Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1914-05-09
Woman Taxpayer Replies

The following letter was written in
answer to editorial comment on anti
/ suffrage literature:
| To the Editor of Kennebec journal
| would like to ask a few questions
! in regard to your editorials of May
! 7th and Sth.
Do you advocate that it would be
wise to have only people who own
property vote? Would you think 1t
wise tas you sugges0 to have wo-
men fix her own taxes?" Surely this
would lead directly TO the establish
ment of a government based on prop
/ erty in which each person would be
given votes in proportion to the taxes
he paid, would it not?
| Would you have suffrage such a
/ poor thing that you would advocate
/ that these women who do not want to
| vote, need not? Is 1t not lamentable
| fact that the intelligent put indiffer-
| ent men who do not exercise their
/ right to vote are the greatest possible
! menace to our government, o1ten
making the laws an expression OF
/ minority, rather than majority OF
citizens? Do you advocate increasing
that ncn-voting body by adding to II
thousands of intelligent but .indiffer-
! ent women? Is not your idea or sur
frage a duty and a responsibility? 1t
certainly would be a case of forcing
| the ballot" upon women If suffrage
were given to the women of Maine to-
| dat, and what is more it would be
forcing the ballot upon the great big
majority of women in Maine today
Now in regard to your editorial OF
! Nav Sth, can women not save the
children, wipe out saloons, (your
words) help to down all unfortunate
social conditions, without going into
government fundamentals? These are
| Just the things women can do ana
ought to do, but these are phllantnrep-
ic movements and social betterments.
What have these questions to do with
| government fundamentals, like tarlH
reform, the currency system and re-
peal of the Panama canal tolisI Let
women remove the ulcers" that you
sneak of; they can do it and are doing
! it. but not by the ballot Let the wo-
men improve the communities IN
which they live, and the government
will improve in. just such ratio as the
people become improved. Women's
work from sun TO sun" is complexed
| and varied endueih If she will attend
| 10 her Job as she should, she Will have
enough to do, and sour civilization
would be nearer what it should be,
/ and then our government would be
more what we wish 1t to be.
(Signed) A WOMAN TAXPAYER
May s. 1914.
We cheerfully answer the questions
| of Woman Taxpayer"
we never have and never could ad-
yocate such a thing; neither have we
ever suggested it.
We would have woman have as
much a part in fixing her own taxes
and the taxes of her neighbors, male
| and female, as would have the most
! illerate. characterless and taxless man
! who happens to hold residence in her
/ taxation area. And we beg to correct
| our critic by informing her that we
never suggested any such thlng as
the meaning she puts upon oHr words.
We said, very plainly. ito have hand
! in public affairs--in the fixing OF her
own taxes"
We certainly would not compel any
woman to go to the polls, any more
than we now compel men to vote.
It IS a lamentable fact that many
men do not vote, and still more Ia
mentable that a greater, Tar greater,
| number prostitute the privilege py
selling their ballots to selfish and i'm
moral interests. That is why we con-
tend that women should interest them
selves in the value of the ballot as a
| Christianizing influence, and should
use it. Convinced that far greater
proportion Of womanhood than OF
manhood is moral, we would have the
better feminine element offset the
non-yoting and eviily voting mascu-
line element.
Our idea of all suffrage is that it Is
sacred responsibility.
Woman Taxpayers assertion that
giving to the women of Maine today
the ballot would be forcing it upon
them, is hardly consistent We claim
to be in a position to know vastly
more about the general sentiment OF
the people of Maine today than she
does. If she cares for specific listing
of our advantages we should be glae
to give them to her.
In answer to her question concern.
ing our editorial Of May 3, we woulc
say that when one wishes to convert
! a swamp INTO Il TeStuSiiSC ~ 40 ASS~o
sary to begin at the bottom and make
that ure--"fundamentals," If yor
please. Many philanthropic fads of so
ciety have. in generations, amounted
to about as much as the proverbia
Hannah Cook, unless they have hat
brains and courage and earnestnes;
and fundamentals" which, sad t.
confess, many philanthropic move
ments for moral uplift have not.
We have no objection to woman
attending to her job but we are con
WINGED that when she really becomes
interested In the meaning of thu
franchise she looks at her job" IL
broader way. And we are also con
WINGED that the bugbear of going II
the polls unsexing her." put up b!
certain radical anti-suffragiSts, Il
about as sensible as would be thu
argument that a weekly shopping tril
units her for motherhood
We have thrown away bushels o
suffrage and anti-suffrage literature
in a long newspaper experience, bu
we have always noticed that the anti