El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1912-04-14

effects Of the recent suffrage
triumpbs in the western states is that
for the first time in the history OF
the country women will have real
influence in the presidential election
As the situation Is now the women
NAV control 81 votes in the electoral
college Presidents Adams, Jefferson.
John Quincy Adams, Taylor, Hayes
and Cleveland were all elected oZ a
majority Of 81 votes or less. Dr. VII
liam TfndaII secretary to the board
OF commissioners of Washington II.
O. mas lust called attention to this
matter and eNpIeSstea MS SUI - IN I'M
that so many politicians are sun
slow in climbing on this band Was-
on" since women's influence IN the
nominating conventions Will be felt
1t is the addition Of Washington and
California. to the suffrage forces that
counts in this election California mas
IS electoral votes and Washington
seven which is more than the other
four states combined. Wyoming, the
first state to enfranchtse women, mas
only three votes because Of its small
population. Idaho and Utah nave
four each and Colorado has six
Has Been Hard Struggle.
Il is many years since the suffrage
movement began its active work IN
many a hard struggle In view Of the
fact that comparatively little mas
been accomplished in that state IOr
woman suffrage since then, II IS rAlu-
e
state to give any recognition to Wo-
men in the management of pablo AZ
fairs was Kentucky, which, IN 1873
passed a law permitting WIDOWS Win
children Of school age to vote upon
school matters.
In 1851, Kansas. which IS now con-
s!dering complete suffrage, gave is
women school suffrage and in 1881,
after a hearty campaigL Kansas was
the first state to grant women the
right to vote upon all municipal az
fairs. and in 1903 a spgel1l ACT OF ne
legislature gave the Kansas women
the right to vote upon issuing Of pub
lie bonds
A number Of states through the SUI
frage campaigns have tried TO over
come the old arguments of taxation
without representation which is used
as aptly by the suffra gist today as by
her colonial ancestor. by granting mu-
nicipal or local suffrage to all tax
payers. Montana was the first state
TO grant taN-paying suffrage, but IL
prevails now in Louisiana. New 1Ork
and a part Of Virginia. In Michigan
in 1908, women taxpayers were au-
thOriZed TO vote upon questions OF
local taxation and the granting OF
franchises. As a result Of this con-
ceSsiOn in Michigan. over 4,OUU tax
paying women turned out in February
iE Detroit to vote upon the granting
Of a concession to the street railway
company. The mems vote was com
paratively small The concession was
defeated. owing entirely, it is claimed,
to the votes OF the women
Gamblers pray Women Demand
The Idaho people had a proof OF
one of the results Of women suffrage
in their state a few years after the
amendment passed A stringent law
against gambling was passed but the
gambling element of the state at
tackled its cOnstituJionaltty- While
the matter remained unsettled, gamb-
ing was carried on IN some PAGES t
openly In the city Of Caldwell. the
women secured the election Of a may
or and in placing one woman member
in the council An ordinance prohibit
ing gambling within the city limits
was duly passed and was so strictly
enforced that the wall soon went up
from the gamblers, our living IS
gone" Some merchants, restaurant
keepers and other business men were
induced to say that the business IN
tereSts Of the town were injured Dy
the ordinance The repeal Of the or
ulnance looked probable The women
under the leadership of the president
of the Equal Suffrage club met and
discussed the matter. Different mem .
bers were detailed TO talk with the
members Of the council as 70 the I
wishes Of the mothers. The saloon /
men Of the town had petition drawn I
up by an attorney and presented 10 /
the mayor and council asking for the /
repeal Of the ordinance The Suffrage I
club prepared a remOnstrance against +
its repeal and arrangements were maze ]
to secure the signature Of nearly eV- ]
weeks crusade was Waged, at the end 1
Of which the matter was decided
The petition from the gamblers was 1
WOrded in legal form ending and we !
will ever pray" 1t was signed by a 4
large number OF men, At the close or 4
its reading, the council woman handed l
the clerk the remonstrance. which IN 4
clear. 1ncisive terms demanded that the /
ordinance be kept upon the statute /
books OF the city and enforced It 4
was signed by most OF the women OF /
the city and a few men. As the names I
of quiet women. seldom seen outside /
OF their own door yards,fWere read out /
the faces of the men grew grave IN /
their first realization Of the erect or .
woman suffrage in the affairs or the I
city One Of the cOuncilmen arose /,
and quoting from the last clause OF the I
petition repeated, And we viii ever I
pray'-when before did gamblers ever
pray and our women demand2" BY /
unanimous voice the vote upon the pc
tition was indefinitely postponed
Very similar results according 70
the claims Of the suffragtst leaders
were obtained first in Seattle and later
in Tacoma within year after the
granting Of woman SURFACE IN the
state OF Washington, while IN Los
Angeles and in other California towns
the effect OF women votes upon vice
has been demonstrated even in these
few months.
In Wyoming. many laws have been
passed which the men OF the state
credit entirely TO the influence or the
women voters. which have greatly aid
ed in the social and moral welfare of
the commonwealth. Among the most
important are acts providing that men
and women teachers shall receive
equal pay when equally qualified, rails
ing the age Of protection Ior girls 10
eighteen years. making child neglect
abuse or cruelty illegal; forbidding
the employment of boys under four
teen and Of girls OF any age in the
mines. or of children under fourteen
in public exhibitions; making II IL
legal to sell or TO give cigarets. liquor
or tobacco TO persons under sixteen;
esta blishing free public klndergartens
and fOrbidding the adulteratlon OF
candies. Licensing gambling is lie
gal In Wyoming. There are excellent
provisions made for the care and Gus
tody OF deserted or orphan children
and for the children Of intirm. indi-
gent or incompetent persons. As the
women of this state have voted since
territorial days there Is no reform
measure in the state Whlch tley nave
not had some connection with.
When il is considered that wyoming
IS a sparsely settled country and that
the women have much more difficulty
I'm meeting for organization work than
q In f.H Of