Highland recorder. (Monterey, Highland County, Va.) 1877-1972, 1912-11-29
Letter from Cl.rkston,
Was lingtOn.

that | have become u sutfragette,
at least that | have voted. On
Tuesday cast my first vote for
Woodrow Wilson and the democrat
ic ticket. | have been west not
quite two years: but this was the
first election in which | have taken
part. While living in Vollener,
Idaho, there was a town election,
but us | had not been a resident
long enough to vote, and as it was
raining as it alone can rain in Idaho
and along the Pacific cost, | sat in
doors and let the Others take care
of politics. But always | have
been DESTROYS of seeing an election
in which women voted. | had heard
much said by those for and against
women suffrage, while living in the
east, and | was anxious to see for
myself how affairs were conducted.
On Tuesday morning at breakfast
nv brother said, "now | will phone
YOU when l can come for all If you
and be ready, for III be very busy
taking people to the polls" Well
it rained all morning, and said to
myself, "Well, Woodrow | would
like to see you elected, but, If 1t
keeps up raiuing at this rate, I'm
afraid you'll not get my vote.
You see how important voting
makes NE feel; but about noon the
clouds broke away, the sun came
out, and | concluded that after all
[ o..ld get my vote in; about two
Po' clock my brother phoned and
said he would be up in the auto IN
fifteen minutes, and for all of us to
be ready. At that time | was busy
putting away the dishes and get
ing the kitchen Strengthened up,
you should haveseem me fly around,
mother and one of my sisters said
they wouldn't vote, the other sister
was teaching in town, and would
not have an opportunity to vote
until school closed at $3.50 p. M.
so father, brother, myself and three
friends went together to the voting
place, which was about one-half a
mile from our residence. My, but it
was muddy! And where do you
suppose we went to vote? To a
barn! But it was all right, it was
quite fancy kind of barn, all paint
ed, and the booths were newly put
up, each booth had nice little
table on which to mark your bollot,
and every thing was very spick and
span, very neat and clean; there
was quite a crowd when we drove
in, but they quickly made way for
US, and we got out; one rather sad
looking individual, in blue serge
suit, stepped up, and in a mild,
melancholy way said, "Nill you
take one of my cards?" l thought
probably, it was western way OF
introduction, and as he looked
harmless, I said as politely as I
could, "Why, certainly" and he
handed me out nice little white
cards, neatly engraved to all of us;
on them was E L Watkins, repuL-
lican candidate for sheriff of Asotin
Co. Well, I didn't want to hurt
his feelings or make him look any
sadder, so I took his card, and
carried it until I was we'll away
from him, and then dropped it
that was my only encouter with a
candidate; several of them had
visited the house before the election,
but I had always managed to avoid
them We went in, and one of my
friends said, "Now you and Mrs
Belts get in line and hold your plac.
es, so you. can vote quickly, and
get away from here" so we fell in
behind procession of half a dozen
or more men, every one was very
nice and we'll behaved. I heard no
swearing nor loud talking, no solic-
iting of votes, no pushing nor
scrambling; there seemed to be
quite foreign element at the polls
when l was there, Norwegians.
Germans and Swedes, but these are
always we'll behaved. While was
waiting my turn, a German women
with her head wrapped up in gray
scarf, and a funny looking brown
dress on, said, "Vere do I go? In
dis stall?" meaning the voting
booth. Quite a laugh went up at
her expense.
This is the first general election
in Washington in which the women
have voted, and it seemed to me
quite wonderful how we'll they
managed it. Most of them seemed
to know exactly how she wished to
vote. and without any questions
went at it in a business like way. I
saw one man assisting a woman,
his wife I thought, with her ticket,
I thought the judges would tellhim
to get away from the booth, but
they did not, so I concluded that
likely she was a foreigner who could
not read English, and that he was
assisting her in that way.
1t has been said time and again
o, the women will vote as their
husband and father do, but it is