The Springfield herald. (Springfield, Baca County, Colo.) 1887-1919, 1910-11-04
MIR. BARRY's ARTICLE

read the Ladies' Home Journal, and
are undoubtedly conversant with an
article recently contributed by Rich
ard Barry on woman's suffrage. Mr..
harry was sent out to investigate the
workings Of the woman suffrage"
law In the states In which il is in op-
GRAFTON. and his views are of course
Interesting, although why man
should always be selected for an as
signment Of this kind is not easy to
understand.
Mr.. Barry seems to have diverted
his Investigation to Colorado and his
deductions are not at all fattering to
the women OF our state. In speak
ing Of the results here. he says:
"Woman's suffrage in this state
(colorado) is joke when 1t is not a
shame. High-minded men ignore the
woman voter; to low-minded men she
iS-well the less said about that
matter tho better"
greater Islander against the wo-
men OF Colorado could not have been
Icopcocted. That It is difficult to at
tract the attention Of the majority of
our best women to political questions
Is doubtless true. but 1t is no less
true that 1t is equally difficult to
arrouse the interest of our best men
and the experience of Colorado from
the second Waite campaign down has
ahown that when great moral ques-
ton Ia involved our women are more
easily aroused than our men. Any
one who has followed the course OF
our political affairs must know that
men are VIGOROUSLY lacking in the
performance Of their political duties,
and the ills against which we cry and
TO remedy which many would resort
to freak legislation is largely due to
this fact. To say that our women are
more remiss in this particular than
our men is to allege that which is not
true, and In one particular at least
the women have all of the best of the
argument. after failing to respond to
their political duties they do not con-
sumo their time decrying the evils
which a few hours attention given
these duties every two years NIGH
have avoided.
i Women, like men. do not give the
attention to their political duties that
, they should. In too great a degree
our political affairs are left in the
hands Of those who make politics a
| business. but when you read the re.
. cord as whole. 1t must beconceded
that in Colorado at least womans suf.
TRACE is an unequaled success.
In this connection. it must be re-
membered that manhood suffrage j.
the development of centuries. Even
in England it has only been brought
about within the last half century.
On the other hand, woman suf-
frase, even In the few states where it
' has been adopted, is but a few years
Old. If through the power given
them our women have not exercised
their full strength in the direction
. IN correcting the abuses which exist
in government. it can at least be said
that their influence has never been
exercised save for good. and you
might as well condemn a child be-
cause of its inability to master some
Intricate mathematical problem, as
to denounce"woman's suffrage" be-
cause 1t has not brought about per-
lection In government.
i But Mr.. Barry's article has broad
er Significance than that indicated.
While pretending to give information
with reference to the practical work
ings Of "woman's suffrage" it is in
effect an arraignment of the princi-
pies OF this movements warning. as
1t we're, to other states to avoid the
mistake of Colorado. Utah and WV
omins.
That this movement toward woman
suffrage is worldwide cannot be
doubted. In many respects it is more
acute abroad than in America. Ey-
cry effort to stem the tide is being
made, and the Barry article is but a
part Of the general attack.
BY attributing to woman suffrage
the ills which have grown up, and
the evils which have not been cor
rected In those states where our wo-
men have the right to vote, it is