Ladysmith news-budget. [volume] (Ladysmith, Rusk County, Wis.) 1907-1927, 1912-09-20
MAKE STRONG PLEA.
FAlLACX OF ARGUMENTS
AGAINST SUFFRAGE SHOWN
SPEAK TO LARGE AUDIENCE
Mrs. LaFoIlette and Mrs. GIendoWer
Evans Talk on Equal Suf-
frage

4.
friend, Mrs. Glendower Evans, of
Boston spoke to large audience at
the opera house last Friday even
ing, on the subject of equal suffrage.
Mrs LaFollette spoke first, being
introduced by Mrs. J. w. Carow, of
this city While she makes no claim
to being an orator, in fact prefaced
her remarks with the statement that
she was not, Mrs. LaFollette is nev-
er-the-less a very effective speaker
developing, with unanswerable logic,
the points she wished to impress on
her hearers minds. Mrs. LaFollette
speaks distinctly and deliberately,
choosing her words carefully, in a
pleasing voice not firing to her au-
ditors, and just loud enough to be
heard clearly by everyone in the hall.
She took up one at q time all the
principal arguments advanced in
opposition to equal suffrage, and
demonstrated their fallacy. AS a
home woman" herself, she stated
that if equal suffrage meant les
sening of home ties, she would be
unalterably opposed to it, but she
demonstrated that what brought peo-
pie together in mutual admiration
and friendship, whether between man
and wife or between one man or
woman and another was the things
they had in common, that if women
had political equality with men they
would read the newspapers with more
interest in what was going on in the
world about them, would become bet
ter companions as they became
versed on current topics and prob
lens of government and could dis
cuss these matters understandingly
with their husbands.
She showed that a great deal of
the opposition to equal suffrage was
from people who had no other reas-
on to oppose it than that it was
something they were not used to.
Women have to go to prison the
same as men, they have to answer
for infraction of the laws, why
should they not participate in max
ing the laws? asked Mrs. La Toilette.
She brought up the familiar "argu-
ment," so-called, against the grant
ing of the ballot to women-that
most of them did not want it. Well,
I..,t 0f
them voted it surely could do no
harm if they had suffrage. She asked
should the men of Wisconsin, be dis
franchised because over half of them
failed to vote at the recent primary?
AS a matter of fact, in every state
where the franchise has been eX-
tended the women, they have availed
themselves of the privilege so gener-
ally that you hear no complaint that
the women do not vote when they
do have the chance.
Six states now put women on an
equality with men. Woman suffrage
is sure to come and Mrs LaFollette
closed with an eloquent appeal to
the men of Wisconsin to show their
chivalry and to put Wisconsin among
the leaders in this as in other re-
forms. Mrs. LaFollette was given
the closest attention throughout
Mrs Evans followed Mrs. LaFol-
lette and while she does not pos
sess as good voice as her friend
she brought ont number of strong
arguments for equal suffrage. Among
other things she said that the east
was watching Wisconsin and that
much was expected of a state so
progressive in other ways. She stat
ed that Wisconsin was pointed to
in the east as a model state in
many respects, but that the people
here no doubt did not realize this
fact, just as she did not as a girl
realize the significance of and felt
no particular interest in the Bunker
Hill monument or the eminence it
surmounts until she saw how many
people came there from distant parts
of the country to gaze upon the
Scenes made famous by history Wis
consin could not be the first state
in the union to grant women polit.
ical equality with men, but 1t could
be the first state east of the Mississ-
ippi to do so.
Mrs LaFOllette and her friend
spoke at the Rusk county fair al
Bruce Friday and in spite of 6
steady rain hundreds stood in mud
ankle-deep, and were drenched