The Washington herald. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1906-1939, 1915-03-21
Pens ARE TURNED
ON SUFFRAG|STS
Ants Direct Editorial Shafts
Against Sisters in OPP
posing Cause.
SOCIALISM THE ANSWER
Mrs. John B. Heron. Vice President Of
National Association. Discusses
Demands of Women.
BY MRS. JOHN b. HERON.

gular commentaries on the suffrage
situation was made last week by three
New York editors. whose views were
extensively reproduced in exchanges
throughout the country. Only one of
these editors had anything optimistic
to say about votes for wonderland
he was what We may term progress
sive anti-suffragist. One of the other
editors illustrated in detail how the
womcn's votes had failed TO do amy
good in Chicago. and quoted the suf-
fragistS as showing that mo change.
or publication or elevation or ideal
ization or poetization of politics is to
be expected from woman sunrass.-
but weakly concluded that merely TO
please some of the women" the fem
mime ballot lis to he adopted"
The other editor frankly came out
for suffrage. on the astonishing plea
that the suffraGists have maintained
at times d reign of terror over leEls-
lative bodies. in consequence of which
half the country is now bedeviled by
some form or other of harem govern
ment," and legislators are forever
making ridiculous concessions to
women agitators. on the theory that
official sympathy with such morss
warnings is a shrewd method of di-
vcrtinG public suspicion
In other words. this editor desires
woman suffrage for the very reason
that ought TO make him work most
enthusias tically against it-he would
cure the disease of suffrage agitation
by forcing all women to submit to the
innoculation of the ballot.
Ii is a rather queer proposal, on
a parallel with one in which some one
might advocate drafting the whole
population into standing army In
order to keep few anarchists from
maintaining reign of terror"
Again, we notice, that this editor
ConfcsseS that the women or some
women seem to exert more "hedevil-
mcnt' by indirect influence without
the ballot than he believes they would
If all women were given the vote. This
is at once an admission of one of the
main anti arguments-namely that
women actually accomplish more, in
proportion TO their numbers, without
than with the ballot. But this 1oes not
mean only for the few, but for all
women. In order to keep the few fem
inisrs from abusing their privileges
AS women. which society and custom
have given them. this editor would
reduce all women to the level OF
equality with men-put them where
the men could count them at every
election. and figure out just how 1.-the
they need pay attention to the good
~
this view is much more common than
either suffraEists or anti-suffra Sis.s
realize-many man. especially among
tho politicians. are Snxious 10 learn
in numbers and parties just what
women wani-So that no question may
enter into its gift or refusal but the
practical one of how many votes are
behind it.
As the "antis" have contended all
WnlllI he tho most
convenient thing for men mat has re-
Gently been retrieved from a state of
development that civilization outSrew
long ago. The men are growing res
tive under the constant charges OF
oppression and tyranny the sufra GiSts
arc always harpinG upon; having
been inspired by poetry, love, romance
and religion 10 regard woman as 4
superior being, the modern man is
now coming totthe point where he is
beginning to doubt the divinity OF the
woman, who was raised from the
drudgery of the campfire and wiSwam
to the eXaltation of the Christian al
tar. And suffraSists are helping him
to forget that less than thousand
years ago most of the civilized ma
tions of today treated women as the
Indian treated his squaw.
Socialism the Answer.
But the women. even though
drudges were really better OFF with
our barbarian ancestors than they
would he if given the utter freedom
and Equality" the feminists either
openly avow or unconsciously further
There is only one way in which il is
physically possible to make the moth
or equal to the father in relation
to their common child-if the State,
instead of the husband. becomes re-
sponsiblc for its support when natural
functions render the mother una BILE
TO engage in any money earning Oc
"upation And this, of course, means
not only State Socialism. but the cor
responding abolition of all motives on
tho part of tn" man for mona -amous
marriage. which. from = biological
81 4 ndpoiuI. is :: racial rather Than Il
romantic institution.
Even the savage, who kept his wife
in subjuGation. at least was .:arcful
10 see that she was provided with
food and shelter to tho extent that he
could command, for their children's
Sake-but with all this new tangled
nonsense that ridiCules home and
mother and continually indicts father
rs tyrant. tho suffraSists are liable
TO force their sex to accept. whether
they want ii or not, sne ultimate goal
of feminism' that some think they
would like TO live under.
The New York editor who wants to
pcnalizc all women with the ballot
in order to keep the suffra Sists from
'.ScarinE tho timid male political ms
by their indirect influence" indicates
very significantly a trend III masculine
thoughts toward making all women
suffer the burden that very small
proportion pretend to be anxious to
take up. II is the Ola story. YOU
cannot ask for additional rights with
out assuming additional duties, and
here we see the proposal advances
duty-which no one now contends will
benefit herself, the State or the race
simply because some women are de-
manding the vote as a right.
The disposition of men 10 give
women what they want is proverbial
and feminism in full blast would be
here within a dozen years if the rIen
were convinced that the women want
ed ii. The man is not absolutely either
marrying or a moral animal and
would profit by freedom" much more
than women would. To him, votes for
women" means little. and is usually
regarded as more OF less OF n Joke
Realizing that he can either outwit
or outnumber woman in politics-or
even fall back on his physical su-
premacy, IL need be, to keep her from
taking anything he is unwilling to
give her. the man who has not thought
much on the subject is perfectly will
ing to let the woman take up the
vote. or anything else she wants, be-
cause he knows thar the more lin
dependent" she is. the less both she