The Birmingham age-herald., 1913-09-03
FINDS SUFFRAGE IN
CALF FORN|A PROVES
COMPLETE FAILURE
Former Worker for Cause
Acknowledges Seriousness
of Her Mistake
COURTESY is LOST
AND FEW WILL VOTE
Some Women Do Not Want Vote and
Urge the Men Not to Be
Misled By Few Noisy
Fanatics
BY C. E. STEWART

Td11dt1CS
BY C. E. STEWART
Washington, September ESPECIALLY
"'votes for Women described by its
advocates as the panacea for all polit-
tcal evils, is working havoc among those
very women who have persuaded the men
voters of their states to give them the
suffrage Women who have obtained the
franchise are modern F'rankensteins, Gre
ators of political monster that has
turned upon the sex with appalling re-
cults"
This is the paragraph used by the Ma
tional Association Opposed to Woman
Suffrage to preface statement given
out today through its Washington head
quarters containing a denunciation of
woman suffrage by Miss Annie Book a
California woman, who uses her own state
TO prove her assertions Miss Book was
one of CALIFORNIA; $ most active suffra-
gists for none than a year, but now.
panlestricken by the evils she has found
IN the equal franchise, is working with
tremendous energy against it. Miss Book,
as set forth in the statement, had this to
say
FOrtitude to Acknowledge Mistake
1t takes some fortitude to come out and
acknowledge that one has been in the
wrong. After due observation, study and
dehberation, l am willing to make such
confession. As secretary of the Cali
1ornia Political Equality league. the
largest suffrage organization in Cali
fornia, | gave without remuneration over
year of my life working for suffrage.
And now all I have to say is that. if
mad 1t to do over again, 1 would work
twice as hard. if that were possible,
against it.
AS member of 10 clubs and organiza-
fions, also as registrar, precinct captain,
worker at headquarters and at the polls, /
have had more than ordinary opportunity
to observe and watch the workings OF
suffrage. and | consider the result not
only unsatisfactory and disappointing. but
disastrous. 1t is most unsatisfactory be-
cause what was surmised has been DEM
ontrated-that the majority of women not
only do not care to vote, but have no
interest whatever in suffrage. The New
York women who came out to California
and found that women did not turn out
we'll at the polls-that suffrage is fail
ure-found out the truth.
,Just recently the California suffra
gists sent out workers to initiate the New
York women into the California modus
operandi. Suffragists assert that womer
will purify politics. On the contrary
have found that women in politics are
no better than men. The women of Colo.
RADIO have had suffrage nearly 20 years
but. from what | have seen, | do not be.
lieve the women of Colorado are any bet
ter off economically or in any other way
than the women of the worst ant-suf
frage state.
Rev. Anna Shaw's Assertion
'',The Rev. Anna Howard Shaw is quoted
g. saying that in all the IS years of fight
ing there has never been a man or woman
advocate of equal suffrage who had don,
an unlawful act or who had been othe
than law abiding citizen. Where ha
the Rev. Anna been all these years--r
her closet pdaying-that she dare calmly
come out and make this bold declaration
] want to say to the Rev. Anna that there
are hundreds of men and women who are
advocating woman suffrage in this coun.
try alone who scorn the law, denounct
the bible, trample our flag and work to
tear down our constitution.
II DO not deny that there are somt
lovable, enthusiastic suffragists, but they
know not what they do. The persistency
: OF few agitators. a small minority OF
their sex, should not put upon the greaI
majority of women an obligation and q
burden which they do not care to beal
end which will bring calamity to the ma
tion. Men should not be impressed by
the parades and demonstrations of a few
thousand faddists picked up here ane
there over the country.
Too Familiar Contact
Woman suffrage in California brought
woman into too familiar contact with man
She has her righte now: she is equal t,
him--on his level Where previously mer
were generally courteous. now they are
rude. Woman suffra gists will almost
make one believe suffrage has been d
great success in California. But if you
analyze what they say, you will find all
the success they talk about is mere as
sertion.
MARY Foy was in Washington as a
member of the democratic national com.
+ mittee. She stayed in the east three
months, and, when she returned home
she made a speech During her talk she
told us that a woman from New York
had been out to see how suffrage worked
In California and had reported that wom-
en- did not turn out well at the polls. Ano
4 she urged us to vote, because she said
s 1t makes 1T so much harder for women
of other states to get suffrage if you
don't vote Now, Mary is as good heart
ed woman as ever lived, but why should
she urge the women of California to do
something they do not wish to do in or
der that other women in other states who
do not wish to VOTE may have burden
put upon them? Can you see the philos-
ophy in that?'
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