New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1915-07-07
ANTI SUFFRAGE ARGUMENT
Nothing United Women Cannot Get
from Mems Government.
o The Editor Of The Tribune.

To the Editor Of The Tribune.
Sir: The Tribune has taken an admirable
stand on the advertising question, but it
seems scarcely fair to its readers who are
anti-suifrage in sentiment. It is very diff
cult to get anti-sutrrage letters published in
;he columns Of your admirable paper, though
letters from sufragists are fairly numerous.
This morning Oreola Haskell had an inter
esting one Of the latter type.
This lady makes the mistake Of thinking
that the possession Of votes by women would
bring in the millennium in a very short time.
She thinks because small number Of
intelligent women want votes that woman
suffrage should Immediately be granted. So
It should, if only those intelligent women
were to possess the suffrage. But as yet no
suffragist has satisfactorily explained what
the advantage Of the suffrage would be in
our Eastern states, where the intelligent, edu-
Gated women are so greatly in the minority.
Incidentally, I could mention that no suf-
fragist has yet explained why the State Of
Colorado within the last twenty-one years
has been a hotbed Of political corruption.
All the good things that have come TO
woman in the last fifty years-hgher educa-
ion, the right to dispose Of her own property,
would have come without any ones
fighting, as they are the result Of the devel-
opment of enlightened public opinion. At the
present time there is nothing that the women
Of iris country could not get from the mems
government if they were united in the demand
for IT, 1t is only the fact that the majority
of women are either Indifferent to woman
suffrage or opposed 10 il that prevents its
existing at this moment. Il is estimated that
only eight per cent of the women of this
country are real estate owners. OF these a
rar percentage are anti-suifrage in sentiment.
To demand radical change in government
for the small number left would be undemo-
cratic, 70 say the least.
Oreola Haskell is also mistaken in saying
that politics regulates all interests that per-
tain to the home and the children" 1t is the
parents who do this. and upon the character
Of these parents depends the welfare of the
child. Not all the political influence in the
World can implant intelligence in the brain of
\ stupid father or wise patience in violent
tempered mother. The most efficient board of
health cannot transform a lazy slattern into
pink Of neatness with profound knowledge
of sanitation. And the most perfect school
teacher cannot prevent children with parents
such as these suffering from the defects of
their characters Good schools and efficient
boards Of health are desirable and necessary
institutions, but it is foolish to ascribe to
them powers they do not possess.
The wage-earnng woman has the same OPP
pcrtunity to regulate the conditions of her
work as the wage-eGrning manly organiza-
ton. The latter gains his ends by means Of
labor organizations-no by votes. This is a
simple and obvious fact, but many suffragists
seem to be unable to understand it,
In closing let me say that the above re-
marks deal with facts-not with "nists of
thought" ROSE II. PHELPS.
Stony Creek, Conn, July 2, 1915.