The Commonwealth. [volume] (Everett, Wash.) 1911-1914, 1913-01-03
SOCIALISM AND THE SUI
FRAGE IN KANSAS.
BY May Wood-Simons.


The state of Kansas has just voted
to give women the full rights of suf-
frage. When the results of the vote
came in there was q great surprise
for many of the suffrage workers. Be-
fore election they had figured out
where, to their mind, the largest num-
Der of votes favorable to suffrage
would come from. The counties in
central Kansas were the ones that
were thought woulr poll the largest
suffrage vote.
When the vote was counted the
counties that gave the largest vote
for the suffrage were two counties in
the Southeastern part Of the state,
Crawford and Cherokee, where the
socialist vote was the largest; while
the counties in central Kansas where
there are few socialists voted against
| it. This should be a good proof, to
those women who want the suffrage,
that it is the socialist party that real
ly stands for suffrage and votes for it
when the chance comes. Moreover,
the socialists knew perfectly well
that the suffrage for women would
mean, for few years, probable set
back in the proportional size of the
socialist vote, but they preferred, as
the socialist party always must, to
enfranchise the women at once and
then begin the educational work
among them in earnest.
There was practically no work
done by the suffrage societies of the
state in the two counties that polled
the largest vote in favor of suffrage.
Those counties are also largely made
up of foreign voters, Germans, Aus
TRANS, French and Italians, men who,
| it is generally believed, are not ad-
vanced in their views of the necessity
| of women voting. But the socialist
movement is so thoroughly a social
! list movement in these counties that
the men had no prejudices against
woman having the vote and registered
themselves in favor of her enfran-
chisement. Another thing, it was
the mining camps where the men are
socialists and where the socialist
frage amendment in these two coun-
ties. In the farming districts and vii
lagos in the West part of the coun-
ties the vote for suffrage fell.
Since the carrying of the suffrage
amendment in this state, the social
lists have begun to realize, as never
before, the need for more active work
in educating women in the principles
of socialism. There is much less
need for that among the miners again
than among the farmers and among
the women of the small rural towns.
The wives of the miners are all So
cialists and active in the party work.
But the prejudice in the rural towns,
especially among the woman, against
socialism, is the thing that must be
Ireckoned with in the coming cleo
lions. This can easily be overcome
provided a sufficient amont of time
and work is given to education.
The day after election in Crawford
county when it was found that a part
of the socialist ticket had won, a
prominent woman in the county
voiced the attitude of the old parties
She said, "Well, we will get together,
we democrats and republicans, before
another election and put the social
lists back where they belong"
In order to meet this even greater
prejudice of women than men to
socialism, the energies Of the social
list party woman's national committee
must be redoubled in the effort not
only to educate the women in the ten
suffrage states but in other states
where the suffrage is now very near.
The only socialist woman's paper
must be made and used as a strong
organ OF education and propaganda
among the women Of the country
This work is even more difficult
than TO educate the men, for fewer.
women in proportion than men are en-.
gagged in industry, more are in the