Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1911-10-21
The Equal Suffrage Question.

|
| (By John H. ID. Cray.
AS the equal suffrage question is be-
| ing discussed by number Of maya
zines and newspapers, would like &c
contribute my mite.
We boast that we are nation OF
kings, that every man is born free and
equal. and is just as good as every
other man. But what Of our American
queens?
| Why should a man. just because he
was born male. have rights denied
his wife. mother, daughter or sister?
! Often we read in newspapers that
women do not want to vote"
/ have before me copy OF Homes
dale. Pa. paper which contains the
! following: 1.-The only votes cast in one
township in Lebanon county. consisted
| of those of the election board. five
votes. The expense of these votes waa
more than Sc each" No doubt there
are men in that township. who did not
vote. who Join the chorus that women
do not want to vote. The argument in
opposition to women voting, because
they do not want to vote" comes
MANY times from men lacking a bet
ter reason.
! If women are not permitted to vote
] because they do not want to, why not
take the vote from men, because they
I will not?
| 1t is now necessary to hold political
! meetings in every COUNTY, enp'oy
| bands. send out thousands Of political
documents. set columns of type in
news "a pers. employ an army OF per-
sonal workers on election dav and even
send conveva noes. manv times. to get
men to the voting places to vote.
I II Is rot so much tha' women do not
want TO vote as il is that men do not
want them to. Why?
Fi~st-If women could vote. there
worl1 he more women holding office.
That reason alone causes men who are
anYiors to serve the dear people 20
consider it an intrusion for women re-
pa-dless OF fitness for offi"e, to hold
Office or to have the right to vote.
Second-Partv success would not an
peal to her as her interests are with
the children. the home and the school
and she would make an effort to put
these atove party success.
Thi~d-If women could vote II would
sound the death kne1l TO the ambitions
Of several red-nosed men.
| Please show me any other group of
people forced to prove that every
member Of it, or a majority. wanted
the ballot before 1t was given.
What an ahsurditv to say that wo-
men like Julia Ward Howe. Belva
Lockwood, and thousands of Younger
ones. were never or are not now as
CAPABLE md as worthy TO cast the ball
10. as many immigrants who have been
coached by corrupt politician to an
swer the necessary questions to get
their naturalization papers.
have lived in towns where women
voted on the question of issuing bonds
to erect school buildings and did not
notice that any women neglected her
household duties, or her family. or was
less a lady by voting. It is rot to say
that the placing Of the ballot In YOUR
mo.her's. Wife's. sisters. or daughters
hand will make them less lady.
also have lived in a town where a
rich corporation was asking the grant
ing OF special tax 10 aid them to build
railroad and saw many men vote
who We're not taxpayers. Where were
the women? Several OF them at home
working over a wash tub earning
money to pay their taxes for election
EXPENSES, etc.
Some men think all woman was
created for is to be sort Of maid OF
all work and brood animal combined.
She Ia to have no voice IN the selection
OF men who make laws. Nevertheless
she must obey the man made laws as
we'll as her lord and master. She must
put In her time like slave in the
house and attend to the religious dut-
les, many times, for herself and hus-
hand. She often ranks head and shoul-
ders in intellect over her husband, who
has been given the ballot. She has
made good In all walks Of life. profess
sjonal. education and commercial. II
she breaks a law she IL even denied the
right to have her sex sit in Judgment
on her case. but twelve men good AMI
trre' decide her guilt or innocence
Morally woman is superior to man,
and for that reason her vote at the
polls would tend TO raise the stand
ard Of political morals.
After years Of trial the peoole OF no
state or country which has given uni
versal suffra &c have wished to take a
backward s:ep and take from women
the right to vote.
Universal suffrage Is not an experi-
ment. Australia New Zealand, Swed-
en- and parts of Canada, besides six %
our own states have It. Speaking OF
the United States. Wyoming was thu
flrst state to give women the right TO
vote. She did 80 in 1859. In 1893
Colorado come IN lire. Utah and idaho
in 1896. and WASHINGTON In 1910. Cali
fornia recently become the sixth state
Twentv-nine states have school SUI
fraee FOR women.
Statistics will prove that the per-
centage OF divorces is lower where
woman suffrage obtains and MARINE
and birth rate as high as elsewhere ir
this country.
Mothers. listen: The man who NAV
ruin YOUR daushter has voice in the
selection Of the sheriff who arrests hin,
the county attorney who prosecutec
and the judge before whom he is tried
Your sex 10 even denied the right to
serve on the jury. Why? Because
lot Of Office seeking men along with
few women. say you are not intereste
enough to want to vote. Are you?
JOHN D. GRAY,