The Washburn times. [volume] (Washburn, Wis.) 1896-1976, 1914-04-30
The Suffrage Column.

woman voter as sort or crOWinp
hen. They honestly believe that
voting is as masculine a function as
fighting. They have not reasoned
it out; they simply feel that way.
Upon being requested to listen to
argument about il, many OF them
give contemptuous refusal. They
have failed to realize that old things
are passing away, and that now new
things are coming to pass, and that
woman suffrage is simply a move
ment in evolution. 1t is as vain for
any man or set of men, or women, to
resist it, as it has been vain in the
past to resist any great world move
ment.
The question for the voter to ask
himself, the next time he has an
opportunity to vote on the suffrage
question, is not, HAS a woman the
right to vote. but "Shall ally my
self to the side of progress or to the
side of degeneracy?" If the voter
is engaged in the liquor traffic. or
white slave trade, or if he is dis
honest, CRATER. corrupt indiyid-
ual, without ideals, then he should
vote against woman suffrage. BY
doing so he will not prevent suffrage
but he will not give the "Akashic
records" a photograph of himself, as
opposed to decency and right living.
The appeal of the women OF the
world is not to such men. 1t is to
the honest gentlemen who will vote
for progress, that they and their
children shall be enabled to live
better lives. 1t has been shown
over and over that seventy five per
cent of the female vote is for better
la VS., looking toward right living.
AS a matter of scientific fact, the
male view of public questions is a
one sided view just as the t, male
view would be onesided, were they
to have the exclusive right to vote.
1t takes both views to make com
plete whole, and nowhere else in our
life have we permitted such dep'or
able waste of ability and economic
force, as in forbidding the franchise
to women. If they had been given
hand 10 public affairs hundred
years, or thousand years ago, no
one can ilcuate how much farther
we would have progressed, than we
have.
The most general objection to
equal suffrage among uniformed men
and women, is that women should
vote, they will not restrict their
activities TO the homs. These people
seem to believe, that in order to
vote, a woman will have TO be away
from home ten hours day all the
year around, while the fact is, that
a half hour once or twice year will
be sufficient. Many seem to believe
that woman will lose all affection
for her family, charge her whole
natures, and become sort Of un-
sexed monstrosity, if she votes.
OF course this is all nonsense. The
truth is that a womans home and
family will always be foremost in
her mind and heart vote or no vote,
but how about the woman who has
no homer
There are eight million of women
in the United States alone, who earn
their own lying, and who have no
man TO represent Or (misrepresenD
them at the polls. These women
are citizens, many OF them tax pay
ers, they are as smart as the men
in the same walk of life. and all
women who do not wish for the vote
for themselves should strive to get
it for these women, who are being
treated unJustly.
These women should have fair
play. A man should be generous to
them. and give them fair show,
just as he would insist on man in
fight having fair show.
No man can tell for sure whether
in future his daughter, or sister or
widow, may not have to go forth
alone. among strangers, to earn her
own living. In such a case would
you not like TO have her armed with
the power to say something about
her hours Of labor. the conditions
under which she labors. and. her
wages therefor?
We Iced grand awakening of
conscience. We need it to ally our
selves one and all. definitely on the
sid of evolution. If we live ten
years we will see the day when every
woman in the United States has the
right to- vote, and that day will also
be day when there will not be
single saloon in the United States.