The daily banner. (Cambridge, Md.) 1897-2008, 1913-03-25
WOnah's Suffrage AGAIN.

UUillull liuY0 nYuiii.
| No issue is ever settled by MOB
violence. Least of all can the suf-
fragette question be thus settled.
Mrs. Carrie Nation was a very mill
tant anti-saloonist. However, II
she accomplished anything for the
prohibition movement, it was by
other means than her Ratchet. Many
| a righteous cause has suffered great
ly at the hands of its over-zealous
friends. The suffragette movement,
both in England and the United
States, is suffering because of its
mob violence in England today. The
rack and the torch" methods did
not succeed in inquisition times. The
"hatchet and torch" methods in
any enterprise will not succeed now.
Equally true it is that such rowdy-
ism and violence as was exhibited
by the anti-suffragists at Hyde
Park, London, last Sunday and the
ptlOlS SdAhoI dSlSoI -
movement such as Woman's Suf-
frage has now become. Like the
lack of police protection for the
suffragettes in their parade in
Washington March 3, and the
rowdyism displayed towards many of
the ladies in the procession, the
HYDE Park mob makes friends for
Woman's Suffrage.
The nineteenth century has gone
down in hsitroy as the Woman's
Century. In lands where Heathen-
ism holds sway today, women are
still in abject slavery. In some
places she is hardly counted human,
and it is doubted that she possesses
soul. She is treated as a mere
piece of property. A hundred years
ago women even in our English
speaking countries exercised but
few more rights than their heather
sisters now have. A few facts
will prove this statement. The only
woman recognized by law as per-
son was the unmarried woman. Just
as soon as she married, she lost all
legal recognition. she could nei-
Their sue nor be sued; could hold
no property, could not testify in
court of law, had no legal right to
the money she might earn, nor to
the control of her own Children the
legal guardianship being vested sole
ly in the father
The field of industry was closed
to her. No one thought of wo-
man becoming self-supporting. Her
opportunities to provide for her
living were very few: l. She might
marry, if she could, or would. 2.
She might be a maiden-aunt. 3.
She might follow dressmaking. 4.
A few widows were allowed to teach
school. s. Once in a while woman
wrote a book. In the matter of
education, she was treated no bet-s
ter Ample provision was made for
the education of the boys, but lit
tie or no provision was made for
the education of the girls.
How changed all this is now.
There are splendidly equipped col
leges for the higher education of
women throughout the land, North
and South. Almost without excep-
ton, the doors to the professions
and the industries of the country
are now wide open to women. II
her awakening, woman asked for
certain rights. Every right that
she asked for, except the right to
vote, has been given her. Who can
say that she will not get that right
before she stops? Who can say,
with final authority, that she was
entitled to all the other rights
which she asked for, and yet is not
entitled to this last right which she
seeks?
One thing is certain; if in the
onward progress of our civilization,
woman is divinely entitled to the
right of suffrage, all the Captain
Sylvesters in the United States,
and all the Hyde Park mobs in
England cannot keep her out of it.
Another thing is certain; if woman
is to get the right of suffrage, she
must qualify herself to exercise that
right Why is the Western woman
being given the right of suffrage be-
fore the Eastern woman? Because
the independent, self-reliant life of
the plains which she lives has quail
fled her to exercise the suffrage
rights of citizenship. The women
of the staid old East must want
suffrage and want it bad enough to
qualify for its exercise before they
can be trusted with such sacred
right. Garcon.