The Washington herald., 1914-11-29
Bull MooseWomen Caught in Wreckage
SUFFRAGISTS NOW LEFT
Ida Hustled Harper Surveys Situation


, I'm this great war" Mrs. Martin says,
I'VE antis find confirmation of the fact
which we have 30 often pointed out, that
| in that world and order of things where
force rules, women have no place, II
would appear therefore that the only
thing for the women OF Europe to do is
| to get OF the earth or come to the United
States, but in either case II seems as II
| they would be very much missed In the
war zone. Even the New York Times,
| that doughty opponent OF votes for
women, cannot stand for what 1t calls
I ''the hoary and foolish argument OF Mrs.
Martin" and yet 1t would not be neces-
sary to delve very far back into the
files Of that paper to fnd that same
! objection made to enfranchising women.
Now II has passed the primary stage
and makes a strong presentation of the
part the woman plays in the defense Of
a nation from attack. not less than that
the man plays" and says: There is no
sense in opposing woman suffrage with
bogies It is q dangerous expert
ment and the agitation for 1t is a re-
grettable incident in our national life.
The reasons against II are deep and
strong; the objections are many and
weighty," and then It offers this only
one as an example:
"Chief among them is the danger of
increasing the elecorate by a body Of
citizens who abe shown no special apti-
tude for dealing with the kind Of Ques-
tions that are submitted to voters. and
whose view OF such questions is likely
to be amateurish. and that the conse-
quences of such an enlargement might
be disastrous is a fact too plain to be
waved aside"
Very deep and very weighty, No ques-
ton ever is submitted to the electors
which has not for months been simpli-
fed and explained by the almost super
human wisdom of the great newspaper
editors, and If any unprejudiced person
will compare the club women, church.
women. temperance women. social work
ers, and teachers in any community with
its men, he will not lose any sleep over
"the disastrous effects of the amateur
ish vote" that would be cast by women.
Our government never has enfranchised
any class who have brought to the cleo
torate a tithe of the intelligence 1t would
receive from giving the franchise to wom-
en-. II the Times cannot offer any better
argument than this. it has no call to
throw things at Prestonia Mann Martin.
Party Lines Almost Gone.
II one really wants something besides
theories in regard to woman suffrage he
should read the newspapers OF the States
where it exists. Does he desire nom
partisanship? The San Francisco Call
heads its report OF the recent election:
Party Lines Almost Gone in California;
Next Election Will Be Entirely Nom
partisan. The Los Angeles Times
says in head lines Careful Study of
Men and Measures Has Been Made BY
Women" In all of those States these
two points are emphasized-the nonpar-
usanship of women and their close scru-
tiny of candidates and measures. The
Call, in expressing surprise at the defeat
OF suffrage amendments in several States,
said: THE justice of women suffrage is
so apparent, woman's right is so obvious.
that no fairminded man in California can
understand why political equality is not
given in all parts of the United States;
and no woman with a normal interest in
citizenship can comprehend why her
sisters in other States do not unani-
mously demand the ballot The news
papers in all the equal-suffrage States
are the strongest supporters of it. and
they cannot possibly have any ulterior
motive.
\ New York man who was in San
Francisco during the recent election
writes: The preceding day 1 went
through the foreign quarters of the
city. Italian, Chinese, negro. Barbary
Coast. the worst slums; the saloons