The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1913-03-25
SENTIMENT FOE
TO SUFFRAG|STS
Miss Johnston Says incoming,
Spooning, Weeping Type Is
Bygone.
WOMAN A POLITICAL SLAVE
She Must Have an Active Part in
Governmental Housekeep-
ing of To-day.
WOMAN A POLITICAL SLAVE

one Of the worst enemies to the
cause OF equal suffrage is the senu-
mental idea OF woman as fragile,
clinginH. incoming. spooning, weeping,
maneatinE creature. commonly known
as the mid Victorian woman, according
to Miss Mary Johnston, who addressed
n large audience Mt the First Unitarian
Church last night.
she is gone forever" Miss John
ston said, land YOU would not like
her if YOU could go back to her"
She said that in demanding the bal
lot the women are no more than ask
ing the literal fulflment OF the Bill OF
Rights and the Constitution, namely:
the right of personal liberty. no tax
alton without representation. no gov
eminent without the Consent OF the
governed, and government for the
people. OF the people and by the people.
instead OF by one half the people.
Women in Virginia, under present
conditions, are political slaves, she
stated. and characterized the mind
closed" She pointed out that women
aic compelled to obey laws which they
had no hand in making and to live
under a government in which they have
Women oiorc Lava bftlinp.
Vet statistics show that women are
the more law abiding sex. for % per
CENT OF all criminals are men. she said.
Women are also shown by the census
TO be more literate than men. as a class
end two girls graduate from the high
schools for every boy Woman. she
said. has won "A place in business. too.
for 100000 women in the United States
are wage earners. Thus, being an edu-
Gated self supporting, taX-payinE,
moral, law abiding citizen, Miss John
"ton argued that there can he no doubt
al woman's qualification for enfran-
chisement.
Woman is the man lowest down."
Miss Johnston said. The power of
government first belonged only to
kings. and then 10 barons. and finally
was spread To all men. Now. at last.
woman. too Is 10 have a share in IL.
1t - the mothers OF hJpuanity that have
neen penaliaed throughout the ages
The home Will not be destroyed by
woman's participation in government.
for nothing can destroy the individual
home But the whole concept of home
j. being changed The government is
taking over all the functions that once
belonged TO the homc--hcalth. cduCa =
ton, sanitation and a score of other
matters. We are beginning TO live in
II great social home, as ii were. And
YOU can no more Keep woman out Of
the affairs Of this larger home than
YOU could do without her in the smaller
one.
and the gain in citizenship will he
tremendous, We have few really good
citizens now, and one of the reasons is
that during the first formative years
OF his life n hoy is under the care of
woman who has no part in civic mat
tcrS. BUT all would he different If the
10y had p citizcr-mother. who could
train him in ideals of civic righteous
Icss.
Where Mothers Cnn Help.
Moreover men have their minds too
msch fixed on the large political issues.
and there are a multitude OF details
that slip through their fingers, so to
speak. and which women can better
attend to. This is especially srue OF
legislation concerning schools and chill
Grcn and the conditions of women and
children that work In the States
where equal suffrage has been adopted
there have been great gains in this sort
- legislation.
why women should vote The chief
reason is because to give women the
ballot VIII hc the aCknoW ledEmcnt OF
:, common humanity. Women have
been too lonC thought Of only in terms
OF rclationship--as some ones wife or
daughter. But: rhere..is 10 sex in gray
matter and. w oman demands the rec
ignition Of hers.
Rev. Alexander r Bowser presided
=, the meeting and introduced the
speakers Mrs IS q Valentine, pres
ident OF the Equal Suffrage League.
also made an address She urged that
women who had good homes should
not rest coutented. but should think
az the women and children who labor in
factories. under unfavo~abio condi
tions. and Of tho social evils which sur
round and threaten their children nj
I'll times.
Nese conditions. she said are be-
ing rapidly ameliorated in states where
equal suffrage is an accomplished fact
and IL IS therefore the duty of every
woman TO work for the vote, so that
she may hcip her sisters in her own
state
TO the men she offered the assurance
that suffrage viii not change women
IN the least. so far as their relations
10 men are concerned ON the morn
ing after they get tie ballot she said
women VIII look just the same as the
day before. Far from destroying tn,
home, equal suffrage has aided IL IN
New Zealand. whore both the rnarriar,
aud birth rates have Increased since
It's adoption. while divo'.c has de
creased.