The Birmingham age-herald., 1911-07-31
PREMIER MCGOWAN
 ISA SUFFRAGIST WOman's Suffrage Makes Better State and Laws HAS GOOD INFLUENCE Husband and Wives Often Vote Diff ferently But Cause no Domestic
 Trouble-Mrs. McGowan on
 Australian Elections
HAS GOOD INFLUENCE

New York. July 30.-(Special)- )- Any state where women vote is | better state has juster laws, better homes and finer wives than a coun- try where the strongest moral force in the world is kept out of politics.
 This is the opinion of Right Hon. J. s. T. McGowan, premier of New South Wales, who Is inN New York en route home from the coronation.
 "Women have been votin gin New South Wales ever since the federation. 10 years ago" said the premier
 There is no doubt that their in- iuence has had a marked change upon our politics. a change for better in every way.
 "The percentage of women voters is l higher than men voters with us. Every Australian woman can talk politics in telligently, but she's none the less wom- anly for that. About 75 per cent of 1 the woman vote Is reflex of the hus- band vote. I don't mean that the hus- bands dictate to their wives or that the wives accept their husbands opin- ions but having the same interests and the same rrejudiees they naturally vote for the same man. It's the other 20 per cent of the womans vote that is the strong moral influence in Aus tralia.
 Where woman votes differently from her husband she votes better than her husband The good woman doesn't accept the necessary evil in politics. She doesn't say of a candidate, as a man does some times, he's rascal but we can't do any better. She asks | questions. She asks, Is he a good man" Is he a good husband, a good father, does he lead a decent private life?' 1" Hrs. MsGowan, who is with the pre- mier, also is a pronounced suffragist. She said:
 Tn England I was asked if voting made women less womanly. l laughed. There are no niore womanly women anywhere than among the women voters of Australia. I have voted at three elections myself Both my daugh- ters and all my six sons are voters and even politically we are a very united family, as we are all strong members of the labor party. But my sister and her husband vote different | tickets.
 | Husbands ard wives do not differ on politics half So much as on more 1 domestic matters. It makes a wife more interesting to her husband to be able to discuss public affairs with her. With us man doesn't have to go to the corner saloon for his politics. Per haps the most marked effect of woman suffrage is the attitude of women to- ward each other. They are so much broader and more sympathetic and loyal. The women's vote has brought better factory laws for women, better regulations of the closing of the shops. With us all shops except butcher shops, are obliged to close at o'clock and on Saturday at 1 o'clock. And if a holiday falls any day in the week it is observed on Monday. so the workers may have nearly three days rest.
 The women of the labor party are just as much interested in the party s triumph as the men. You ought to see them get the women voters out on election days. Why, I've minded q sick baby while the mother cast her ballot, and if a woman says she can't go to the polls because she has no hat or no shoes we lend her ours"
 And just here Mr. McGowan took up the song of suffrage again.