The Washington herald., 1914-10-18

can control at the pollA But the wonanA
who plsads for reform. for childhood. for
womanhood or for peace II backed by the
united moral strength Of every other
woman in household hamlet and home
No man dares question her sincerity or
call for a count before sanctioning her
moral measures and just reforms-
The women's clubs OF America exert q
stronger moral influence on public opinion
than any Of the political parties Men
cannot be found with temerity enough to
dare oppose any measure advocated BY
all women Yet the Socialists alone
could poll more votes than all the club
women. The history Of suffrage States
reveals no name Of any woman made con-
spicuous by power obtained through the
exercise Of the ballot The suffraeisfs
themselves must select their leaders n
States where women have attained honor,
recognition and social power by indirect
influence
Dr. Anna Howard Shaw IL even now US
ing her indirect influence" in California
and Colorado, trying to stem the tide OF
public condemnation OF the Congressional
Unions militant methods. Dr. Shaw has
no vote in these states-neither have the
union leaders who are also using ''indi-
rect influence" on public opinion against
her. And the women who have the ballot
In Colorado and California present the
sorry spectacle OF being helpless in their
own communities, OF calling on the
national suffrage president to use her
indirect influence" to counteract that Of
the Congressional Union
Can anything more fully exhibit the
folly Of votes for women" Then, too,
do we need the factionalIsm and inter-
nal strife between the National Suffrage
Association and the Congressional Union.
the various melting pots, blacklists. and
other hystericai stunts" the suffragists
indulge, to convince US that the whole
movement 10 that of disintegration, d.
vision. and political partition7 Just this
last week another independent orgzniEa-
ton OF suffragists was formed on semi
national lines to give once and political
opportunity to third small band Of
women who think they want to run"
something like men do.
This was the Southern States suffrage
conference, which Is pretending TO pro-
tect the Democrats from the fierce on
slaught Of the Congressional Unions
1000 members, led. as Ida Husted Har-
per says, by a "Pankhurst trained mill
tant" Do any OF these suffrage orEani-
Zations pretend to be interested In any
thing else but the ballot? Have any one
Of them ever faithfully stood by any real
reform advocated by all Women7 They
have officially denied ever having taken
any stand whatever on the liquor ques-
ton. and not one State has ever gone
dry" by women's vote, though temper
ance women have won eleven Statewide
prohibition campaigns by their moral in
fiuence on the votes of men. Not only
that, but no suffragist even takes the
trouble to be absolutely honest in her
pleas for votes for women" Do the
women who claim that 1900 900 women
workers demand the ballot ever tell you
that there are only s.075.0o0 feminine
workers over ten years OF age in every
gainfui occupation in America, or that
4.53SS57 OF that number are engaged In
agricultural pursuits and domestic serv-
Ice, or that 2,113s91 are negroes? Do
the persons who tell you that 100000
women vote now" confess that the total
number OF women enfranchised in the
nine full suffrage States, 1.ses. .l63, is II5,-
s45 less than the mature feminine popu-
lation OF the single State OF PennsyI-
vania.
Keep the Truth Concealed.
Do the pleaders that women have gone
out OF the home and therefore need the
ballot ever tell you that OF the A.565,754
women Of voting age in the United States
D5ls,s SO ere or have been married, and
are keeping house in I7,s6. 600 separate
homes where our 2026s65 families are
under the direct social influence OF
women? Do the sunragfsts ever an
nounce that Colorado defeated prohibi-
ton November 5. 1917, by a majority Of
4O.sT votes, n6,14 ballots being cast for
the saloonsE Do they tell you that II
only 50 per cent OF the H3, ,G25 Colorado
women over twenty-ons had voted for
temperance at that election II would
have won by 6.0l2 votes without a single
male ballot in its favor?
Why do the suffragists conceal these
facts and figures. ignore the record of
suffrage States and attempt TO gain their
ends solely by spectacular sensational
ism and the packing Of conventions where
woman suffrage is slipped through" as
they call It. with the same hysteria- emo
tionalism and disregard for study, So
briefly and common sense that charac-
terizes the votes for women agitation
Would any other organization OF women
dare TO compare our sex with criminals,
idiots ard paupers as the feminists do
constantly in order to inctte unrest and
discomfort?
The most serious social problem we
have today is this same unrest OF women
called feminism. an agitation which Is q
constant menace to marriage and moth
erhood, and the supreme plea for a sel-
fish sex individualism that would sacri-
fee all the homes in America as burnt
offerings to the needless hysteria called
votes for women"