The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1912-01-20
rpr RICHMOND NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS. JANUARY 20 1919

4 ~ also the unit IN 8uSsEptaeHt,- IMAM
and communicating a common inter-
est. q common labor. common
right. For what purpose do govern
nents exist? il IL not TO protect
| and elevate the human family And
on what basis Of justice or OF pro-
prtety or of conformity to its ends
| can government deny to one-haif that
! family the right to help for. ulate
| the laws under. which the family must
ike and move and have its being
Tyranny Of Tradition.
In nothing is the tyranny of tradi-
ton more manifest than in this reiuc-
lance to accord 10 woman her equal
( political rights. Because In the dim
beginnings of human existence. brute
/ strength seemed the worthiest and
1 most efficient item IN our makeup. we
I have gone on ticfFiuE brute strength
! tbr"u"N succeeding ages--ages that
! have witnessed the evolution Of mind
! and ethics, the slow growth OF the
power OF conscience, the unfoldins
or attruisD. the sentiment Of equal
/ tuItice--net yet universal. but inevita-
: hY coming--the sense OF Individual
= liberty. All These nob1er traits of our
common nature grow stronger with
the years of the worlds age. are risi-
j. blY mnpin" albeit with hating steps.
/ towards n day Of fraternity and peace
! ana good will. and yet We stili maintain
great ornaments that crush the ND
/ springing of righteous social and In
/ dustrial conditions. We prefer killing
! TO compromising. The brute within
us still snaris and bares its fahss
! for the accomplishment OF Its bloody
lusts; We pirate of the abolition ut
| slavery, and yet continually practice
a,,I oh N
our people--our own community, those
who have aided us, suffered for US,
endured with us, and held up our
hands In all good works; the mothers
who have borne not arms DuI
| armies, the wise and patient teach
| ers who educate our youth In the
administration Of the sacrament OF
citizenship" All this advancing
throng OF faithful participate In the
| progress OF our age and OF our conii-
try. all these women who keep the
law and exalt the law tonly one-hfth
| of the prisoners in jails and pentten-
taries OF the United states are wom-
en), and who indeed. make possible
the very existence of the law, are
halted and turned back from the bal
lot box planted on the proud heights
of human freedom and hidden TO reach
\ forth no deserrHtinE- hand afeff~ the
instruments of government because
they are women.
No Intelligent Reason Against It.
A lawyer said recently that he mad
never heard an intelligent reason
against equal suffrage, that there ~
no creditable lawyer who believes that
it Is not just and right. beiioNe
more I believe that no honest nihu
can consider the evidence ana pro-
unjust one seems to he, trying 10
define an axiom in the presentment
of those claims. Woman Is % sentient.
active, energizing human being
in society Of human beings. a part
of that community, factor in that
community. a contributor to that com
munity and she should, therefore, en-
10y the full privileges OF that com
munity life-~one OF the most I'M
portant of which Is helping to shape
the government of that community.
A Citizen Minus Rights.
Az IL is. she Is citizen minus
political rights. a taxpayer minus rep
-resentation, an equari partner In do
nestle responsibility. an ignored part
ner in that poiity which shapes her
domestic life. Isn't all this mon
strous fallacy? The old traction
/ WITH all ItS tAAllliNdtitif 'tNNNtA e''N"
nv the experiences of time, still per-
, sists as a kind Of MENUS of sophistry.
And this fabric is variously named
, sentiment. chivalry expedience, but
rarely does 1t receive its proper desis-
, nation. which Is ignorant seitishness
For. look: What kind Of sentiment IL
It which fosters injustice? What man
! ner of cnivairy that Expresses lne
weak? What expediency that Is al
variance with the proved and recoroeu
benefit Of equal suffrage wherever u
has been tried? Witness the lorna
declaration OF the Australian Parlia-
| ment the testimony of officials II
| New Zealand. the reports OF COVER
nors Of our own States where the ex-
perimerFt OF equal suffrage has beer
} triumpha ntly indicated III "ou'o
seem that the last stronghold OF ig'
porant opposition had been destroyed
/, But ue-the champions of senti-
ment and chivalry and expediency--
driven from one paradox to another
make one last rally. they cluster
around a standard bearing the en-
deared device of religion and the
, Home" Why. that is our banner,
the suffragists insist, we demand the
right or Individual liberty as an ex-
preston Of conscience and conscience
ts the indWelHnK spltit Ut p'u' ''A'
, only authoritative expression OF con-
/, science In government Is through the
ballot. II is as much a duty to vote
righteously MS 1t Is to i've righteous
, ", [ cannot abstain from trying 10
; express the affirmations of my con-
science without doing wrong TO the
individuality with which God endow-
ed me Voting Is as much part OF
religion a. prayer means emhody-
/, ing my faith In action II feel 1t an
, obligation to think rightly. | feel an
! equal obligation to act rightly. and
. the use Of the ballot is potent form
, of action Therefore, as conscien-
tious individual, I need the ballot,
/ Ana the home? Woman is the ac-
. knowiedged protector of the home
= II the man la the house--in the old
= Anglo-Saxon conceptionwo woman is
the real priestess of the hearth
I the purifier. the defender. the con-
servator of all the domestic inter
r ests. How can she administer hcf
office among modern conditions with
, out the ballot She absolutely re-
qures il TO protect that home in
Its sanctity and purity. Her home
: IL uienaceJ in a dh3uEand WAYS atFeiI
the complexities of modern life--bad
: food, bad sanitary conditions. inten-
, perance. bad moral conditions, UNI
Just and dilatory laws--she must
. meet all these, and the old fiintlock
of the pioneer woman. which suf-