The Washington herald., 1912-11-11
NEW STARS IN
THESUFFRAGEFLAG
victories Have Inspired Leaders
with New Hope.
~ FRANCES sHAFFER.

= 4eN1@~I
new stars have been added TO the woman
suffrage nag. and the cause for which
women have been working for many
years has received its greatest impetus.
one by one six States were brought
into the fold. but when ohIo's voters re-
iected the proposition some OF the Doubt
ers predicted that that blow would have
IT'S eject on the fall election But the
test was made, and Michigan. Kansas,
Arizona, and Oregon voted in favor Of
granting the suffrage 10 women.
The victories have inspired the leaders
with new heart and hope for a contest
which they declare will end only with
complete triumph in every State in the
Union.
wyoming First State.
Just looking on the surface one might
say: All these years and only ten States
10 show for the vast amount of work and
the yaster expenditure OF spirit! For it
was away back in 1853 that Wyoming, In
its first existence as territory, granted
the ballot to women. Then twenty-four
years went by, with nothing happening
to the cause of woman suffrage, but
more petitions and more work. until Colo
RADIO opened its suffrage doors to women;
Then Utah, Idaho, and Washington fell
in line.
And now comes the quartet of States,
with Michigan the most easterly point.
And here in the East the workers will
find their real battle-ground, for all these
years Western women have seen some OF
the fruits of their labors, the woman SUI
fraeists in this part of the country have
labored just as tirelessly. yet have not
added a single star to their nag
And the difference is not in the lessened
zeal Of Eastern women, but in the
greater resistance Of Eastern men. with
whom the decision rests When one fol-
lows the movement, step by step, and
appreciates the Jense maze Of prejudice,
ignorance. and blind opposition through
which women have been obliged TO stuIn-
bic. one realizes that they have made
good fight against tremendous odds.
And now even the Eastern men are
beginning to see a great light. Conserya-
tive newspapers are admitting-some OF
them reluctantly enough-that woman
suffrage is bound to come, a bit slowly
perhaps, but surely none the less.
Others are frankly saying that II ought
to come. few protesting their bitter
enmity to the whole senseless PROPOSE
Eion, and. Of course, a few idly looking
on. avowing1not a thing.
Eastern Men Awakening.
And now here is a happening out in
Washington. where women for just two
wears have exercised their new right,
duty, obligation, or hardship, as II Is
variousIy called. and IT should be read
carefully. for ii is supposed to indicate
woman's unfitness for the ballot, heI
unpreparedness and general uselessness
in the voting capacity.
A young woman who had just reached
the voting age and had pinned all her
hopes to the Roosevelt cause, became
violently insane when she heard the news
Of defeat Of the candidate she favored
And her sorry fate was quoted as indie
ative Of the emotionalism that swept
through the ranks of the women voters
in that far-away State. 1t was used
too, as the text of an earnest sermonette
Prepare them" For their votes had
helped to sweep into Office a large num-
Der 'of unframed men, so the report de-
clared. and Washington's sorry expert
ence should serve as a warning to other
States granting suffrage to women The
remedy? Why, simply make the change
effective several years ahead, so that the
new voters may be sChooled in the prln'
cipIes of the constitution and of repre-
sentative government
And the report never once told who
nominated those inexperienced, unfit men!
is put in the hands of women for the
first time there will be a great many
ignorant, irresponsible voters among the
number; but when it happened, years
ago. that it was deemed best to enfran-
chise the negro he was not first prepared
then fought to read, to write and to
know. The ballot was placed in his
hand, and there it was left to work Out
as II might.
In New York some one put the same
question to a man at home in politics and
in statecraft-what of the irresponsible
woman voter?
His answer was not very pretty, but
il was clear
For every fool woman, you will find
a fool mani"
And we might let 1t go at that.