The Pensacola journal. (Pensacola, Fla.) 1898-1985, 1913-05-02
VOX POPULI.
MRS. SHEAR ADVOCATES
WOMAN SUFFRAGE

Woman suffrage and prohibition or
the liquor traffic are the two burning
questions of the day in these United
States. True, the tariff which our
solons are just now trying to adjust
with equal fairness to the producer
and the consumer. is a vital question,
and upon it's wise adjudication depends.
| in a measure, the prosperity of our
| country.
| But. to the general public. the tariff
/ is too complex a subject to be intelh-
gently discussed. while everybody
! knows that woman suffrage means
| giving woman the privilege of voting
not the right. as some call it, be-
| cause God gave her that when He
made her mans mental equal,
| Every child knows the meaning that
usage has given to the word prohibi-
! ton, viz: the total humiliation of the
| localized liquor traffic. On these two
questions everyone has some sort of
an opinion, so they form leading topic
of conversation among those who keep
! in touch with public affairs.
In Ohio and Michigan equal suffrage
has been defeated. This was brought
about, it is said, by the opposition of
the liquor interests and the churches.
This is hard to believe. If true, it is
one of those truths that is stronger
to exist for the express purpose of
saving souls. The ministers say that
if man sin and die unrepentant, his
soul is lost. Saloons cause nine enths
of the sin and crime in the country, so
it would seem that the church or min
lister who does not use every effort to
down the saloon, is neglecting his
business.
The ministers do preach and pray
III. bat hao r-(f
of their going, in a body-in union
there's strength--to the city council to
protest against the passage of any bad
law If they have ever been instru-
mental in having any ordinance passed
that would work for the public good,
or tend to elevate the morals Of the
city, I've never heard of it.
Our Saviour preached and prayed,
but He also worked.
All fair minded men admit that the
moral strength of the nation lies in its
womanhood Is 1t any wonder that
politics is corrupt, when the better
half of the population is shut out from
any part therein?
It is not right that those who are
compelled to obey the laws should
have no voice in making them. 1t is
not right nor just that women should
be taxed equally with men to support
the government, and not be allowed to
say one word as to the manner in
which that revenue shall be spent
1t is like slavery days. The negroes
planted, hoed and picked the cotton.
but when the crop was sold, they had
lust enough to keeps them alive to
make another crop for their masters
They had nothing to say about the
laws they lived under.
Women want good. moral legislation,
but they cannot get it without the ball
lot. Massachusetts, women worked hf-
ty-ffve years to secure the law making
mothers. equal guardians of their chill
dren with the fathers. In Colorado,
the very next legislature after women
were enfranchised, granted it.
Some say that women who vote will
not be good housekeepers. When
woman looks out frc her clean house
on a dirty street, sh wants that clean
also. This can be done only by elect
ing good officers. Mothers want their
children brought up under good moral
conditions. These can be secured only
by the ballot
Anti suffragists say "woman's place
is at home" What of the 100000
women in this country who are driven,
by economic conditions, into the fac
tory, the Office, the mill or the store?
These women leave their homes not
from choice, but to earn an homes
living.
Again the ants say that the simple
act of dropping a piece of paper in
box will "unsex'' woman. I've never
heard of a mans being "unsexed' by
cooking, washing dishes or designing
women's dresses. They sometimes
stand behind a counter day after day
and sell ribbons and laces for the ex-
elusive use of women, and still the
man remains "a man for a that"
The men OF the revolution did not
undergo any great change after they
fought for and obtained the right to
vote. Ex-Governor Adams, of Colo
RADIO. said: 81 have known personally
thousands Of women voters of Colo
rado, and I have never known one to
he less q woman. or less a mother, or
less a housekeeper. or less a heart
keeper from the fact that she voted
not one, and 1 have studied this ques-
ton for thirty years. When eastern
people come here with lunch basket
and a return ticket, and go back east
in ten days pronouncing equal suffrage
failure. they simply don't know. and
don't want to know, what they are
talking about"
1t takes only ten or fifteen minutes
20 cast a vote. But during these few
can WELD the most tremendous power
any woman ever had on earth for the
protection of her home and her chill
dren. VIII any man say that his
mother, his wife or his sister. or his
daughter would be more corrupt than
he is in exercising the right of fran
chise?
Some claim that only bad women
win vote. This is not true. as is proved
Nx.- -, g.,