The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1913-09-18

1OundrleS, IN factories under most I'M
speakable conditions. have seen them
in our great stations and office buildings
scrubbng floors, at very late hours; |
have seen them scrubbing out railway
cars on lonely sidings at almost any
hour of the day and night When they
do these things. we do not call them un-
womanly. 1t is wOman's work; and
some of it has been woman S work since
the primitive DAYS. If women can do
this more or less degrading work, and
still be called womanly, they are not
afraid of beng unwomanly when they
drop piece of paper in ballot box;
this piece of paper probably meaning
the election of a man who will promote
labor legislation.
A Young girl in Boston refused to join
suffrage organization because she
wanted the men to lift their hats to her,
pick up her handkerchief and treat her
like lady" Her cousin came to visit
her from Wyoming, where they have
voted for more than forty years. She
said to him: Tell me, do the men of
Wyoming respect the women of Wyo-
ming quite as much as the men of Mas
sachusetts respect the women of Massa-
chusetts?~ And he answered: For
eleven months of the year | think the
men of Wyoming respect the women of
Wyoming quite as much as the men of
Massachusetts respect the women Of
Massachusetts. But for the twelfth
month of the year, that month Just be-
fore election, that respect is enormously
increased" Men may have barrels"
of chiValrY, but for enduring quality,
there is no respect in the world which
equals the respect of politician for his
constituents.
Many of the arguments used against
woman suffrage are arguments of proph-
ecy and not based upon facts. One
Maryland man asked another: "Do you
believe in woman suffrage'" Indeed
not. When women vote, the first thing
you know at the end of their prayers
they will be saying 'a-woman' instead of
amen" When you hear arguments
against woman suffrage apply little
common sense. Ask if such condition
is true where women do vote or whether
it is possible for such condition to ex-
list among the women of MARYLAND.
They sometimes tell us that we are
too foolish, sentimental and emotional
to vote. We never deny that women
are foolish. or sentimental, or emotional
but we think it is only fair to say that
God Almighty made them so to match
the men.
They tell us, too, that women hav mt
business ability enough to run the af-
fairs of the nation There are many
kinds of business. The business of road
building, finance, etc, men know much
better than women, because that is their
training. Men have built up the mar
velous industries of the nation. De-
partmentS of government dealing with
these questions are comparatively well
cared for. In matters of health, sanl-
tatlon, education, etc, women are much
better trained than men, for this has
been their work for generations. Where
men are strong, women are weak; where
men are weak women are strong. In a
household it is hard upon the women
when men are boss; it is hard upon the
men when women are boss. That
household is best cared for when we
have the cooperation Of men and wo-
men. Extend this idea to our greater
homes the state and the nation. We
say that the affairs of the nation will
be best cared for when we have the full
cooperation of men and women in run
nlng its affairs. This cooperation is
possible only through the equal oppOr-
tunity for using the ballot, our present
day social weapon.
Here in Maryland we are campaign
ing for votes for women. The legisla-
ture has no power to make a woman
suffrage law. 1t can only pass a con-
stitutional amendment and submit the
a - . h. Ift,N 30 M
present our state legislature has refused
to pass on to the voters such bill.
Many do not know how strong the
movement is in this state. There are
10000 people who have enrolled with
the various suffrage organizations, and
many more whose names we have been
unable to get. New York. New Jersey
and Pennsylvania legislatures have
already passed the bill, and so the SEN
tlment for woman suffrage is coming
very close. The campaign IN Maryland
has been an educational one, and this is
our slogan: ''Votes for Men on the ques-
ton of Woman Suffrage" and "Votes
for Women"
The audience was composed of a rep
resentative body of ladies' and gentle
men who paid strict attention to the
speaker, who during her stay in the
county interviewed many of the can
didates for all Offices on both tickets,
especially Legislative candidates. Of
ninteen such interviews she reports only
three men who expressed themselves as
unwilling that the question should be
submitted to the voters.