The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1912-03-10

a
~ ing woman suffrage question is
\ the matter of the increased
taNation which viii lie necessary il the
electorate were doubled. Election cN-
penscs arc always heavy, and are
growing heavier every y@ar- This uucs-
lion was sineuiarly illustrated In u
debate In the United States senate on
February IS. 1t came out that II had
cost the state OF Wisconsin the enorm-
ous sum of sS50,Ooo TO get out one third
Of the vote OF Wisconsin on the direct
primaries bill. Several Senators re-
marked on tho floor Of thc Senate that
this would seem to settle the fate Oh
Tho direct primaries. There are under
Tho present dispensation very few wo-
mon taxpayers anywhere. The mon
pay the taxes. but the women own the
nroperty II would be difficult 10 find,
perhaps. in given radius i'll the city
of Richmond, Il single woman taxpayer,
bur il would be more difficult stiil TO
find Il piece OF property when cohiu
DC conveyed without the free and vol
I,utarv consent of some woman. Prop
crty can only be conveyed between men
alone when each and every party TO
lilo transaction is an unmarried man.
and guaranteed to remain so: In shors,
in non suffrage states. thc women own
The earth and the men pay the taxes
on IT, II the State OF Virginia should
adopt what the Womans Journal calls
Tho full bedgcd suffrage plank,
tho women would not only suffer
cnorinous loss Of property rights. but
Ia liable for the increased taxation
made necessary by doubling the cleo
tvlatc. according to a newspaper re-
port Of speeches made by Mrs. Q. H. T.
Belmont. a leading thinker. writer and
spcukcr in favor Of suffrage. she prom
isos tho women of the country that
IN
women vote. bu, gave Rsither facts nor
figures to sustain this statement. There
is connection between votes and
Taxes which tho sGnraCists do not seem
50 FAR 10 nave crasped.
In lie event of war, new ana per-
picking problems would arise With re-
gard TO suffrage. The English suffraS'-
fists tried to set around this last com
rlicatiuu ny giving a list Of subjects
with which tho sufrragi3ts do not pro
pose 10 Interfere. Among. them were
iii, army ana the navy hut what arc
No 10 think OF an electorate which be-
gins by admitting that il is incapable
oi dealing with many of the gravest
issues which nation must face" What
would be thought ii at inc coming ma
ticual conventions of the two great par
tics. either one should proclaim In It's
platform that OF would not attempt
10 interfere with tho army, the navy,
tho tariff. etc? That party would be
rcckoncd as collection of lunatics,
nni what would be Justly considered a
shrick!nS and screaming absurdity on
the part of men voters must be like
wise extremely ridiculous on the part
oc women voters If equal rights pre-
Vail.
These problems of increa sed taxation,
war and many others, show tho extra
ordinary complications in tho suffrage
question, which Miss Jane Adams
rravely declares to be "a simple thing
ballot box
Allied with SocInIistr.
\ feature which is not generally ap-
preciated is, that tho Woman's Ma
1ional Suffrage Association is closely
and officially allied with tho socialis
tic party. The following instructions
from tho headquarters o. the National
Womans Suffrage Association were
published In the Womar's Journal,
the official organ OF the National Wo-
lnan Suffrage Association, OF Novem-
Der %, la1I
we must not forget that at its con
vention at Louisville, the National
American Woman suffrage Association
passed resolution Endorsing the suf
frsGc petition TINT the Socialist party
is TO present to Congress through it's
Representative, Victor l.. Berger Rep
rescntntivc from Wisconsin. This rcso-
luton ran as follows! Whereas, tho
wolnan's national committee of the
Socialist party is preparing TO submit
u the Congress OF the United States "a
petition asking for tho political equal
ity of men and women. he il: Resolv-
ed, That tho National American W'oma II
suffrage Association welcomes the MD
ut POLITICAL parties; that we indorse the
petition and cooperate in securing
signatures to it"
Mics Caroline Lowe reports that she
Las had applications for many thous :
and of ths.lH ti;iqn sheets. and Social
fists ote 9iready -'ery active in getting
SIGNATURES.
We know by experience that it Is not
cosy 10 ron ny an imposing number OF
frames As petitioners of this sort. Many
suif!asisis will not sign because they
think Congress should keep its hands
Of. tho innttey OF rufr.apc, and many
>Ecrc have but LITTLE sympathy will.
p"ulions % any kind. We have al
ready petitioncd stubborn Congress
moro than once, and oar last petition
at least. was OF imposing dimensions
But what was It's fate? 1t was an ex-
"sperat!ng and pathetic sight, thai
scene III our august United States Sen.
;ttc tsnd House also) when tho petit.
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