The Paducah evening sun., 1910-01-24
WOMEN AND THE SUFFRAGE

accompanied DN a Hlpnltl, SlloNlhS
that in those states. in which women
vote for school trustees, the percent
age of illiteracy is among the lowest.
while no state with high percent
age of illiteracy permits women TO
vote. The pamphlet on its face
proves its own worthlessness as an
argument IN favor of extending the
suffrage: because the lowest percent
age OF illlteracy is found in states
which do not permit women to vote.
and the high percentages are found
lin southern states, where there is
high percentage of colored and Mex
ican population, and they have not
the enormous school fund of the
newer western states. with every
fourth section set apart as school
land
We have assumed the view that
when all women demand the suffrage
II viii be granted them as right;
but We have no hope of political re-
generation through this agency; for
we do not attribute to woman in
herently superhuman qualities
We are not going back to the orig
inal incident and recall the fact that
woman was the first to fan, and that
admission of her error was followed
by nothing more elevating than a
dress reform. That would be flip
pant But We do maintain that wo-
mans so-called emancipation, has
been rather an apOtheosis; from
slavery she has been elevated TO a
shrine. she is on a pedestal, be-
cause men have placed her there
She takes a more spiritual view OF
life; because she has not been sub
iected TO the temptations and pit
, falls that men have. Her work out
side the sacred precincts Of the home
have been in the church. She has
carried into her newly aroused civic
endeavOrs that same clear spiritual
insight. She views the truth as Il
exists in the abstract. Her husband
has not burdened her with the rela-
tione between his private business
and, consequently, his income and
the Injuries which permit her time
for interest in civic affairs-and
these same civic affairs. which inter
est her. She does not realize
that sometimes political corruption
has made possible the leisure
time she devotes to studying
and denouncing the results of oorrup-
tion.
Give her the ballot. and We shall
see whether woman Is stronger than
man in those heroic qualities neces-
sary TO differentiate public duty from
private gain. For instance, when a
man tells his wife that his salary or
the value of his securities or the IN
hancement of his real estate holdings
depends upon the election of certain
men to Office and that their defeat
may mean the loss of comforts and
social standing, will his wife say 10
her husband that her moral duty il
10 defeat his plans. although II
means 10 inferentially condemn him
as scOundrel and deprive her and
her children of Injuries to which
they have always been accustomed ?
When everything else fails. how will
her new civic conscience stand up
against mother love? For love of
I family has thrown many man
These are stumbling blocks to which
men are gradually becoming accus-
toned. but against which dainty
feminine toes have seldom struck.
II the women will oppose their
husbands on these personal issues,
then we may hope for great things
from the extension of the suffrage:
but If they will not. their enfran-
chisement will mean only worse
civic Ills, by adding 10 the corrupt
vote.
Moreover, will the women consent
to attend the polls and stand in line
front and back TO a courtesan from
the red light district and wait hei
turn to vote? If she refuses 10 dc
this as she does wherever women are
now allowed to vote on the schOo
question, she viii do one of two
]
the polls and permit the dive vote Z,
be increased by the demi-monde. o.
, she will demand that conditions
which breed such creatures, be eradi
Gated If she continues her presen
, militant interest to that extent, tn,
land will be wonderfully blessed b.
/ the extenson of the frnnchso
, Otherwise. We fear the wives an,
r feminine friends of men with per
, sonal interests in the election. com
bined with the dive vote. viii max
matters only worse than they are.
The truth OF the business is, tina
/ We are not now suffering from lac
Of numbers; nor Is the fault alto
gether with the voters themselve:
I Men are good as the good influence
outweigh the bad, and bas as the ba
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