Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1913-01-17
Priests Fayors Suffrapettes.

10
Priests Favors Sufragettes.
It is intellectual suicide to say that
voting would degrade woman, accord
!: ing to Rev. Joseph H. Mcmahon, who
! gave the third lecture on the Catholic
I Church and Woman Suffrage al Del
t|monico's, New York, Wednesday at
tternoon.
Don't commit intellectual suicide,
said Father MacMahon, "by declaring
that woman's natural modesty and
reserve would suffer by visit to the
polling place once a year. Especially
do not as Catholics give as your rea-
son for opposing woman suffrage the
argument hat women would have 20
meet strange men there, 60 long IS
church fairs and bazars are cncour-
aged, where our women and young
girls meet friend and stranger alike.
There is less danger at the polling
place, which is protected by law and
bv the presence Of the intelligent mar
hood of our country.
"Don't talk about ballot booths. 90
out and stop the crowding in subway
cars, where every vestige of dellcacy
has disappeared and all those fine re-
sfrictions which Christian civilization
has thrown around women for the
protection of their modesty a;e dis
regarded.
"Stop the performances in our the
aters at which the women who attend
are obliged to be glad that only their
husbands are with them. Stop the
matinees which young girls flock to
see but say they could not endure see
ing in mans company.
purify your social lives. As long
as you send your daughters out into
factories and the haunts of commerce,
where untold dangers await them,
don't be guilty of the imbeciiity OF
talking about ballo: booths"
Father Mcmahon ended his lecture
With a denunciatiNn Of tllc people who
refer to tradition as their argument
against votes for women.
"Catholic women who say they
would not vote because the Blessed
Virgin did not have the tight to use
the telephone or automobile" He said,
"That is darryirg train CT and con.
servatism to a plan that is ridiculous
and moreover merely convlcts the
sneaker of abnormal ignorarce-tor
they are clinging to tradition which
does not belong to Catholic times CT
Catholic governments at all, bat was
introduced by the Infamous French
revolution and Napoleon. 1t va: ma
poleon who refused to permit women
to vote. In Catholic middle ages the
suffrage was granted indiscrl!ninaeeiy
70 men and own Ell alike. IL Mo-
heller in 1884 ne records show tt.at
% per cent. of the voting population
were women. Other princjpa!itics
show similar figures.
In Tuscany, up to 1913 women VOL
I'd. Lombardy had woman mayor III
1916. Women under feudal laws when
possessed of property had ali admin
istrative rights possessed by men.
A woman could administer her own
property even after she married, as Is
shown by marriage contracts II the
tenth and eleventh centuries. Women
could hold courts, coin money, levy
troops and serve their suzcrain III
any way. The Countess Of Flanders
sat with her peers in famous trial.
King Louis lie Jeune gave to women
the right to sit as judges in a court
at law.
Gwen today in Catholic ccmmunl-
lies the abbessc.' are elected by the
vote of the sisters. In Turin and the
| Catholic cantons of Switzerland The
| Catholic women vote for their parish
priest, and the bishop is Obliged to
conform the election unless ne has
reason for disappearing the cand!-
date for canonical reasons. IN that
case the election is held over again
"If the Catholic Church permits wo-
L 1.
men to vote for an officer ri such
tremendous responsibility as tie cure
Of souls, who viii say :. is opposed
to women voting for merely political
| oficers?'