The daily telegram. [volume] (Clarksburg, W. Va.) 1901-1926, 1911-10-25
AT the Suffrage Convention
for Not letting the
Women Vote.

/ GOBV5V tELtS1 OCT ZO.--1dan eLlu AIA
political ways were weighed and
found wanting last evening by Mrs
/ T. p. o'Connor, wife Of the Irish
Header, who addressed the National
woman Suffrage Convention on the
text, "Let Our Watchword be Unity.
Mrs. o'connor replied tos what she
termed the -'o1d threadbare argu-
ments' against woman suffrage, out
ined what she declared were typical
abuses OF mans powers, and urged
her sisters to stand shoulder to
shoulder and march forward togeth-
err"
"If the majority of men could be
convinced that 1t would be to their
personal advantage and to the advan-
tage OF the state to accede the vote
to women our fight would be at an
end" she declared. when you ask
them why we don't vote they advance
old thteadbare arguments, the first
being that all women would vote ac-
cording- to the politics Of their hus-
bonds. II this be true, why shouldn't
man want two votes instead of one.
Another argument. is that II women
had votes men would no longer pick
up. their handkerchief. 4 have lived
in England twenty six years, and dur
ing that time have always picked
up my own handkerchief and not had
the advantage Of a vote either
"a man left alone in Baltimore this
summer with a negro cook called her
into the dining-room and said, Con
found you Maria, 1 want my meals
cooked better hereafter or out the
door you go; 1 don't propose to pay
you $50 month to send in everything
/ eat burned to crisp Look here
retorted Maria, don't you talk that
way to me, you just member who l
is; 1 don't like your tone of voice,
and amt no trash for you to. hofler
at: you mustn't take me for yo' wife.
'.And finally, the great and over
whelming argument is thathto give
women votes would destroy mans
home. 1t doesn't matter about
women's mans home is the thing to
be considered Then there is the last
weak-kneed argument, the refuge Of
the pessgmist. that already the fran
chise is too large, and as women, are
clamoring. for a vote the only rem
edy is to take it away from a certain
number Of men who have not gone
through a collegiate course and can
not stand we'll in a spelling compe-
tition
Men are not to BIO trusted with unr
United power But the very founda-
ton of the relations of men and
women are wholly wrong. The theory
is that men toward women are wise,
noble, generous, chivalrous and just;
that we can trust them to make laws
for us which will protect our inter-
ests; and for the rest we must by
tact and diplomacy manage them.
Mems great shibboleth, the thing he
cries out for, is management If he
is unfaithful to his wife, she hasn't
managed him properly. And what
woman ask you. no matter how
good or clever she is, can make man
go her way II he has begun to go, the
way of another woman?
Women are brought up by the
theory of, expecting undying faith
fulneas, consideration, unseltishness
and taking of all responsibility
from her shoulders by man-slowly
but surely she has to unlearn this
false lesson. There are men in the
world, many of them, tenderly chiv-
alrous to women-my own dear
father was one. of them. But we do
not, we must not rely upon senti-
iment. what we want, and what we
demand, is justice. An ounce OF JUS
tice administered by the law with a
Judge and jury behind it Is worth
all the chivaIry in the world More
good has resulted from it than every
sleeve worn by gallant knight In
honor OF his lady-love.
THE laws as they stand today are
Inadequate. Many OF them are mark
edly unjust to women and no refor'
nation will take place without the
franchise. Englishmen have a hne
sense OF Justice; the trouble is no.
with them but with Englishmen who
have been too long content to sub
NIT to Injustice. Take, for instance
our divorce laws; a woman in order
to divorce her husband must have
pnfaithfulness and bodily cruelty com
H. urFoJthFulness only