The Daily Missoulian. [volume] (Missoula, Mont.) 1904-1961, 1912-02-03
EQUAL SUFFRAGE Is ALL RIGHT,
BUT iT's UP TO THE WOMEN
TO DECIDE.
SHOULD Be REFERENDUM
Former President Says Female Suffra-
sists Should Enjoy Privilege II They
Desire II, but II Should Not Be
Forced Upon Thsm-Movemen Not
important as Some Seem to Think.

New York, Feb. 2.--Theodore Roose-
welt discussed ''woman's rights and the
duties OF both men and women in an
editorial IN the current issue of The
Outlook. He says in part:
Much indeed has America owed to
the fact that her two greatest men.
Washington and Lincoln. though they
did not neglect rights. were even more
concerned with duties.
Il believe In women's rights. I be-
lieve even more earnestly I'm the per-
formance of duty by both men and
women for unless the average man
and the average woman live lives of
duty. not only our democracy, but civ
ilization itself, will perish. l heartily
believe in equality of rights as between
man and woman, but also i'm full and
emphatic recognition of the fact that
normally there cannot be identity of
function. Indeed there must normally
be complete dissimilarity of function
between them and the effort to ignore
this patent fact Is silly.
For Women to Decide.
Il believe in woman's suffrage wher-
ever the women want It, Where they
do not want 1t the subject should not
be showed on them. ! think 1t would
be well to let the women themselves,
and only the women. vote at some
election as to whether they do or do
not wish the vote as n permanent
possession. In other words. this is pc
culiarly case for the referendum to
those most directly affected--that is
for the women themselves. | should be
entirely content to abide by the de-
cIsfon. either way: for though dc
not think that the damage prophe-
sled from women's voting would
come. or has come where IL has beer
tried, | also think that very much
less effect would be produced, one
way or the other than the enthus-
lasts believe. In other words. | dc
not regard the movement as anything
like as important as either its ex-
treme friends or extreme opponents
think. 1t Is so much less important
than many other reforms that | never
have been able to take very heated
interest In It.
Suffragettes.
IT the women suffrage movement
were to be judged only by those ad-
voeates of 1t who discredit them
selves and their sex by disorderly an
ties in public and who assail th'
foundations of private and public
morality in their endeavor, not Il
raise the sense of moral duty in man
but to lower the sense of moral dut,
In woman, l should certainly oppos
the movement. But don't believe
these undesirable apostles are in an,
way to be accepted as exponents o
the cause and call attention TO thu
fact that they are prominent, not II
the region where woman suffrag
does exist, but in regions where
does not exist
Il pin my faith to woman suffra
gists of the type of the late JUL
Ward Howe. Julia Howe WAS one o
the foremost citizens of this republic
She rendered service to the peopl
such as few men In any generation
render; and yet she did, first of al
her full duty in the intimate hpm
relations that must ever take prece
dence of all other relations.
I'm our western states where tn
suffrage has been given to women
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