The Greenville journal. [volume] (Greenville, Ohio) 1850-1918, 1914-10-22
WHY | BECAME AN
ANTI-SUFFRAGIST
Why Woman Suffrage Failed. in
the Suffrage States.
(sY FLORENCE ooFF scHwARz.)

Inc IoiioWlng - the third install.
ment Of q series Of articles by Flor.
ence Con- Schwarz. business secre.
tary Of the Cincinnati Association Op
posed to Woman Suffrage:
Woman has always been recognized
- possessing spiritual and moral
qualities superior to those Of men.
She has been the refining influence
which has raised man from the saw.
sge to q cultured, intelligent being.
Admitting these facts, why then, has
her influence worked for naught, even
for detriment inistates where she has
been enfranchised. The answer is
simple. 1t Is because politics, the
outside world for women, is in direct
contradiction to natures intention
and therefore fundamentally wrong.
Force her, II you will, into political
fields and she will not vote! She will
not attend, primaries, neither will
she go to the polls. Never, in the en-.
tire history of the suffrage states, has
there been a single case on record
where the majority Of the women
have voted ip any state. Judging
from the eagerness Of the suffrasists
to win the ballot and to correct all
evil. one would naturally think that all
women would go to the polls, would
fall over one another in the keenness
of their desire to vote. Not so; the
lecord of six of the suffrage states
at the last presidential election shows
that but a per cent of the women
voted, while In six adjoining non
suffrage states 50 per cent of the men
voted. In spite of the fact that the
eyes Of the world were directed to-
ward Illinois, that suffragists were
pleading with the@women of that state
tC make, a splendid showing In order
to assist the winning of the vote in
other states; that wealthy women
save the use of their automobiles and
furnished nurses. for the babies; and.
In spite Of the fact that one woman
ross, Mrs. BlaZi, midwife for three
generations, collected 500 votes from
her former patients, Illinois showed
but q 20 per cent vote of the women
on April I, 1914. Ninety-three per
cent of the men in California regis.
tered in 1912 and only about q per
cent of the women. In San Francisco
there was approximately but one
woman in eight who was interested
enough to take the trouble to register
and go to the polls. In 1918, in three
precincts in San Francisco, not a
woman voted at q city election. In
~ out of 67S precincts there was an
average of less than ten votes per
precinct by women. The Los Angeles
Times of March 26, 1918, says: "The
vote Of the women was disappointing,
yet the suffragists carried on an
active campaign, attended and spoke
at all day meetings, and even worked
at their headquarters on Easter Sun
day"
This conclcusiyely proves that
women care little for politics. The
game was new both in California and
Illinois; all those interested in suf.
frage were intensely anxious to take
advantage OF the newly-acquired fran
chise, and worked zealously to bring
cut their reluctant sister women, but
to no avail. 1t is well to remember
this when heGring the oft-repeated
clogan, Suffrage Ia bound to come. I"
1t might come If the majority of the
women were interested in politics,
but they are not. What kind Of women
do go to the POLLS? Is it those who
will vote for the ,uplift and reform
promised by the suffragists? It is the
radical woman who is always in the
van of new schemes; the woman OF
the underworld. who votes for her
own protection: the suffrsgist, OF
course, will vote in order to hold up
her ideals; then. comes the purchas
able women, the one who has inau'
gurated ins Colorado the term, "the
new bribe." These make up the small
percentage of women who go to the
polls. The ones who could bring about
reforms are still following out che
plan their mothers and grandmothers
followed before them. They are con
tributings service to the, government
by remaining at home. training their
children, making their homes livable
and sanitary, and no inducement. nc
blare of trumpet or fash of banner
can entice them away from their God.
given appointment. They have proved
that when suffrage is forced upon
them they will not accept it, nor dc
they feel distinctly obligated to dis
charge its responsibilities. In order
to do SO they would have to choose
between those and responsibilities
still greater and they stick to their
cid duties cause it is fundamentally
right that they should.
(To Ro COntinuadl