Evening capital and Maryland gazette. (Annapolis, Md.) 1910-1922, 1913-12-06
WOMANS SUFFRAGE
CAUSE NOBLY ESPONSED
Women Speakers From North and
West Talk at Mcdowell Hall
BEFORE LARGE AUDIENCE.
God Created Male and Female and
Gave Them" Dominion Over
His CrsaluFes-Argumenls Ad.
yat ced at Last Nights
Meeting.

! Mcdowell Hall was filled last
night with a large, representative
and fashionable audience, the occasion
being the presence of visiting women
suffragists who were scheduled TO
make speeches.
Every seat was occupied and many
were compelled to stand in the rear.
On the rostGm were Mrs. Robt TT
Moss, president of the Anne Arundel
Just Government League; Mrs. Cor
don Claude, wife of former Mayor
Claude, and Mrs. Theodore w. John
son, wife of Professor johnson, of the
! Naval Academy, besides the visiting
| speakers, Mrs. Spencer Murray, of
| Connecticut, and Mrs. Grace Wilbur
Trout. of Illinois.
Mrs Moss, presided at the meeting
and introduced the speakers. Mrs.
Spencer Murray, niece Of Mrs. John
Schouler, wife of Admiral Sehouler.
was the first speaker. Mrs. Murray
at once won her hearers by her charm.
ing personally and her earue estness in
| presenting the cause. She told OF
| the conditions in New England where
there was no equal guardianship law
| in the State of Massachusetts, until a
horrible awakening. No mother in
that State, as in Maryland is recJg-
nized guardian OF her children, only
the father. Mrs. Murray illustrated
by telling the story of a woman with
bad husband who waJ separated
from her children and he, the father,
was given their guardianship. The
Massachusetts law, not being able to
reach the case, the mother realizing
the depraved influe ences under which
her children were being raised, be-
came desperate and killed her chill
| dren and herself.
Massachusetts then awoke TO the
enormity of such law and revoked
| il, giving q woman the right of equal
guardianship. Mrs. Murray spoke
of the difficulties in the way of grant
| ing womt n equal suffrage. Similar
difficulties, she said, had existed in
the way of woman's education. Years
ago there was fearful opposition to
women receiving a college education,
| but this was overcome, as the oppo-
sition to suffrage will be sure to be
| sooner or later. One IF the most
| pertinent points of Mrs. Murray's
| address was why Mrs. Pankhurst
got into this country7" IL was not
| the mems influence, she said, but the
political weight of 90, women's
votes which made it possible for Mrs.
Pankhurst TO enter the United States.
Mrs. Moss followed Mrs. Murray
with happy little speech. She said
it was her privilege to distribute
suffrage literature at the polls at the
last election. While doing this
police man asked her why women
wanted the vote and what they would
do If they had it? She said her re-
ply was: You men would probably
do better if you had to account to the
women for your COVE rnmental acts.
Mrs. Moss introduced Mrs. Trout,
| the State President Of the Illinois
| Womau's Suffrage League.
| Mrs. Trout is one of the most per-
suasive speakers ever heard here.
| Her argument is forceful and con-
vincing, and she is never at loss for
a word. She said Woman's Suffrage
is neither womsn's problem nor
mans problem, but HUMAN prob
lem. What benefits the wife, sister
or daughter, benefits the man. Use
less each without the other" This
fight of women for the vote is not a
new cry but the echo of sn old cry.
Every great question passes through
three stages; first probation, next
want to know" third, when cause
b Is triumphed. Men are opposed to
Woman's Suffrage because thev don't
know what ii stands for. Men of
logical minds like Gl idstone, who
said "I'm wiser today than ] was
yesterday" will reason for the JUS
tice and right of the cause.
The masses of the people never
ask for anything. 1t is individuals
1t was Bell who made the telephone
possible; people did not clamor for
the telephone, nor for electric lights,
and it is only a question of time
when all of Us will be flying. Nsces-
sity gives US what we need through
the inte ellectuality Of a faithful few
When Woman's Suffrage is world
| WlQcs pCORiS Will IuD llSlf eyes aNQ
wonder how they ever did without it.
Nearly every argument advanced now
a yainst women voting was at one
time advanced against mems suffrage.
The farmers had not time to take
from their farm work to vote, or
other men from their business. Just
so now they say women will neglect
their families. Negl. cted families.
the speaker said. are entirely sepa-
rated from equal suffrage. Mscauley
said no man should be free until they
have demonstrated their fitness
| Never 60 into the water until you
have learned TO swim, is a rather
| difficult thing. The old argument ad-
vanced is "a woman's place is in the
home. There is nothing a woman
loves so much as her home, unless il
is the man in that home. Then why
in the name of common justice is she