Martinsburg statesman-democrat. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1906-1921, 1912-01-05
"12 Months Of Citizenship"
Mrs. Margaret 3 PIatt, President West
Washington cTu

act, and for the sake Of all womanhood
herce, of all humanity, we must &C
wisely aud well, uobly performing til,
new duties devolving upon US and jus
tifying the judgment pronounced by
those who gave US the ballot.
The benefits accrnirg TO any state, o.
locality, from the added power thai
woman receives with the ballot cannon
be rightly estimated, or measured By
results easily observable in lively.
months.
However, If ever there was state
wherein results could be estimated in
any considerable degree, that state il
Washington. 1t might be said that
peculiar conditions contributed to this
end, but we say, with equal truth, that
similar conditions, in greater or lesser
degree, exist everywhere, needing only
the practical application of the same
endeavors to attain similar results.
When We became citizens, we found
the city of Seattle in the midst Of 8 tur-
MOL never equaed in its history. Coed
men had rebelled against the existing
reign Of vice and crime, but the rebel
lion could not have succeeded, had not
those men been reinforced, in the cru
clal hour, by an army of women equip.
ped with the one effective weapon in
such conhicl-the ballot.
1t was urged that women would not
register and would not vote. This ar
gumeat loses all force when we remem-
Der that the women OF Washington
have registered anu voted In such num-
bers as to put TO shame that centin.
gent of male voters, who, having al
ways possessed these sacred rights,
nave failed to appreciate and use them.
Our women Proceeded at once, by due
process of law, to deere divorce be-
tween the city of Seattle and vice graf II
and misrule, A new manager Of the
CIVIC household was installed, charged
with the duty of making the munlci-
pal housekeeping clean and credi,able.
The slogan was, eth Home VS.. the
Dive" and the womsn conducted a
whirlwind campaign o reconsider the
vote by which the mel had given ever
our fair city to "wiie-open" policy.
Twenty-Five Thousand women regis
tered. Eighty per cent voted, and the
Tacoma News said editorislly: It's
going to be hard tofipd the prophet
who predicted that women never would
take enough lnteres In public affairs
to warrant giving tben tie ballot"
"A little later the sane kind Of divorce
was decreed by the women of Tacoma,
but we have beard Of no homes being
broken up because the wife and "a ether
has become citizen.
We have no apologies to make for an
error of judgment, or mistaken action,
on The part of any Of our newly m ade
citizens. Whatevei there may have
been, they are SO far overshadowed by
the mistakes of those who, from time
immemerial, have had every oppor-
tunity, both in theory aud practice, to
become wise and proficient III ever,
avenue of governmental life, as to be
unworthy of notice.
All over our state, in all women's or
CARNATIONS, women are aspiring, not
TO office, but to 10 fit themselves fer
wise anu patrloic citizenship. The
popular studies are of civil govern
ment, Of laws pertaining to women and
children aud hone interests, parlimen-
taTy usage, muniupal alia,ra, taxation,
bond Issues, Reconstruction, aGd the
legislative and departmental affairs of
the state.
1t is realized that in every institution
that deals with women and children,
women should be represented on the
governing board and with this reall-
zailon Is now coupled the power 10
orlng to pass the needed reform.
In the last Twelve months more
books on civil government, parliMen-
tary usage, and state laws have been
SOLD than in ali the previous history of
our state.
A Give Fcrdn, organized by We
men, WAS Aatutained uurirg ,ur ssen-
mer months j. sSratlle, wllcu, on c.cl
tuesday, FROM 10 u. u. to 10. p. NJ !,
was discussed, by competent speakers
ana Instructors, every kind of subject
relating to tie public welfare, inclsd-
ing single tax, good roade, sanitary
housekeeping, avs relating 10 women,
prohibition Of the liquer traffic, and
training Of children in home and
school
a "Legisla We Committee Of 1907
has been org lized BY representative
women from every county, who will
work togethe for measures Resting 70
.As common elfare, which have nos
ai,.-g.o -e sed from our Legislators