The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1911-12-03
Legislators and Suffrage
BY GRACE VERNON.

ID. I. +.
In a recent issue of The Times Dis
\ patch 1t was stated that senator c.
Y. Gravntt, OF Caroline; Captain w.
Z w. Baker. OF Chesterfield, and Alden
Bell, o. Culpsper, had expressed them
solves in favor Of woman suffrage. IL
certain doubts in their minds could
DE set at rest.
Mr.. Gravatt is mot satisfied that a
majority OIL women want It," and no
fears the Acknowledgement of colored
women.' But he speaks up like a
just and fa'r-minded man, to say that
women should have the right to help
make the laws under which they have
to live"
Whether the majority want it or not
does not enter ITO the justice of the
question, as he tacitly acknowledges.
II We Judge men anu women by the
same standards. he must advocate u
withdrawal Of the suffrage from a
large number OF his own sex. Political
Indifference has become proverbial
among American men. In Boston 10000
men failed to vote at one election.
When the commission form Of govern
ment was voted on in Omaha, Neb.,
6,34l men voted yes" 2,3!5 voted no."
ana 1900 registered voters neglected
to cast their ballots at all. In some
what recent presidential election one
the last election in Richmond, though
it was one that involved most import
ant and vital Issues, out of $4,000 or
moro adult males, about $500 voted.
Should the 1900 who did their duty
be deprived OF their rights because
of the Indifference of the rest of the
10000?
As for the women. great many
know almost nothing about suffrage.
Others are holding back for fear Of
nispleasinS certain male relatives, who
prefer that their women folk should
be merely echoes of themselves. But
Jet women. generally, understand what
suffrage means to their homes, to
their children and husbands AMI 10
themselves. and the polling booths
will be hardly able to contain them.
There are suffrage associations in
neatly forty States of the Union, while
in only ten States are there anti
organizations. and these are very
small. In New York. at the time Of the
last Constitutional Convention. the
suffragists secured moro than 100000
signatures to their petltions-the
ants only $4,000. In Michigan there
were $4,000 signatures for equal suf-
fraGc, but no petitions were presented
for the opposition. In Chicago, 104
organizations. aEgregating more ,uan
woman suffrage, while only one small
organization Of women petitioned
against 1t. In Maine. Iowa, Kansas,
in every State where petitions for
suffrage and remonstrances against II
have been sent to the Legislature, the
petitioners have always outnuIhbered
the remopstrants fifty OF one hundred
to one.
In the suffrage countries and in our
six suffrage States the best evidence
shows that women take n lively in
terest in public matters and that they
vote in large numbers. This is notably
truc In Australia. New Zealand New
South Wales, Finland. where women
Sit in Parliament A visitor from New
South wales says that in his country
women vote as matter of course
and that corrupt cand. dates Invariably
hate to have them do it.
In Colorado in 1905 so per cent. of
the women registered. and I2 per
cent. voted; in Wyoming 80 per cent.
voted. Last summer the Civil League OF
Atlanta sent n petition to the commit
zee in charge of drawing up the new
charter. requesting that q clause be
included giving municipal suffrage to
women, because the women were pay
ing taxes on S16,000,00o worth Of real
estate. In Philadelphia over 5000 wo-
. iilcu VI dlllZeQ lcCCnlly hHQ 10
the support OF tho reform clement
among the men.
In MASSACHUSETTS, in 1895, when the
government took an official referendum
among women on the subject, the vote
was i'll favor of suffrage. rs to I.
Tho women of California have shown
that they do appreciate the ballot-not
for the sake OF q mere vote, but be-
cause II is the only open sesame TO
those things most vital to the home
and the family. The only way YOU
can hit bad institution Is by the
ballot. and woman can strike az hard
blow that way as a man. In Cali
fornia the women have been register
Ing In largo numbers for the election
on December o; in Santa Barbara %
per cent of them. In Los Angeles
alone $4,000 Mere qualified by Novem-
Der 1. The4~hostse 10 house cnnvnss TO
enrol women voters is expected TO
send the number up to 10000 In that
one city. and the men believe that each
woman Will vote for what she thinks
the best interests of her city. In South
rrn California the women have formed
civic associations, and have begun a
systematic study of public affairs.
other examples might be cited Suf-
frage petitions are being prepared for
presentation to the Legislatures OF
several States. including Virginia and
next year Will see great awaken
Ing among our women. By that time
the number Of women qualified to vote
for President will be more than the
usual presidential plurality. These
are as many women as there were I'm
all the thirteen original Colonies at
the time Of the Revolution. The United
States has now one-third of the fe-
male voters of the world. 1t Is said
that even in China the constitutional
party has included woman suffrage
In its program. In Virginia, the in