The Pensacola journal. (Pensacola, Fla.) 1898-1985, 1912-04-04
VOX POPULI.
BELIEVES WOMEN SHOULD
BE ALLOWED TO VOTl

Editor Pensacola Journal.
/ have read Miss Burnhanl's article
on "Womans Suffra ge." She says she
merely states what she thinks" 1
trust others may be granted the same
privilege. She deplores Woman's en-
try into politics. What is politics,
anyhow? Webster gives "The science
of government" Now the government
of a nation Is the nation, an ungov-
erned country is in a state of bar
barisnl, a badly governed country,
ruled by corrupt men, is in a state of
unrest and disquiet, a. nation is like a.
big business corporation, 1t must have
a head, a controlling body, and as that
body is wise OF foolish, SO will that
business prosper or go into the hands
of a receiver.
When a business is prosperous
everyone concerned, from the largest
stockholder to the janiter, feels the
effect of that prosperity. Now we need
wise men, and honest men, at the
head of affairs, If we are to keep
abreast of other great nations. The
average woman is morally better than
the average man. The average school
girl stands above the average school
boy in her studies. 1t is only when
he goes into the counting house, the
work shop, or the store, and she be-
gins to devote her spare time to cards,
the boy gets Fundamentally. When
men shut women out of politics, they
lose great power for good. When
you read the daily papers, with their
columns filled with accounts of cor
ruptien among aficeholders, you must
admit that it is barely possible for
male voters to blunder.
/ think women could size up the
merits of q candidate about as accu-
rately as some men. When you come
to think that the. majority of the
voters are laboEing men, that they
work from morning till night to keep
the wolf from the door, you will realize
how little time they have to get ac-
quainted with their families, still less
to read up on questions of national
interest, whereas very few women are
too busy to read the daily paper. /
do not refer to the thousands who are
compelled to take a mans place in
store OF Office or work shop and can
not, lie they would, be "home keepers"
Our governing officers make the laws
and some of our state laws concerning
women are simply barbarous. Every
woman should know the laws of her
state as relating to women. They
would be better able to protect them
selves, their children and their prop
erty interests from the grasp of I'M
serupulous men. Had known the
rudiments of law in my case, l would
not have been condemned to spend
seven of the best years of my life be-
hind the bars of lunatic asylum, con-
demned, as no man would have been,
without examination, physicians GER
tihcate, commitment papers or any le-
gal proceedings whatever. Miss Burn
ham says "The system seems to have
worked pretty well so far" Has it?
Read the papers. She then admits
that it is so corrupt that she would
like to give three cheers because she is
out of it. AS long as good people stay
out of politics, il will never be less
corrupt than it is now.
Miss Burnham does not wish to vote.
Neither do some men, but is that any
reason why other men who do wish
to vote should be deprived of the fran
chise? Taxation without representa-
ton is unjust. Property owning wom-
en- of Atlanta recently petitioned the
city council for permission to vote on
an ordinance which would increase the
taxes on their property. What about
the consent of the governed in that
case? Political parties In our equal