Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1913-02-27

find the mothers. wives, sisters and
daughters of Maine today The wo-
man agitator for equal suffrage or the
woman who wants the ballot is the
exception and not the rule among the
women of this state.
Could the ballot be given to those
women who ask for it, while leaving
the vast majority of our Maine Wo-
men free to live their lives apart from
the conflict and the turmoil of politics,
| thus protecting our homes against the
/ further agitation of this question, few
men or women in this State would OPP
, pose any objection. or were il pos.
, sible to refer this Resolve for equal
! suffrage to the women of Maine, !
/ would raise no voice against its pas
sage. A question which means so
much to woman should be passed
upon by women. not men. | oppose
the reference of this momentoua issue,
SO radically affecting woman and so
| destructive of our finest traditions and
our future well being, to the men of
| Maine, thus forcing upon the women
| of this State an issue not of their
making, a seeming right not of their
| asking, a campaign OF contention and
| conflict brought to their doors, ana
| from which they shrink.
| 1t may be argued that the mere sub
| mission of this Resolve 10 the people
| is not q RADICAL step and does not
| commit this House to equal suffrage.
| Yet the step is radical 1t is revolu-
| tionary. In its consequence it is more
| momentous than any legislation en-
acted into Law in this State since
| Maine became a state. No member OF
this House can justify his vote for
/ the passage OF this Resolve by say
ing it does not count, the question is
merely submitted to the people re-
peat. the question viii not be referred
20 the people. namely the women of
| this state most concerned and whose
| we'll being is i'm the balance. No MEM
| her OF this House can give his vote to
| the passage of this Resolve unless he
| IS willing and ready to lay this new
and nnsoueht burden upon the women
| IF Maine and is prepared to revolution
| re the social order in this State
| II we pass this Resolve. we do more
| than submit this question, so deeply
| touching woman, to the men Of Maine.
| By our votes here and nov in favor of
| this Resolve we open up campaign OF
| agitation and division and bitterness
such as this State has not seen. The
short haired women and the long hair
| ed men from other states and other
| countries will be here. The woman
| reformer the noisy suffragette and the
| llimono politician viii turn this State
| upside down. invading your home and
mine and the home Of every man,
| seeking to arouse our wives and moth =
ers and daughters from what they be-
| lieve to be sleep of indifference and
| the slumber of social and economic
| death
| deny the right of men alone TO pass
upon this great issue so vitality affect
| ing women, or to force by Their votes
here or at the polls a duty upen wo-
men neither sought nor desired: or to
| create for women a responsibility in
citizenship unnecessary, burdensome
and Of no avail.
| Good authority has it that out Of
| the 1000, 900 women IN New England q
| years OF age and older, not more than
| s per cent ask for tie ballot or desire
| it. IN point of Womanhood, culture,
| intelligence and love of home, | make
| no mistake in setting tie women OF
| New England over against the women
| of the newer West. And vet taken
| country wide | ask sensible men. how
| many women Of u years Of age and
older out of the total Of 240e0,00o in
| this country really are asking for the
| ballot In the State there are about
! 22G, 600 women of p wears Of age ana
over How many of this number are
| asking for equal suffrage How many
| have come here in person How many
have truly been represented here How
many are here on petition? Indeed, how
many of our Maine women are here
| asking this at eur hands
| our Maine women are not unlike the
women of Massachusetts or the wo-
men of New England. oar New Eng
| land women come from common stock
and are the bearers of common tradl-
| tions They think alike and rave a
| common purpose in their work. If IT is
| true that only per cent of the women
of New England ask for the ballot, 1t
| is also true that no more than per
cent of the women of Maine either
ask for the ballot OF want it, Eight
I per cent Oh the -,uVV,HVV Nciil'h VI ~ "
England would be 10000. Eight per
cent of the women of Maine would
figure about 21,00o nor do | doubt that
| this number comprises all the women
| in this State who want the ballot or
care to assume the new responsibility
of government inseparaele from equal
suffrage. If there are that number
among our Maine women who want
the ballot, and | believe the estimate 10
be large shall these 2l.000 force more
than two hundred thousand other wo-
men. satisfied with the rights and
privileges and honors they now have
and already burdcned witt family and
community duties. to leave their ire
side and their employment in woman $
world for this new responsibility OF
citizenship? These two hundred thous-
md women of Maine have rights, not
less than the Il 600 which this Legis-
lature is bound to respect.
We are not asked to change an eN-
listing law or to amend a statute to
remedy some wrong OF to improve GER
tain social conditions. We are not
asked to enact a law giving addition
al rights and protection to women. We
| t. LII nIA