Arizona republican., 1910-04-16
Mir. Taft and the Ladies.

ne ldulsS III tue NpiifN lion at Washington who hissed Presi- dent Taft exhibited exceedingly bad manners. They had sent delegation to him and had asked him to address them Under the circumstances he would have been entitled 10 courteous treatment if he had been only a pri- vate citizen And under any circum- stances no man or woman having an understanding of the proprieties would hiss a president of the United States.
 This incident will Of course be seized upon by the opponents of votes for women as proof that women are not capable of self gov- ernment. and that they ought not to have the privilege Of voting. But by the same token the men of New Mex leo who insulted the president at the Albuquerque banquet last fall were also unfit to exercise the privileges of citizenship. Neither sex has mo- nopoly of bad manners. Viewed with 
 dent merely proves that there are women whose conduct, if they were men. would justify us in describing them as boorish.
 AS a matter of feet, MT. Taft said nothing n his address to which any thinking person could object. In the expression of his opinion that 'one of the dangers of granting suffrage to women was that women, as d whole. were not interested in it, and that the ballot. as far as women were con- cerned. would be controlled by the less desirable class" Mir Taft was taking the liberty which belongs to every citizen-the liberty of opinion. He may be right in the opinion ex- pressed; he may be wrong, but at all events. it is his privilege to hold such belief as his judgment suggests.
 But, again, the women who ill., mannerdly expressed their disapprovai of this opinion did not act at all diff ferently from men. Who is not la miliar with the type of male fanatic who is unable to tolerate difference of opinion-the fanatic who insists that you must believe his way and if vou decline, visits upon you all the maledictions of his vocabulary? The fanatic whose special brand of re- ligion is the only thing that good men can accept; the fanatic whose fad or the moment is the only subject on earth worth considering; the fanatic who is sure there is but one way to deal with the evils of liquor traffic all these types are familiar figures in every community. and at least half or them wear trousers. Man is in the habit of assuming for himself all the virtues which attach to a we!l-bal- anced mind, while he assigns to woman all the weaknesses of unrea- son. But if one is looking for people of boise and common sense, he wiii' we believe, find as many among women as among men.
 Returning to Mir. Taft's address, every friend of woman suffrage should commend to the apostles of the idea a careful consideration of the presi- dents sound advice Permit me to say" he said. 'the task before you in establishing your political rights Is not in convincing the men. but Tn convincing your own class. And there is the nub of the whole suf- frsge movement After it has be- come clear that majority or the women want the right to vote. the period of their waiting for all the rights of citizenship will be brief. in- deed. It probably is true that ma iority of women now are in favor Of woman suffrage But to all appear ances the most of them are indiffer- ent and until they manifest more than indifferent interest in the ques- ton the suffrage propaganda will pro- ceed under difficulties.
 MT. Tafts other arguments. if he intended his remarks to be considered arguments. are easily answered. It IS in fact no argument against the equal suffrage principle to urge that many women would fail to avail themselves