The Washington herald. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1906-1939, 1915-03-26
Whether or Not Women
Are to Vote Viii Be
Settled BY NJ e II
So Said Mrs. A. J. George, of Massa.
chusetts, at Baltimore can't"
Mass Meeting.

Mrs. Joseph N. Stoddard, the second
vice president OF the Association Opposed
to Woman's Suffrage, is back from Bal
timore. where she attended a mass meet
ing of the ''antis," which was to have
been held last week. but was postponed
till Wednesday night.
The Maryland State Association OPP
posed to Woman's Suffrage held an en-
thusiastic meeting in Baltimore she
told a representative of the Womans
Herald yesterday. Mrs. A. ]. George,
OF Massachusetts, was the speaker. COM
ing from a campaign State, where the
question of wOman's suffrage will be
voted on some, time this coming year.
Her remarks were eagerly listened to by
everybody present She dwelt especially
upon practical politics and the new dis
tribution Of duties which would neces-
sarily fall upon women with the vote.
She especially urged the men, who COM
priscd a quarter of the audience. at least
to weigh carefully and to ponder deeply
the advisabiity of such a sweeping revo-
lutionary movement for II Is of course
the men who Will finally decide the ques-
ton. II must not be given through mis-
taken chivalry. neither through wearl-
ness of soul or through too great hecter-
ing and harassing.
Mrs. George said that the suffrage
"pulu mean II new ulSlTlDuIlOT OF uulltS,
departure from the established order,
and former traditions which have brought
our present government to its high state
Of efficiency. Western States" said
Mrs. George. 'sparsely populated and
under entirely different conditions. are
no guide to accept for densely populated
States. The population combined of Ne
vada and Montana is equal only to two
fifths of the population OF Baltimore.
The test has not yet been made in
a densely populated place. except in
San Francisco. which still clings to
$500 saloons. and Chicago. where the
recent results of woman's voting were
negative and unconvincing.
II the men have been failure in
voting and the women need this thing
to correct that unfortunate event. is
II not equal to saying, Give us the
vote for we women who have trained
you men have failed to make good
voters?' As Il prominent man once
remarked: Women. you may do with
us what you will, only you must catch
us while we are young The biggest
scare you can give a suffragist is to
ask for vote of the women. In 1897
massachusetts, uffragists had a ref
erendun on this question and only Al
per cent of the women went on record
for votes for women. In 1879 the suf-
fragists of Massachusetts, pleaded with
the legislature of their State to give
them the school vote as a test for
full suffrage. 1t was granted Out of
Bostons 10000 women Of voting age
in 1914 less than 400 voted on the
school question. The same result has
been found In other cities. One
tenth of I per cent of the women of
voting age voted in Hartford, Conn.
at the last school elections.
THE professions are all open to wom-
en-educatonal. philanthropIcal reli-
gious, industrial-with the exception OF
nine. which are the most hazardous oc-
equations. They are an open door to her.
while political activity Is not a door
which may be opened and closed at will
like the other activities which she NAV
accept or reject any time she may chose.
But IL she once opens this door. she must
never close 1t II she lives I'D to the
pledges and responsibilities which IL en-
tails.
The cartoons OF the sufYragists are
generally composed of the most impossi-
BILE looking men-thugs and brutes put !
ting out their hands to prevent some
young college girl in cap and gown from
depositing ballot in the voting box
or some weak-minded. inefficient, under |
sized man lolling in a chair under the in |
fuence of liquor while beside him on her |
knees scrubbing the floor Is a strong. |
husky. and capable woman. and under !
the same old story. He votes and she =,
can't"
Society is not composed of brutal !
thugs, or weak-minded, intoxicated men, /,
or young college girls. or strong -muscled |
scrubwomen. The woman to be consid- |
cred Is the plain, normal. average wom- |
an. Will she be better off with the vote |
or without 1t? We must not consult the /
woman in industry or the taxpaying
woman or the woman who stands out i
from the crowd-she Is not the average |
woman"
In an article on Dutch shipbuildinS the |
Shipping World points out that. in spite |
of five months of war. Holland last year |
launched SIS vessels Of 2ss.s34 tons. or |
over 27.000 tons above the output Of the |
previous year, 1913 The number of ves- |
sells water borne last year was fifty-six !