The Dickinson press., 1914-09-26
ADDRESS Of DR., ANNA a.
SHAW ON SUFFRAGE

III wa upPOASSAo SulIrdSS
were delighted with the large number
Of people who greeted DR.. Anna
Shaw at the armory last Saturday
evening. Every chair was taken a
long. time before the program com
menced. Had the committee been ex-
pecting SO large a crowd, more seats
would have been placed in the hall.
Mayor Alfred White presided and
after two pleasing songs BY Miss.
Marjory Stickney, Mrs. DR.. Darrow
of Fargo was introduced. This lady
was in sDickinson three or four
months ago, and she said it was stat
ed then that not so per cent Of the
voters knew that the question
Of women's suffrage was to be sub
united to a vote on November Bird.
However, Mrs. barrow knew that
this was not the case now.
DR.. Anna Howard Shaw spoke at
considerable length, but her audience
did not become weary at any time.
The lady speaks with ease and has a
rare wit which keeps her hearers in.
good humor at all times.
Following is a portion Of DR.. Anna
Shaw's address given in Dickinson:
There is nothing which has him
dered progress more than the fear of
the unknown. We readily accept the
thing that is. We say that that is
right, but the moment it is suggested
to take another step to do some
thing that has not been done before,
to go in a direction in which no one
has ever wandered, then in a moment
fear begins to take possession Of us,
and we wonder what will happen.
There never has been a progressive
movement which has not been hin
dered by the fear Of the unknown,
and that is true Of our movement,
perhaps, and every movement in re-
gard to the progressive development
Of women more than anything else.
Every possible argument which is
brought against the enfranchisement
Of women was brought against WON
ems higher education and against
women having the opportunity and
the right to earn a living, and
against women having the right to
have a profession. Now it isn't be-
cause there is any more argument
against women suffrage than any
other progressive steps which women
have taken, but every movement and
every bit of development which has
come to women has been won in an
altogether different way. If we could
get the ballot as we got education, or
as we got the opportunity to enter
a profession or a trade we would all
have had the ballot long ago.. 1t was
not necessary in order to get an ed
ucation to, convert all the men and all
the women into believing in higher
education. All that women had to do
who wanted a college education was
to find some one college whose@found-
er had a broad conception Of human
right and justice and who put no
barrier into the charter of that col
lege against the admission of women,
and to find a board Of trustees, a few
educated and developed men who were
willing that women should enter col
.lege. One woman and a broad-mind-
ed board of trustees, the first woman
that entered college made it possible
for women to enter colleges, and they
entered it. If we would have had to
have submitted to a vote of all men
the question Of whether we wanted
to go to college the same argument
would have been urged which is urged
against giving us the ballot today.
Men would say, "Why should women
90 to college? All women don't
want to go to college. Therefore, we
will allow no woman to go to college
until all women want to go to college.
American Men
But the one most beautiful thing
about the American men is the con-
sistency of their inconsistency. All
the way down they have abided by it
by claiming that we have. a great and
beautiful republic, when we never had
a republic since this country was de-
veloped. All we have been doing has
been to try to develop or evolve a
republic out of a monarchy. We
haven't gotten there yet, but we are
getting there, and every progressive
step we have taken has brought us
d little nearer to it. Take any, die
tionary or encyclopedia on definitions
and find out what a republic is, and
you will find that it is a form of gov
eminent in which the laws are made
BY. representatives elected by the
people. Now when did the people Of
North Dakota ever elect representa-
.tives in the government !? Never.
The men Of North Dakota elected
your representatives, and grant you
that men are able and capable, as far
as they go, but they don't go far
enough. They only go half way.
And you never read a definition in
your life which declared that a re
public is a form Of government in
which ono-half of the people elect
representatives to govern the whole
Of the people. It is not a republic.
It is an a~ristocracy, an aristocracy Of
sex. If you men in North Dakota
believe that governments derive their
just powers from the consent Of the
governed, then you have got to vote
dyes" on the women suffrage amend
ment ON the 3rd day Of November OF
you belle your belief. Women arr
lgoverned equally with men, and since
I'VE are governed equally with men
and the government depends for its
rights and laws on the consent Of the
governed, it must be on the consent
Of the governed women equally with
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