The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1912-05-17

of those diseases the very names of
which are not spoken in polite So
ciety. Compliment, ignorance, why?
Because if instead of innorance
there was knowledge, then these
things would not be tolerated.; and
, to think that this ignornce has been
considered womanly! Do you think
if women were given the ballot
that they would be any less the
guardians of their homes?
ut is interesting to compare the
, romance of fifty years ago, with
that written today. How often the
pale heroine was made to recline
upon the pillows, her frail hand,
like the petals of lily. How often
, the reader watched her through
a long attack of fever. Today
the poetic ,rythm would be broken
by the unpleasant suggestion of pol
luted food having been eaten, or
of sanitary laws having been broken.
Times Have Changed.
Surely, times have changed, and
we must change with them, for We
are living in an age which reckOns
with heredity, family history, in
lection both physical, and moral, and
the governments responsibility for
the same. Many people say, sup
pose she was given the ballot, what
would she do if there was war;"
She would do as she had always
done, spill her hearts blood over
the battlefield, not from one heart,
but from all the hearts, whose beat
ing begin with her agony. When
she gives so much, should she not
have power to say if there shall be
war?
"W. |. Thomas says: Motherhood
is a service equivalent to patriot
ism, and if blood counts for any
! thing, more is split in child-bearing
than in war
Idaho Answers Question.
Frequently it is said that women
wouldn't vote if they had a chance.
Idaho answers this very conclusive.
The women of Idaho constitute less
, than AZ per cent, of the population
of the state. By official statistics
they cast 35 per cent and in some
4, parts 40 per cent of the vote. Fred
rick ]. Haskins tells us that this
means that many of Idaho's women
ride long distances on horseback
over the mountains and through the
snow in order to vote.
HAS equal suffrage been success
, full? No more loyal advocate OF
women's right can be found than
Judge Lindsey, and still for some
strange reason it is he who is most
Frequently misquoted by these OPP
posed to equal suffrage. Permit me
to give you his very words: The
results of woman suffrage in Colo
RADIO, since it's establishment, have
been SO satisfactory that it is hard
to understand how it encounters OPP
position in other, states. | have
never observed one evil as the re-
suit. Again Judge Lindsey says,
after speaking at length upon the
good laws of Colorado and the salts
factory administration of these same
laws: Il believe | only voice the
general impression of the best in
formed. as to such matters, when
| say that we owe this condition
more to woman suffrage than to any
other one cause
Answers to a Letter.
Julia Ward Howe, short time
Il I,
letter in the suffrage states, to min
listers of various denominations, and
newspaper editors. In all GA
answers were received. OF these
62 were opposed, As in doubt, and
SIG i'm favor. Sir Joseph Ward,
premier of New Zealand said: The
women of New Zealand secured the
franchise by majority of only two
votes, now it is doubtful il in the
whole house there would be two
members to oppose it.
Bishop Keane of Wyoming said:
From my large experience as
bishop of the Catholic church Of Wy
oming, where we have had woman
suffrage for forty two years, l am
convinced that women vote as hon.
estly, conscientiously, and intelligent
ly as do men, to say the least.
also find that women are not active
politicians, not office-seekers, have
never known but one woman In
Wyoming who made herself obnoX'
ious in politics. AS for the Catholic
women in my dioceses, | do not find
that the right of suffrage has drawn
them either out Of their homes, or
out of the church. | think there
need be no fear of that result in
California.
The Experience in Wyoming.
wyoming was the first state in
the Union to give political equality
to women. 1t gave it to them as
territory, in 1869, and then in 1889
when it applied to congress for adj
mission to the Union as state,
the members of congress fought for
three days in order to have the
clause giving equal rights to women
striker out The territorial dele
gate at Washington telegraphed to
Wyoming that it looked as though
this would have to be done, but the
legislature of Wyoming wired back
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