Newark evening star and Newark advertiser. [volume] (Newark, N.J.) 1909-1916, 1913-05-14
LEGISLATOR AND
WOMAN IN DEBATE
AssembIyman Matthews and
Mrs. Reynolds Argue on
Suffrage Cause.

Before a large audience in the First
Presbyterian Church. Caldwell, last
night Assemblyman John a. Mat
thews and Mrs. Minnie ]. Reynolds,
secretary Of the State suf-
frage Association, took part In de-
bate on the suffrage question. No
official decision was given.
Mrs. Reynolds approached the sub
lection from the woman's need of the
ballot and the States need OF the
woman's vote. She pointed out that
women need the suffrage in order to
improve their legal position, to pro-
tect their own rights, and that the
state needs the housewifely care and
exnerience of the women in the great
house OF government just as the
home needs the same care and eX-
ner,ence in a small way. The wives
ana mothers of the nation are. she
declared, more closely in touch with
the problems that concern the chill
dren and the schools than are the
men and they would therefore give
To these problems conscientious en-
deavor. She pointed out that the CO.
law was passed IN Solo-
RADIO a short time after the suhrage
was granted to women ana thae
15o good laws have been written on
the statute books through the eitorts
of women. a., a..
"Tt Is absolutely proven by the IN
exorahle logic of geography that
equal suffrage works well. NO one
who looks at the map of the uniteo
States can deny that proof con-
tinued Mrs. Reynolds.
Se,ebbors Profit by Example.
orTn to this time in our history IL
has not been distant states, Wnlcn
had no personal knowledge OF the
workings of equal suffrage, which en-
franchised their women. 1t has been
the nearest states, which, from their
very geographical POSITION Husl
necessarily have known what was
going on Just across the border.
"supposing that forty-three years
AFRO some law concerning the method
of taxation, or the criminal cooe' oi
any other subject on when men iesis-
late. had been passed for the ilrst
time in the history of the world IN
a remote and unknown territory IKE
wyoming. It Is greeted with laugh
ter or silence.
years pass. and a neighnoring
c+eta adonts this law Then another,
then another, until three states poro-
erina the original one have adopteo
tla n,ea SIRE. Then from those three
states the law begins to spread until
nine. all contiguous territory, nave
adopted it. Would not any reason
able being admit that, no matter now
people at q distance may regard IT,
this law must work we'll and to the
satisfaction of those Who know most
about it?
"you may at times hear charges
made against the workings OF equal
suffrage In some State in which II
had been adopted. You may not be
able to answer these charges. You
NAV not have the information at
cor, mand which will enable you TO
know whether they are true or not.
But there is one answer which you
can always make to your opponent.
Ask him why 1t is then, II equal SUI
frage works so badly, that 1t has
always been the nearest States,
which knew best what was going on
in their neighboring commonwealths,
which extended the franchise to their
own women"
Mr.. Matthew's. an earnest advocate
of the anti-suffrage cause, held that
II was neither right nor eXpedient that
women should be granted the fran
chise. Voting, he declared, is not
right for either man or woman and
the addition of the latters vote would
only impose upon the nation the ex-
pense of q doubled but not bettereo
electorate. He emphasized the duties
of suffrage which he claimed to be
more than simply marking ballot
and putting 1t in box.
Calls Movement Fad.
He characterized the suffrage move
ment as q temperamental fad on the
part of women and announced his be-
lief that they can do more good In
the world through nonpartisan work
without the ballot than they can witt
the ballot and its accompanying par
tisanship.
The reform of the white slave trade
would come, he said, not from the
vote of women, but from the proper
training in the home, churches ant
schools.
IF preachers were taking of every
day things instead of dogmatic sub
jects. If we were doing our civic du
ties as Christian men and women
there would be no cause for this agi
tation," he continued.
In rebuttal Mrs Reynolds pointed
to the home life of Colorado, to ths
advanced legislation Of the suffrage
States as refutations of the argu
ments that suffrage tends to breal
up homes and that 1t does not bettel
conditions. She also pointed out tina
| the number of ignorant men is greater
than the number of ignorant womer
and that the high schools yeari,
graduate more girls than boys.
In conclusion Mr. Matthews de
| clared that the morality of the nation
Is no better than the morality of IL
women and that granting the vote T.
the vicious women would lower tn
| electorate. He announced that he
too, was proud of the white State
which on the map used by his op
ponent stood for the suffrage States
but that he was proud that they wer
in the West, not in the East.
Fillmore Condit, president of tn
Mems Clubs of the Churches of Cald
well, under whose auspices the dc
bate was held, presided and intro