The Washington herald., 1914-04-19

having the responsibility OF the ballot
Perhaps il might give them higher
wages and shorter hours. No reference
has ever been made TO the intelligence
OF domestic servants as voters. The fact
of our serious domestic problems which
exist today cast some reflection upon
women as housekeepers in their own
homes. Would 1t not he doubtful &c
their success in municipal housekeeping?
The servant question is one which
woman alone. irrespective OF politics or
voting. can deal with and manage st
isfactOrily The greatest authority on TO-
mestic science. Mrs. Ellen II. Richards,
has told us that - per cent Of food c..n-
tamination takes place in our own
kitchens.
Again. 20 per cent Of working women
are under twenty-One years OF age. OF
what use would the vote be TO these?
Are We so sure that all women are going
to vote so much more wisely than ali
men? Jane Adams has peculiar policies.
She is strong for voting by the women.
yet she contends that when social service
agencies, which have been carried on by
private initiative. are taken into politics,
the women lose control OF them, there
fore. in order to continue the mother
and watching by women. Miss Adams
proposes TO put women into politics and
have more politics in the social service
agencies.
Would il not he better to appoint a COM
mission Of women outside the entang!e-
mcnts Of party politics. who could thee
by give their unhampered and disint-r-
ested attention TO the reform work itself?
Mrs. Oliphant. of New Jersey. in a recent
lecture here. gave some interesting SAT-
frage news for that State. which Mrs
Harper says has declared for suffrage.
has been in existence twrnty-fOur years
and has 900 members. The anti-suffrage
organization has been in existence only
twenty-five months and has member
ship OF 900. She has been in every coun-
ty in the State. and through personal in
vestiEation found the oranges were al
most unanimously against women voting.
SuHraEists Are Failures.
Give TO the suffragists four. five. or
SIX million. Where is the vast num-
ber of those women remaining to be
placed-some 100000 in number?
The anti-suffragis do not stand for
the thousands of restless. fanatical
dissatisfied women. who. through a
mistaken idea of freedom are clamor-
ing for one more unnatural desire to
top the many already developed. We
do not stand for the women who,
having made a mess of domestic af-
fairs take refuge behind wild and dis
ruptng feministiC arguments. breath
ing domestic anarchy and free alli-
ance. nor do We stand for the women
who attracting to themselves and
their cause undue advertisement
among whom will be found those who
don overalls and post bills those who
carry illuminated signs up the main
streets after dark, disfigure sidewalks
with chalk inscriptions nor those who
desire to rewrite school text books be-
cause man figures too prominently in
them. also the Bible. from which they
would eliminate. man not excepting
the Deity.
We do not stand for those women
who parade in the public thorough
fares. making themselves the butt of
absurd criticism and ribald jests. nor
for those who in flimsy draperies ex-
pose themselves and innocent children
for the amusement and attention of
the general public. nor for those who
would discourage children in their
playing with dolls for fear OF encour-
aging an abnormal idea of mother
hood. nor for those who stand upon the
street corners with flushed faces and
flying hair shouting Votes for wom-
en-" and demanding their inherent
rights.
There is not a human being who has
not inherent rights from an infant to an
Why do the suffragists
dwell so upon this point? We will admit !
that there are thousands of women rep |
resenting every profession and trade
for the delectable vote, but
We reckon them by thousands and with !
all our reckoning and adding and sub |
tracing and multiplying in these enor- |
nous figures, what have we to say about /!
the millions of earnest wives, mothers. !
and workers who are thinking-thinking |
silently in their homes.
Here alone shall we find the attitude |
upon which to base our substantial defini- !
lion for these are the women who eventu- |
ally will determine the fact. II is for |
women such as these the vast majority |
apparently silent, apparently inactive, |
hat the anti-suffragists raise their stand ,
ards and their voices against so mon
strous, unholy. and so vicious thing as
votes for women
MRS. JOSE@H NJ. STODDARD, /
Member of the executive board of the
District Association Opposed to Woman
Suffrage. J.