The Washington herald., 1914-11-01
COLORADO AS AN
AWFUL EXAMPLE
Anti-Sufagists Call Attention
to Some of Her Unen-
viable Records.
WOMEN VOTED Fl YEARS
Strong Reasons Advanced to Show
that the Majority of Women Do
Not Want the Vote.
BY MRS. SIMEON H. GUILFoRD,

BY MRS. SIMEON II. GUILFoRD,
Member Executive Board. PennsylrAniA Association
OproSed to Woman Sunnge.
That women do not want to vote Is one
OF the salient points that the typical suf-
frage speaker persistently refuses to
dwell upon. She sets forth with en-
phasis that woman suffrage Is opposed
because various so-called Interests" fear
the woman's vote. and these interests are
only limited by the extent of her imagina-
ton or vocabulary. The old-line politi-
clans are held to oppose suffrage because
the woman's vote could not be con
trOlled." the machines" are supposed TO
be against suffrage because woman's in
tuition. honesty and talent for house
cleaning" would eliminate all "bossism'
and graft, according to the suffragists.
The whisky ring is said to be against
suffrage because no liquor could be sold
IF women had the vote" All these tales
would be quite pathetic-if true. II the
politicians and the bosses and the ma
chimes and the breweries were all con-
spring together 10 keep women out of
politics, to keep up a regime of corrup-
tion. and IL the ballot were the sole
remedy tor an intolerable situation, then
votes for women would be necessary.
But these are not the facts. To get the
facts We must examine conditions in
states where women vote.
The Case of Colorado.
Colorado has had woman suffrage for
twenty-One years-long enough for the
women to raise and train both sons and
daughters to vote inteIligentIy. And yet
II Is Colorado which holds some of the
most enviable records In the Union. In
the first place. II was his own Colorado
that furnished the material for Judge
Lindsey's The Beast" a revelation Of
absolute control Of politics by the
vested interests Again il was Judge
Lindsey who told President Wilson last
spring that Colorado was no longer
lf-governing community. and Judge
Lindsey. too. who told a Federal commis-
sion that Colorado has perfected the
science Of corrupting mtn." The corrup-
tion Of the men. however. was not all.
Judge Lindsey told in the Beast. how
women were just as easily controlled as
men. The same social and mercenary
forces which were brought TO bear on
men were applied with equal effect on
their wives. sisters. daughters. etc.
other observers OF Colorado conditions
say that the women are more easily con-
troIled than the men. and point out with
much reason that a man can only be held
In leash by those forces which bind his
business. his credit, or his occupation.
II any OF these vital interests depend on
his voting for a certain candidate or
party he will likely do so. But with the
woman. not only can the so-called
Beast force her to do its bidding to
preserve her own or her husbands bust
ness or occupation. but the whole social
register can be used as an additional
lever Women in Colorado have voted
for their husbands. for their husbands
Jobs and TO keep or get social position
for themselves.
Suffrage Doesn't Work Miracles.
No great miracle is wrought when
women get the vote: they are not all
lined up sOlidly on the side Of righteous
ness. but stlll continue to be the wives. |
mothers. and sisters OF men, with the
same interests and the same ideals. |
And when women vote the interest OF
their group or class is In no wise differ !
ent from that OF the men to whom they /!
are united by stronger ties than any
that exist between women themselves. !
Consequently. we have with woman suf- 4,
frage but a multiplication Of those forces :
in our community which are against the
best interests OF the State and nation. /
The man at the head Of the big corpo- !
ration who uses his power to corrupt
legislators is not alone-he has loyal fem {;
inne relatives who will get" the man I
he wants through the latter's feminine =
relatives. Likewise. the saloon-keeper /
and the panderer are not without wives. (
sisters cousins. aunts and numerous /
other women whose interests are identical .
with their own.
That these forces have all worked to- !
gethcr 10 bring Colorado to its present |
situation none can deny. The State holds I
the record for internal war, due to inef- .
fCient State government. 1t has been .
placed partially under martial law twice .
in ten years-in 1904 and l9l4-during /
which Federal troops were required to
prevent riot and bloodshed. So supine |
have its officials become that neither the |
courts nor the militia are trusted by the
people. Only last week the Federal COM
mander at the head Of the United States
troops that have occupied Colorado for
four months received word that the with
lra wal OF the national forces and their
replacement by the State militia would
be the signal for another ARMED conflict,