El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1910-04-15

W. a basis of absolute equality
with men in four states Of
the American union, in the common
wealth of Australia. in New Zealand.
Finland, Iceland and the Isle of Man
They have a limited right of suffrage
in a great many other states and COM
monwealths. It is impossible to form
an intelligent opinion OF the merits or
dement's of the woman's suffrage cause
from geographical deductions.
Israel Zangwin, the great English
Jewish writer, is an enthusiastic SUI
fragist who has admitted frankly that
he belongs TO the class of male sup
porters of this peculiar propaganda
who have been described as men Of
putty seduced by women of brass" In
a speech in defence of the militant
suffra gettes and their methods, he
said:
1T is told of a little girl who had
been brought up in newly built town
, in a remote western state of America,
that when she was taken to New York
and saw for the first time the crowded
horse cars outside the mighty station
of the Pennsylvania railway, she cried
out: How cruel They are using horses
to drag the street carl How barbar-
ousr This little girl never had seen
anything but an electric car Her town.,
being brand new, had jumped over this
Anticipated absurdity of horse traction.
March of Civilization.
Mr.. Zangwill used this incident to
illustrate his contention that in
strange raw regions Of America and the
Antipodes" the march of civilization
had jumped over the traditions of the
barbaric system which imposes politi-
cal disabilities upon women merely be-
cause they are women. While it is true
" r
ganized states have been most liberal
in granting the elective franchise TO
the weaker SEX Finland and Iceland
and even the Isle of Man cannot be
included among these raw regions
Outsiders differ in their opinion of
whether or not woman suffrage. is
success in those communities where 1t
has been tried, their differences being
in the exact ratio of their prejudices,
but the insiders apparently are pretty
well agreed that woman suffrage is a
good thing.
In New Zealand the constitutional
provision extending the privilege of the
ballot To women was carried at the
beginning by the narrow margin OF
two votes in an election in which the
whole male population participated
After trial Of several years the prime
minister of New Zealand ventured the
sons in all the dominion of New Zea-
land who now would testify that they
thought woman suffrage failure
Progressive Islands
New Zealand is the most radical of
all civilized states in its system of So
ciaI laws, but in the country itself the
word progressive" always is substi-
tuted for the word radical" and the
superlative is most strenuously insist
ed upon. The rest of the world may or
may not agree with the New Zealand
ers that they have the most advanced
and most nearly perfect democratic
government on earth, but the New Zea-
Ianders firmly believe 1t. and they give
the women voters a large share Of the
credit for their political status
An Australian woman of gentle birth
Young, beautiful and somewhat shy
was present at a gathering in Lon
don drawing room where the OPINION
was expressed. generally and voclfer-
ously that the possession of the right
to vote would unsex the gentler sex and
would destroy the bloom of true wo-
manhood Everybody but the Austria
liam woman agreed with the sentiment
and boldly expressed their faith Final
" someone turned to her and said.
'sWhat is your opinion2 You are far
TOO modest" Well you see." she
blushingIy replied, Il always hare ha"
a vote.
Suffrage In Colorado.
A few months ago a speaker in New
York declared that woman suffrage il
Colorado had been complete failure
and that the elections in that state
were in the hands of some thousands OF
fallen women who held the balance of
power. This statement Immediately
brought forth an indignant protest
from Colorado. in which the governor
of the state former senator Patterscn,
and Judge Ben Lindsay, OF juveL-.e
court fame. together with many others
of the most prominent men in Colo
RADIO. vigorously denied the truth of the
statement made by the New York
speaker.
Practically every prominent man in
Colorado has signed the petition for
woman suffrage, which will be present
ed to congress next week In Utah,
wyoming and Idaho. while there is
some opposition and some adverse
criticism, the vast majority of the peo-
rfe express entire satisfaction with
the existing election laws
within the last two years woman
suffrage has been rejected by the
10 Missouri