Daily capital journal. (Salem, Oregon) 1903-1919, 1913-07-31
only WOMAN SENATOR
TELLS OF HER TRIP
Impressed by Wonderful Solidarity and
Sex Loyalty in Eastern Part Of
United States.
SINGLE STANDARD OF MORAL.
ITY GAINING WITH SUFFRAGE.
Thinks Votes Will be Won in New
York, Pennsylvania and New
jersey Before Great While.


i Denver, Colo, July 3l.-The east is
now convinced that there can be such
a thing as a "lady senator" who
sometimes uses smelling salts, wears
frOcks of the kind recommended by the
the best fashion magazines and speaks
in the tones of perfect lady"
This is the opinion of the suffragist
leaders of Denver, following the re-
cent return of State Senator Helen
Ring Robinson from lecture tour
which took her through five States and
during which she delivered more than
60 addresses. If the "antis of the
east expected Senator Robinson to be
any different from thousands Of other
cultured women of the country they
were mistaken.
Mrs. Robinson is enthusiastic over
the growing suffrage sentiment in the
east and is convinced that the example
of Illinois in granting women the bal.
lot will soon be followed by many other
states. She gave the United Press the
following statement regarding her
trip:
BY State Senator Helen R. Robinson.
(Only woman senator in the Z. S.)
One who has not been in the midst
of it cannot -realize the significance
and zeal of the great women 8 move
ment in the east. l did not fully real
ize it. The fervidness of it, the white
flame that burned in its midst inspired
me. | heard women preach with the
fervor of Peter the Hermit.
One of the things that impressed me
was the wonderful feeling of sex 10y.
atty and solidarity. saw this in Bal
timore, where young women, with faces
like opening flowers and eyes shining
like stars, marched together with wO.
men worn by toll. ! saw it in New
York; l saw it everywhere. This sex
solidarity has existed among the pick
of women from the time of Euripides
until now. Men will not acknowledge
it, but it has been so.
Then, too, | was impressed by the
feeling that is developing for the sin.
gle standard of morality. You hear
these Jealous women who are strug.
Cling for the ballot with a spirit of
zeal crying for the abolition of the dou.
BILE standard. And other women are
taking up the cry.
A movement was born of such spirit
and carried on with such zeal must
triumph in the end, but would not
want to prophesy which of the three
states in which I did most of my cam.
paigning-New York, New Jersey and
Pennsylvania-will win first. The
outlook in New Jersey is most favor.
able. In New York the opposition
chiefly comes from the rural districts
where conservatism reigns. Then, too,
Tammany Hall is, by the very nature
Of its organization, almost hysterically
opposed to giving women the vote and
is using all its influence to fight the
women S movement.
Strange to say, the opposition the
movement has found throughout the
east has as many women in it as men.
These women belong to the inert mass
that live practical lives. call them
ingrowng Tories. called them that
at one meeting and the papers had it
the next day 'ingrowing toenails. "
My aim was to alay that haunting,
panicky fear among the men that when
the women get the ballot they would
take the American home out in the
backyard and shoot it full of holes. |
spoke not as senator or politician,
but as housewife | told what equal
suffrage would mean to women as
housewives and mothers, what relation
the garbage can bore to the ballot,
and ] think gave a side Of the oues
tion never before presented there
l feel no vain pride in my success
because | feel that most of it was due
to my having been advertised as a
sort of curiosity or freak. Most of
those who came to hear me came to
see what sort of a creature woman
senator was, and I know l disappoint.
ed them because wore petticoats and
had unshorn hair.
just, equitable and scientific taxation