
Legislators and the people at large. 10
this indifference an unans Werable argu.
ment In favor or child labory
Seventy five years ago women did not
20 to college. When the agitation for
the higher education of women began the
Indifference Of the average American
citizen arrayed itself against education
for women. Was this indifference an un
answcrable argument in favor OF Hitter
acyl
There was time when a married wo.
man could not make will. and a mar.
ried woman's wages belonged to be r hus.
band So indifferent were the average
nsn an womcu to this injustice that 1t
was years before married women oh.
tanned property rights Was this in
difference an unanswerable argument
against granting woman the right to dis.
pr $: OF her own possessions by will. and
to collect and spend the wagesearned by
her own toll
There are two classes OF people 10 the
world. In the women of one class. u keen
sense Of justice 10 developed. In the other
class. the sense of justice 10 40 undevelop.
ed that women belonging to this do not
object to condition Of disfranchise ment
that reduces them to the politicalleve of
the idiot the iunatic, the ielon, the minor
aud the illiterate negro OF the South.
This large class OF women 10 well dc.
,cribed as average. and by mere force
Of numbers these average women may
continue for a long time to have things
their own way. But human progress
means the setting aside OF the opinions
and wishes Of average people and 10
the long run the world 10 goyerned by the
small first class. the men and women
who love Justice, who know what Justice
IL. and who by this love and knowledge.
are raised above the average
The cause of wOmanH suffrage hos
mace progress 10 recent years aud Map
land especially 10 waking up to answer
the unsnswerable argument. Ia Balti.
more meeting, are being held In private
parlors and public halls as well as regu
lar gatherings at stated times at the
headquarters of three organized suffrage
clubs, The daily press OF the city Ia alert
IN the subject and a new suffrage league
has Just been organized In Toward county
at Ellicott City.
In four states of our llnion-Wyoming
Utah, Colorado and Idaho women vote
on terms absolutely identical with those
on which men vote. la twenty other
states In our country women take part
in special elections, such a. the voting
for school commissioners. In some oi
these states taxpaying women are al.
lowed to vote, but not women who own
no property.