The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1912-02-26
A WOMAN'S VIEW.
1Irs. Monroe Comments on Recent
Democratic Banquet.

To the Editor of the State Journal:
| It is one of the anomalous things
that women who have no politics and
can have none are so intensely inter-
ested in all political gatherings. Pos
sibly there were just as many women
crazy to go to hear the governor of
New Jersey as there were men. but
SO many of the women did not know
| they dared to think of it. 1t was in
teresting to hear some of those wO-
men say why they wanted to go: Some
because they had read magazine ar
ticles about him, and wanted to invest
their stories with his personality,
who tried to break down the snob-
bishness of the clubs at Princeton,
some because they wanted to know
what is the true Democracy of today,
some because they thought they were
to hear the New Jersey brand and
wanted to compare it with the Kan
saS sort, and some others went just
as they go to many gatherings just
to get in one little word for the cause
of woman.
We, Mrs Emma Sells Marshall and
myself, feel as did the mother of Bob
bic Burns We had rather even by our
requests stir up a hornets nest about
our ears than to have the cause of
suffrage completely ignored, so we go
and pass up our modest petitions on
visiting cards and then wait the re-
suits.
OF course we knew what Governor
Wilson has said. But then in these
days men do change their minds on
political questions even over night
sometimes, so we were not dlsmayed.
He had written the letter to Miss
Whitmore from his home in New
Jersey vainly striving, in answer to
the questions as to how he stood on
suffrage, to stand with one foot on
each side, a. position commonly called
in political Technology straddle,
made famous perhaps he thinks by
the Colossus of Rhodes.
But we took our place 50 near the
speakers table that we could look
squarely in his eyes, then we sent up
our cards with our suffrage sentl-
ments written on the backs
Truly the smile that we elected was
worth time, trouble and the price OF
our plates. Mr. Wilson is a scholar
and a gentleman and can put more
genuine kindness and explanation;
deprecation in smile than most men
can in pages of political explanation
Political explanation as to why he is
tied helplessly and hopelessly, ana
please ma am, Kansas Is not the only
state in which I must build up repu-
tation, and you know New jersey
Yes. of course, we knew New Jersey.
And a sort of quavering of the smile,
like the dismissal wave OF the hanu
and 'w'ot's the use!'
But do not think the energy and at
tention were wasted: No, indeed The
man beside him, the incest toastmas-
ter that ever toasted ms program 70
q nice little delicate brown-and too,
his name was Brown, Burt Brown OF
Lawrence. He knew what Mr. wilson
would feel that he had to do, and In
order to assuage our grle1 MI BIoWh
gave us a most handsome little tribute
to suffrage Please note this, you
Lawrence people, and do something
handsome for Mr.. Brown because he
believes in Democracy tnae ackno"i-
edges that women are people
BY the way, we heard that phrase
over and over-a government OF the
people, for the people and by the peo-
pie, but not all OF the speakers recog-
nfzed for moment that women are
Then we turned our attention to
Judge Thompson of Garden City, and
he. too, his wife sat right peslde MN;
bless her heart, gave us the glad hand
for suffrage. Don't forget now you
sweet women of the sugar beet coun-
try that Judge Thompson didn't re
pudiate you when he came down TO
All We needed to say to Judge T. l.
Bond of Salina was: 1--WE are listen
ing" He is an idealist of the new
Democracy. He believes in us as Well
as in men. He is broadminded and
horticultural. He is on record and
his community ought to know IL,
everyone of them, that he believes IN
the nODn6TS OIL InSA-
But these weren't all the friends we
had at the big party There was our
old friend, representative ]. H. Cas-
sin of Girard, one of the real repre-
sentatives for his people. James Ma
lone of Herndon and Miles Mulroy of
Hays City, two representatives that
will be for suffrage some time, and
their women folks ought to hasten the
day. And then there were many 9TH
ers with whom we did not get to visit
even a moment because the crowd
was so great. But we weren't lone
some for a single minute, for there |
were the Grishams of Cottonwood |
Tails besides a whole lot of our local
Democracy, who are for us. Even /
MI L. NJ. Penwen says 1.-The quarrel
is off I will never quarrel with you |
again, never
But the thing, dear sisters, that |
pleased us most was the fact that |
when suffrage was mentioned it was |
received with the finest kind of en- |
thusiasm. If the renowned darby /
who held his hand up before him
and then decided solemnly and de-
cIared in awesome tone, THE world |
do move" had been there he would
have thought it was going forward in
leaps and bounds.
But to return to the guest of the
evening" for it is not good taste to
brag all the time on Ut own folks.
Mr.. Wilson is a scholar, a gentleman,
a historian and even a Iogician. 1t is
rather too bad that Governor Will
son should speak under a banner. 1t
fession of faith when men go to hear
public speakers who are billed to
speak in their party clothes.
It would have been to the adVan- |