The Birmingham age-herald., 1912-01-21
WHY THE SUFFRAGE MOVEMENT SHOULD
 WIN FAVOR HERE


 whose thorough grasp of conditions con vinees them of both the justice and need of equal suffrage.
 Why Equal Suffrage
 This is the question that eonfronts Wohi- en of all classes. Ihe Workhs Woiiisaa who needs the ballot to regulate condi- lions under which she works, the house. keeper who needs it to regulate san,- tai.x conditions under which she and her family must i've; the mother who needs if to regulate moral conditions under which her children must be brought upi the teacher who needs t to secure just wages: the tax paying woman who needs jt to protect her property-all women who are concerned equally with mon in good and bad government and are equally re- sponsible for civic righteousness. And these are the reasons given by President Anna Howard Shaw of the National American Woman's Suffrage league. as composing the just claims of woman hood:
 1. The wonien of the United States are citizens of the United States, entitled oy nature to an equal right to enjoy the opportunities of life
 2 They perform half the work of the United States.
 ]. They bear all of the children of the United States
 1. They educate these children
 :. They inculcate in these children les sons of morality, of religion, of indus try, of civic righteousness and civic duty
 6. They deserve to be honored by the ehil- dren of the country as entitled to equal dignity and honor possessed by men.
 '. They pay half of the taxes of the United States.
 s. They possess half of the property of the United States or at least they arc entitled to possess half of the prosperity of the United States by virtue of labor performed and duty well done.
 Those reasons arc the platform on which the women of Tennessee are now seeking to gain their political rights.
 When one asks local representative of the league her reasons for desiring the ballot, they are shown to be all tend ing toward the future benefit of state and individual Mrs. Solon Jacobs remarked the other day that woman's mental ca pacity had been decred by those who are opposing her enfranchsement. "A wom- ans brain is not inferior to mans" said Mrs. Jacobs. ''I will admit that she Is more narrow minded, more prejudiced, more personal than man. But why shouldn't she be? Development is condi- toned by environment and her horizon has been so restricted she has had little stimulus for growth. The average wom ans brain is as able to grasp a big proposition as the average mans. She never fails to rise to an emergency, but as long as she is classed by the govern ment with children, idiots. lunatics and criminals how is she to broaden? All men who are naturalzed are over 21 years old and know how to read are permitted to vote. But women are classed with men tai and moral competents It is my con tention that we should have an intellec- tual qualification which will enfranchise the capable and disfranohise the incapable of both sexes impartally. When woman is given the ballot she very quickly dem | onstrates her ability to it properly. In Colorado, where conditions are ex- l traordinary, equal suffrage has already | fought and conquered a number of cases wherein political corruption was sappinS the growth of civic righteousness. Take the case of Judge Lindsey, the protector of childhood. He had angered the tele- graph companies by refusing to let 1t. tie messenger boys with telegrams be sent to houses of ill fame. He offended the liquor interests by punishing the keepers of wine rooms who permitted chl- dren to enter; and the bosses of both democratic and republican parties refused to nominate him. But he was nominated on an independent ticket, the women and the good men of Denver rallied to his support and reelected him with 130oo more votes than his nearest rival.
 "Women vote more independently than men,, pursued Mrs. Jacobs "They care not whether candidate is democratic or republican, so he be the right man for the place. This has benefited the quality of officials wherever equal suffrage is the law for moral considerations are placed above all others. But there are so many arguments for suffrage" she concluded, and absolutely none against it, that we feel confident of the indorse- ment of all well informed persons"
 Securing Converts
 The Suffrage league in this city is nucleus for what promises later to be q great organization with many branches It promises to so thoroughly outgrow its present bounds that later subsidiary organizations may be found in various To calties. each with some woman who is at present informing herself through tho parent organization. Ensey will have it's club, Bessemer will have hers, and East Lake and Avondale and Boyles and the rest of the neighbofing places.
 A conviction which is as fixed and as unanswerable as that of suffrage cannot fail to grow It is already the most talked of problem before the community today. l Objections have been brought forward through these pages and elsewhere as [
  balance and whether one likes it or nor, have been found wanting. All of the objections can be narrowed down to a very small first conclusion, call if prejudice, custom or tradition. For there is no denv- ing IL; women are in the grasp of tradi- ton. They have been for ages the "shel- tered flowers in the garden of lifeT
 Arguments Answered
 There still remains the sentiment that woman is fitted only to be the companion Of mans idle hours; that her place is the home and that she is too pure and beautiful and exalted to drop piece Of paper in q glass box. To every areu- ment the Civic league has an answer To the suggestion that sho already has sufficient power in that she can change or make laws by indirect influence. she m. swers Why be indirect when we can be direct2p To the time honored maxim that womans place is the home. she answers So 1t is, but she leaves it to go 10 mar ket Why not 10 voter" She can protect this home and make it happier by voting. When told that it will interfere with Inc care of her house, her logical business in life, shc says. Docs 1t interfere with mans business in factory. store CT of fice?''
 Just here the advocate might. woman like. indulge in a personality, and tell you this. Mrs.. Solon Jacobs who ts fhe