The Washington herald., 1914-06-07

lures on it-bore the names of but I63-
4S> women. l22.3S2 men and Ils.O1S "un-
CLASSIFIED Think of it, thev were able
TO obtain the Endorsement of only l63,-
by women in the United States. and yet
DR.. Shaw has the temerity to imagine
that she represents e4O0o. 900 women, Col
onel Roosevelt is quoted as saying, be-
fore he abandoned the Republican party.
that he would not concede that the ma
1ority or women wanted to vote IL he
saw petition With 100000 signatures
on II.
Now. what about the probabilities" of
suffrage winning in the States that will
give the measure consideration before
1875? Mrs. Ida Hustled Harper. one OF
the writers of the History of Women
Suffrage. and one OF the better in
formed suffragists. tell US in the current
issue OF the North American Review
that: ''One generation of workers for
woman suffrage has passed from earth.
and second has grown white-haIred in
the contest Two more will pass away
before it will be gained through a refer
endum in some of the States" Again, she
asserts: In 1872 and 1913, came the tre-
mendous defeats in Ohio, Wisconsin and
Michigan, and TO every one who holds
that women should look to the States for
their suffrage is recommended a study
Of these campaigns"
Opposition Is Great.
The State OF Michigan alone, she might
have added. went against woman sur-
frage with a majority of over 100. 0co. or
more than twice the total number OF
votes that gave woman suffrage to Cali
fornia. Oregon. Washington, Colorado.
and Kansas, So great is the opposition
to woman suffrage in Michigan that Rep
resentative Frank F. Doremus will build
his platform for this summer and fall
on plank against votes for women"
and since Mr.. Doremus is chairman of
the Democratic Congressional Campaign
Committee, this indicates that the Demo- |
cratic party will make no particular ef- |
fort to assuage the suffrage wrath caused /.
by its refusal to grant the constitutional
amendment. Mr.. Doremus Is a manly, |
sasacious politician, whose example |
others would do well to follow in feeling |
the public pulse against woman suffrage. |
The suffragists have won on margins |!
so narrow, in instances so few. and have !
been literally swampsd by voters or de- !
feated in legislatures so often that they !
seek to avoid submitting themselves to !
arguments so overwhelming against the
cause" in the future. Consequently, |
they are bringing all the political pres |
sure, appeals to chivalry. vain threats.
and made-as-you-please figures to bear
on the passage OF a constitutional amend |
ment. In fact, they appeal to everything |
but reason.
Now suffragists either want to vote for
what they claim to be vital measures
to reform, civic betterment. or admins
tration of government that cannot be
passed in male suffrage States" or lust
because they desire the novelty of drop
ping a piece OF paper into a ballot box"
To prove their contentious, they must
first show that they have produced in
the suffrage States-such as their
model" Colorado-not only better laws
but higher ideals. purer poll
tics, and more efficient public officials
than in such male suffrage States as New
York. Pennsylvania. Ohio. Massachusetts,
Indiana, and Wisconsin. Otherwise, dis
regarding the consideration OF all the
other fundamental arguments against
suffrage. Congress and the legislatures
are justified in denying the measure
merely on the grounds of the increased
expense of doubling the electorate with
out any corresponding benefit.
Use Yonr Own Boxes!
On the other hand, il suffragists want
ballot boxes only. no one will object to
hair making and using their own II