The Hawaiian gazette. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1865-1918, 1913-05-27
SUFFRAGE LIVE
QUESTION At
MEETING
Ballot for Won n Voted
Down at Co-0perat We
League SESSION.

Though ii was expected that there
would be arguments against woman s
suffrage at the meeting of the Manoa
section of the Womanis Cooperative
League yesterday afternoon, none de.
ve1Dled' tbuu gh sa number of antisuffra
gists were present. Abont fifty mem
bers of the league met at the home 'of
Mrs. y. G. Steere to listen to talk
by Mrs. Il. M. Rhodes of Seattle. Be.
fore Mrs. Rhodes address Mrs. Steere
said:
81 for one do not believe in woman 5
suffrage in Hawaii 5st
In her talk Mrs. Rhodes said that
women. objected to going to the ballot
box but she emphasized the fact that
in cleaning up city a woman s vote
counts more than the individual woman
She also said that while a large num-
Der of women We're gathering funds for
homes for fallen women and others of
that type, the homes when erected
would never remedy the cause for their
necessity. She also dwelt upon the old
idea men have towards women. They
look upon them as creatures to be pro.
tected but they do not always protect
them. g,
WeSteru Men InDeral.
''The men in the West, however, I"
said Mrs. Rhodes, care willing to grant
women the vote Because the women
have fought with, them shoulder to
shoulder in the business world. /
smile at the men in Honolulu for they
seem to have'Sthe idea that woman is
a Fluffy Ruffes sort of person that
has to be looked iafter.''
Having been an advocate of suffrage
for many years and having been active
in the fight for suffrage in Washington
Mrs. Rhodes was able to give the wom-
en- of Manoa n pretty fair knowledge
of what it has done in Seattle.
The question that seems to be bother
ing the women is whether or not the
women of Honolulu are ready for the
vote. One woman asked if the Hawa.
iinn woman would vote any more in.
telligently than her husband. The sug.
gestiOn was also made that many of
the white women would not take
enough interest in suffrage to 20 to the
polls and east their ballot. IS
These questions were easily answered
by Mrs. Rhodes. She said that if the
women wanted to have good govern
ment they would have to vote. When
TWAS .femarked that the women did
not know anything of the candidates
that were put up for Office and had no
way of finding out, Mrs. Rhodes said
that.as. soorsas tile weHief IRE given a
vote the men who are candidates will
be the first to volunteer information
concerning itheir own policy and toll
all the unfavOrable things they know
about iisn, fhnning for the same office
III Mrs, Dowsett Speaks.
Mrs. j. NJ. Dowsett president of the
local suffrage organization answered
for the Hawaiian women; She said
that from the beginning the Hawaiian
woman bad been the voter but during
the last few years the men had broken
away and had voted as they wished OF
as they were told to do by some other
man. Mrs. Dowsett said that when the
women of Hawaii are given the vote
they will stand for the right.
A paper marked, "FOr Suffrage, 81
Against Suffrage" and "Undecided
was circulated. The canvass showed
that the women undecided on suffrage
run in the lead, the anti-suffragists fol
lowing closely and there were but few
who stood for votes for women. There
are to be two more meetings when this
subject will be discussed. In two
weeks the speakers will argue against
suffrage and at the next meeting o
summary Of the different speeches will
be given.
The next, meeting will be held at the
Library of Hawaii if the Cooperative
League can secure permission for thu
use OF one of the vacant rooms at tina,
place.