Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1910-02-11
SUFFRAGE.

Hon. W. f.. Mullen, Attorney Cen
eral of Wyoming, says: As the
mother, sister, or teacher of young
Boys, the influence Of women over
minds Of youth in the creation of
wholesome ideals Of citizenship, is
very great The more she is able
to teach the boys, early impress
SlonS remain with u man through
life
With the intelligent and educated
a.otLcr to direct the welfare of the
sons and daughters along those lines
which instruct and make familiar
with what constitutes the elements
Of good citizenship, you will see Il
better political class of law makers
occupying our Legislative halls Men
of intelligence of the bar will tell
You that there will be less tendency
to Juvenile crime, less inmates for
reform schools. In other words, the
mother who is interested and capa-
bic of the instruction in the methods
and morals of good citizenship, like
the good and law abiding male citi-
zen, is the desired and much loved
by a well regulated and aw-abiding
community.
To the mother, nearly all men are
willing to admit, lies the foundation
Of their standard of citizenship, and
let that man of this day beware when
he attempts to curtail her right Of
suffrage lest he in his false and pref
judicial state of mind see his own
name made q misnOmer to his own
offspring.
Great men standing upon the
platform, and roStrum of to, day, in
passing upon their own capacity for
achievement, turn with that index
finger and point to that roman,
mother. " Ah," l hear you say,
"she was not a suffragist. :"
Yes, but that woman, that mother.
those women were the representa-
tive elemental ancestors, who handed
down those men the great qualities
of exemplitied genius that was trans
mitted to the living daughters. the
daughters of those free born men
who are asking to-day that they no
, longer be denied the constitutional
privilege of equality and franchise.
They have, and always have. borne
more than their half of the nation $
burden, both in time of peace or war;
as the mother of the days of past
history has handed down her pro-
clivitics Ofclcmental suffrage, we in our
advancing footsteps make claims. as
all rightful and progressive woman
hood, to have accredited by franchise.
insteadof by proxy, because we have
proved worthy OF that place of equal
ity, which, as have mentioned be-
fore, was a right inherited from the
kingdom of Heaven, and one when
we are only deprived in exercising
because of the unfoundcd prejudice
and Injustice of man.
All, man! thou hast been in this
two hundred years of cXcmpliticd lib
erty and freedom, an enigma unto
thyself; strange creatures of contra
dictions that flies with the open arms
of freedom to fight the battle of your
black brethren, or still the opprcs-
sive Spanish tyranny, during which
time YOU heapcd the added burden of
maintenance upon the good wife and
offspring, and forced her to give of
her own life blood the sons of her
own being; then amid triumph and
huzzahs you stand for this great
principle of liberty and in purile
cowardicc deny her the right of fran
chisc
God knows the shame he yours and
we by constitutional law must bear
the burden until you march like men
to the polls and free us, one and ali,
from this constitutional stigma or
sin Of omission.
Travel where you will. or where
ever she has been admitted to her
rightful and legitimate use of fran
chiSe, we mark an upward tendency
, to the moral tone. The polls them
selves have been purified. and every
civic condition which her hand has
touched has responded to something
better. Civic societies in our cities
for the identifying and looking into
the sanitary conditions, suffrage
again. in its elemental stage, forging
ahead step by step. adding dollars
and dollars to the commercial or real
estate business of our cities, and yet
this same broker who is carving his
and the fortune of others from the
faithful and combined efforts of these
female civic workers, and still more
faithful female stenOgraphers and
scores of other women who are add
ing their tithes to this commercial
world, are looked at in aghast by
this same broker if they elect to say
they are entitled to a right of fran
chise.
The rose may be rs beautiful by
another name; the fragrance OF the
flower fill the air with incense rare,
the lingering sentiment of elemental
suffrage that sheds it's light by proxy