Newark evening star and Newark advertiser. [volume] (Newark, N.J.) 1909-1916, 1912-10-29
WHYIBELIEVE MVOTES FOR WOMEN
FOR MANY REASONS, ALL
COOL
ny WILLIAM 4. SAUNDERS,
Former May or OF Piainfieid, President OF
the New Jersey Mems League for
tEomau SUFFRAGE.

Former MAY or OF PiainfeId, President of
fhe New Jersey Mems League for
Woman Suffrage.
Women should vote in this democ-
racy of ours because the source OF
power and the controlling influence
in the government comes from. the
people. If that influence is expressed
by less than half of the people, as II
is now, it cannot be as effective nor
can it make as strongly for peace
and contentment as though 1t came
from the whole people.
Women should vote, because sto ell
large the suffrage on such lines is to
add a greater proportion of honest
than dishonest voters, and just IN
proportion as We increase the honest
vote are VIC likely to gets good gov
eminent.
Women should vote because there
is no educator equal to the ballot,
and to educate the masses of the peo-
pie should be one of our highest aims.
That the great mass of the people,
principally wonen do not understand
government and politics is not an ar
gument against but rather for this
enlargement of the suffrage. The
way to make people understand any
subject is to put the lofd upon their
shoulders. Give them this RESPONSE
bility and they begin at once to study
the question.
The reason why the great majority
of men do not take a sufficient inter
est in politics is because they carry
the load with Indifference. They have
no encouragement at home to study
and discuss politics. No one at home
except a male of voting age has any
business with the question. If each
member Of the family we're interested
and If those who are approaching
maturity were given to understand
that when of age they will be expect
ed-to share the responsibilities of gov
eminent, ii is reasonable to suppose
that the subject would receive greater
attention at the dinner table and in
the drawing-room, Nothing can be
understood right and in its ~fulness
without open, free discussion. and
those entering this discussion are
most likely to study it in all its
phases and to reach a proper conclu-
sion, provided the responsibility rests
upon their shoulders and not indirect
ly upon the shoulders of someone
else.
Women's Influence Needed.
: Women should vote because the
moral influence of women is needed
in politics. There is no group of men
SO bad that the presence of a good
woman will not make things better.
The atmosphere of politics needs
this influence. Good men are
apt to avoid politics. and the
more this is lone the worse
will it be for the country. They
should be tempted to pull off their
coats and get into the middle of the
roa and work to improve the at
m~osphere. They are more apt to do
this if it Is generally popular among
men and women to go into the field,
and as there is a larger leisure class
among women than among men 1t is
likely that the number of those in
terested in politics would largely in
crease through an extension of the
suffrage.
Women should vote because gov-
eminent is no longer chiefly con-
cerned with warfare, but with inter
nal improvements. The first function
of government is to improve the gem
eral welfare of the people, to provide
just taxation, to encourage and pro-
mote education, to protect human
life and to aid in making human be-
ings more comfortable and happy.
Are not women equally concerned
with men in all these things? May
not women be as useful in aiding the
government in these. its chief func-
tons? And if they have the right to
expect to receive benefits from a just
and liberal policy of government,
should they not be willing to share
the responsibilities?
Women should vote. because wher-
ever the experiment has been tried it
has done no harm, but in most places
it is admitted to have purified poll
tics and to have done good. In all
cases it has quieted agitation.