New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1914-05-31

.pection, the schools; in short, taxes
and their expenditure are matters
which, whether the woman at the head
of a household knows it or not, init
mately affect the health and safety
of her family.
Nor is there any doubt how women
will on the whole vote on these mat
ters. An enlightened self-interest can
be trusted to dictate the way In when
women will vote on such points.
They will vote for pure foods. for city
cleanliness, for removing moral pit
falls from the paths of children. AS
rapidly as possible they will vote out
those forms Of excess tolerated by the
community, but fatal TO the peace and
decency of family. If the new voting
class were to be made up OF people
to whom these considerations are
merely academic il would not be pos
sible to prophesy with certainty as 10
how they would vote. But on those
questions which affect life and family
decency it is inconceivable that
self-interest and the interests of their
children.
Ii is obvious that certain evils which
now loom large on our horizon are
manageable and removable. This Is
especially true of infant mortality,
child labor and illiteracy. AS a pru-
dent father strives to turn over his
estate unencumbered 10 his children,
so we Of this generation should strive
to turn the world over to our success
sors unencumbored OF these three
cruel burdens Posterity Will have
questions enough after we have done
all we can-questions too grave and
subtle for us. But such as these are
within our powers IL all the adult in
dividuals in the country can he in
formed and made responsible, and in
no way save through the ballot can
this be done-for all three of these
evils must be eradicated in large
measure by laws and their enforce
ment.
All that unaided. unrelated mothers
love can do has been done. The three
evils | have named are examples OF
its ptiful limitations. Do the moth
ers of the million and more children
who cannot read and write lack ma
tcrnal affection? DO mothers fail in
love because their children work too
soon, too hard? Do the mothers Uf
the 100000 babies who will die this.
year in the United States love their
children less than the mothers OF the
2ooo, O00-odd who will survive?
To many of us it is profoundly rea-
sonable that those who look at the
welfare of the race with long view
should now be urging the ballot for
women as the next expedient
politically speaking. and the opinion of
women received little or no attention.
/ believe that women have some
thing TO contribute to the government
that men have not, as men have some
thing to contribute that women have
lot: that their traditions and their
experiences. combined, will make for
a more perfect understanding of COM
mUnity needs This is an expansion
OF the ideal family control. Women
have been told that they can gain
their wishes by influence, using their
power over some man or men. Dignl-
fed women do not wish 10 be a part
of an invisible form of government
They wish 10 speak directly and OPEN
ly. and then consider this a more
respectful recognition OF their infu-
ence. They wish 10 take their share
in the responsibility of society and to
give back what has been given to
them.
Many women have worked faithfully
for better conditions through phi!au-
thropc societies. through social set
Elements and in other ways. welding
their power in such measure and in
such ways as have been open for
them. They believe that they can do
more, and they also believe that So
oiety will be the gamer when the enor-
nous numbers OF women who now
have no opportunity at all for express
sion are given this through the ballot.
In addition To what seems 10 me the
advisablity Of completing and per-
fecting the government by makins
men and women share its responsible
ity, the inevitability OF the extension
Of the suffrage makes objection seem
futile. The whole force OF evolution