The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1912-01-20

/ century since BOfklbE nutu-PSt nsS>>
the streets of English cities bearing
I banners which read BREAD: not Bal
lotsl" How, then. did man win as
political liberty strong minority
knew what was good fo~ MIN: fought
his indolence. timidity AMI conserva-
tism: forced him into line and GOT
I 1T for him. In snnle countries III was
gotten by force OF arms, in others by
entirely peaceful measures. But got
ten by steel and gunpowder or got
ten by argument and representation.
was II man alone who won for man
political liberty"
Women Help in Struggles.
In those centuries when the Barons
were warning with the King were there
no able ana determined women in
those castles. urging on the armed
men History says there were.
when the Giles fought hlns- and
Barons were there, no tirsder women
Ia strengthen the Burghsr men. TO keep
hlSh tnelr courage and determinatIon3
I tl!StUry says there were.
W hen the men of u little holding in
house or lana had their tight, were
there no farmer women, no women of
the small guilds ANA trades ~ h'Asr'sn
D.. he G9fea ! history says there were. III
= the mere recent struggle in the fight
T Tor the franchise by men who owned
i neither house nor land. were there no
women found to say Never give up
History says there were.
Now II is our nght-the fight Of the
other hemisphere. one human being
struggling for the right of self-pro-
! tccuon. self government. self develop
meht, GENERALIZATION is as important,
as commanding, as tremendous. az dra-
IHatic- as heroic hgure as Is another
human being engaged IN that welfare.
. Cali him man, carl her woman, they
are alike human beings struggling for
I liberty Our struggle has the same
! apT'cHt, The same worth, the same dig
3 nIly ms had yours--no more auo ~"
less
What Of the historian of the future?
viii he say. The mother cried in vain
/ to her son, the vito TO her husband.
/ the daughter to her father. the sister
! To hep brother, the beIrother to her
betrothed. Il too, am n human being,
/ hshtlnE now tho night / once helped
! YOU wln. Help me, man" But the
man said Possession is nine points of
/ the law. My advice to you Is to seek
another planet"
Or viii the historian say The Kins
was forced TO enfranchise the Rarons.
The, Barons were forced TO enfranchise
tho Bpr9hers. The Burghers were
: forced 10 enrranchise The laboring
Z man. World over, the trend of events
! freed the slave. But when IL came
to the last term of the series, man said
to woman: You have waited long
too long and too patiently, Now
! Woman. as you helped nae. rasff. 80
now l. man; will help you, woman!
/ NohleSse oblige.
NJ iss Johnslons speech was vigor-
ousiv applanded from time Ia time and
e - 9Th. I,
ed her peroration. the large audience
~ ening In entire sympathy with the
sentiments of her address.
Mrs. Valentine then introduced Mrs.
/ John II. Lewis. Of Lynchburg, as a
/ grandmother of ten children. Mrs.
Lewis made a most telling and effec-
tive appeal. Unless all signs fail she
made complete convert Of the gem
ttFr1un from Newport News, Mr.. MfI-
stead, who is a member of the COM
nliftee.
Mrs, Lewis spoke in part as fol-
lows:
Mrs. Lewis Speech.
y think, in this hearing Of our petit
t!on for an amendment to our State
Constitution providing that women
shall have the right of suffrage equal
to that OF man. that ] have oeen
chosen to speak to you because ! am
an elderly woman: because | repre-
gent the conservatism that age beings;
because | am old enough to have
memories and yet young enough &c
keep hope. | have seen the conditions
change from the happy, careless ante
hellum days in this land where We
! were dreaming to the necessities and
barrenness Of post-bellum experience
| have seen the entrance of woman
in industrialisn here In Virginia AND
| knowing the great and complex
! changes In her status that this en-
trance has inaugurated, | also know
her need of the ballot for her self
protection, ! am not as YOU see. a
new" womRn-~-certain ly not physical
ly: ! don't enjoy the distinction OF
; being n college woman, / owe my de-
sire to possess the right OF suffrage t.
no neN-fanglcd fad" Of any descrip-
! tiou. bur tn conviction that 1t II
my right, that am q proper persor
: 90 have IL. and that 1 need it--ano
{ that II needs me. | want 1t for the
same reason that you want it,
b Ballot Necessity.
] want it, first because individual
liberty Of expression IL a necessity fol
ttv-t ~
religion and politics; and secondly, be-
, cause the ballot t. the only authorita-
: tiVe expression of conscience In gov
= ernment / can show you--or otnel
= petitioners viii show you--that equa
3 suffrage is not theory oniy--it Is &
t practice in six States ~ our Union
and in many foreign countries.
p Government. broadly stated. means
Sc regulation" and the Established
: form OF law" on which our govern
ment rests, is based on popular rep
D.. resentation.
a definition or popular reveals tht
? fact that il means "of, or pertaining
to the~common people. or to the whole
= body uf the people, az distinguished
! from Il select portion" And peopi'
means. THE body Of persons wh'
r.inpasesQ eolpmpaity," Again repre-
) spntation now means That whicl
| represents" (dl The body of those
who act as representatives Of a com
munty or society. AS the representa-
t!nn Of IA State in Congress.
These definitions disclose the Fac
that "a representative government
such. for instance. as that undel
: which We in the United states live
; supposedly manifests the viii Of th'
people and that the authority is mani
fest or represent the Will Of the PEG
! ,yle uas conferred on the rspresen
tativcs by the people---the community
Is that a fact? Half the community
has never bestowed the authority t.
represent il on anybody. our repre-
. snntatives, o-cailed. only represent I
. "seject norton of the community" in.