The Leon reporter. (Leon, Iowa) 1887-1930, 1914-10-01


nails of the movement for woman
suffrage as marking the greatest
victory it has yet attained. With the
closing Of the polls approximately
100000 woman voters had been
added to an equal number who were
already entitled to cast their ballots
that day, and the six states where
women have this privilege had been
increased to ten. Michigan, Kansas,
Oregon, and Arizona were the four
states that had just eptranchised
women and placed them bn an exact
political equality with men.
Before 1900 only four states had
permitted women to vote, now we
have in all ten states. We will all
agree with the author of the Dec.
laration of Independence that all
men are created equal; that they
are endowed by their Creator with
certain inalienable rights; that
among these are life, liberty, and
the pursuit of happiness. The Crea-
tor never intended that woman
should be looked upon as an inferior
being. Then why not have voice
in the government they are bound TO
respect.
It has been proven that where Wo-
men have the right of suffrage thelr
influence has been a power for GOOD
since they are persistent and adrolt
politicians.
In Wyoming the pioneer OF sui
frage states in it's earliest history the
population consisted of laWless
rowing element. immortality went
unrebuked. The good men were
cowed by the reckless. Laws had
been made but no attempt was made
to enforce them. The pioneers were
being robbed of their chances. Their
realization of this fact played great
part in the willingness shown TO
give the women the right to vote.
With the right to vote came the
right to hold Office and sit on ]urles:
Then something happened the IKE OF
which had never happened before.
Every known law breaker IN the
county was indicted. The news OF
this Jury activity leaked out and
offenders against the law fled away
by the score. Some returned after
court was over only to flee again at
the next session. A goodly number
were tried and convicted. A period
of law enforcement with it's attend
ant orderliness was started. Petit
iuries as well as grand juries were
composed partly of women; they
stood the test perfectly, put senu-
ment aside and judged matters from
a purely legal standpoint. one OF
the women to serve on the first mix
ed petit jury was the wife OF a
Methodist minister. The jury was
drawn to try a murderer ana II was
thought the woman being MIN
listers wife would be favoraple 10
the accused. She took her knitting
into court and when the jury re-
tired for deliberation she led them
in prayer. The verdict was that OF
manslaughter. This sort OF thing
continued and put fear into the
hearts of the vicious. To the women
of Wyoming much credit is given Tor
a better and a cleaner Wyoming, Tor
thew did with their might what their
hands found to do.
Now that women are being enfran-
chised, they are taking prominent
part in all public affairs. me ma
iority Of women voters have taken
firm stand on the temperance SIDE
and if given the right to vote in al!
the states the liquor business Will
soon become thing of the past In
the state of California where the Wo-
men vote in the City of San Francisco
they determined to wipe out morse
racing and gambling on the race
6ack. For weeks before election
day they were busy agitat1ng the
things they most desired. 1t Is IN
necessary to state that these wees
had to 60.
Whether you believe in woman
suffrage or not, you could not nave
seen the voting in San Francisco
without feeling in this particular
case the women of the city will be
the better for the interest they nave
taken in civic affairs and the city
will be the gamer by the lnteiilgent
efforts put forth to make II as
clean as their own homes.
In the state of Utah in 1911 the
women are to be given the credit for
securing law prohibiting anyone
emnloving women more than >
hours in one day, or more than OF
hours IN any Oue WOOh. 49,.
turned their attention to securing a
Child Labor law. Here they were
successful too. Next came the enact
ment of laws to prevent traffic In
women, prohibit the sale OF cigar
cites and to make the sale of mar
cotic drugs felony. Laws We're
also secured providing for the med
ical examination of school children,
for the reporting of venereal dlseas-
e. and for the. sanitary inspection
81 diaries and slaughter houses
Another statute compelled wife de-
serters to support their families. a
local option law was secured to reg
8ulate the liquor traffic throughout
the state. The women OF Utah can
sjustly claim that all these were lne
fruits Of their own labors. In TINS
state as in other suffrage states they
are filling Offices Of trust In the state
Legislature. ~. 80
The state of Colorado has mad
equal suffrage for 20 years and
wish i had time and space to tell the
many advantages this, state has &C
nuirod through women Suffrage.