The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1912-10-28
A GREAT SPEECH
DIR. Shaw Held Large Audience
at Auditorium.
Noted Suffrage Speaker Did Not
Belle Her Reputation.

is that they believe in the flying ma
chine for themselves and the ox-cart
for the women, and you can't mate a
flying machine man with an ox-cart wo-
man with any success, said Dr. Anna
Shaw in her address at the Auditorium
Saturday night. Her speech was made
before the largest audience that has
met in the state for a suffrage address
during the entire campaign. Her voice
could be heard all over the building,
and the large audience listened with
the keenest interest.
In all tines she said, men have
entertained loftier theories of living
than they have been able to formu-
late into practical experience. we
Americans call our government re-
public, but it is not a republic and has
never been one. A republic is gov
eminent in which one-half of the peo-
pie make the laws for ali of the peo-
pie AT first the government was
hiarchy in which only male church
members could vote. In the process OF
evolution the qualification of church
membership was removed, and the
word taxpayer substituted Later that
word was stricken out, and all white
men could vote. They followed the
erasure of the word white and now
all male citizens have the ballot. Th<
next measure is obvious, and 1t 1s
not "a revolutionary act, but the next
ment.
Il believe thoroughly in democracy,
and 1 have no objection to the ex-
tension of the franchise to all men, for
all have a right to voice in the max
ing of the laws that govern them.
But no nation has a right to place be-
fore any of. its subjects an insuper-
able barrier to self-government. We
would make no cutlery against an ed
ucationa standard. the necessary age
limit, a certain term of residence IN
any place-in fact. there is no regula-
ton women would object to that APP
piled to all citizens equally. 1 make
no criticism of the policy of the coun-
try in giving all men the ballot. The
men are all right so far as they go
but they only go half way.
1.-The United States has subjected its
women to the greatest political huml1-
alton ever imposed upon the women of
any nation. German women are gov
erned by German men. French women,
by F'renchmen, etc, but American Wo-
men are ruled by the men of every
country and race in the world
Il was in Kansas 20 years ago in
the interests of votes for women. The
growth in population and material
prosperity in this state since that time
is astounding. The advancement Kan
saS has made Is largely due to the
determination and the sacrifices of pi-
oneer women. who stuck to it in those
early years when many of the men
would have been glad to give up and |
go back to their eastern homes. No
state in the Union owes so great a |
debt to its women as Kansas. The
enterprising young men of the east are
going west: the most energetic of the |
foreigners who come to this country |
establish their homes in the west and |
the dregs settle into the life of the
big seaboard cities. We of the east |
look to the progressive west to en- |
franchise its women first, and the en- |
reimbursement of the eastern women |
will follow When the women of three |
or four more western states have the |
ballot. the balance of power will move
to the west from the large centers of |
population in the east: for by giving |
the ballot to the women the west |
would practically double its voting |
population, and the east would be com |
PEELED to extend the franchise in order |
to maintain any political supremacy. !
Now, the vote in the hands of the |
women of the large cities means even |
more than it does to western women, !
because the evil conditions that women |
are trying to correct are more apparent !
and widespread there than here. The |
disease-spreading sweat shops the |
child labor outrage. and the problem |
of the underpaid working girls. would /
be grappled with in way that they |
cannot be handled without the help of |
the women"
DR.. Shaw told of the refusal of the
governor of New York to appoint a /
woman factory inspector in New York |
City, and of the great factory fire of |
last year. which is conceded to be dir !
ectly due to neglect that would never |
have been if the Woman'S candidate had !
been appointed.
Even in enlightened Kansas" she
continued. 'I heard a man say that
the women ought to stay at home. But /
seven million women in this country
have no homes to stay in. They can't do
the work of their grandmothers in the
home. because that work has been
taken out ofthe home. and girls and
women must go into the factories af-
ter the grandmother's job You have
heard it said that it is unladylike for
women to vote. When we want a meas
IRE put through the legislature now
We must use our sweet womanIy in
1uence." buttonhOle the legislators. tag
them around and head them off until
they hate the sight of us. don't call
that ladylike, but it's necessary. Put
ting a little slip of paper into a box on
election day, on the contrary. is the
most ladylike thing I can think of. In
fact. it is so ladylike I am surprised
that the men are willing to do it
Il do not belong to any political
party. and I have too much self respect
~ Gig my sci VIII any Poi ~ uilI my
vote is of enough Importance to be
counted at the polls"
DR.. Shaw'S address was repIete with
apt stories and good natured raillery.
without bitterness or rarcor
Before the speech. an automobile
parade escorted the lecturer to the
auditorium, and there was an outdoor
concert. An organ concert. given by
Professor Seymour, and film of NOV
ng pictures entertained the audience
within the building before the address !
Mrs. w A Johnston, president of the
state Suffrage League, introduced DR.
Shaw