The Washburn leader. [volume] (Washburn, McLean County, N.D.) 1890-1986, 1915-11-12
II Campaign
Of Interest
for Suffrage

The seeing New YORK MOTOR JUS
tourist never really ees the side of
New York which is familiar to every
downtown suffrage worker. The Chi
natown megaphoned by the guide with
its alleged '%'murderous alleys war
ranted to send thrills down the tour
lists back is neither 50 real nor so in
teresting as the Chinatown which
sends its children to kindergarten and
follows suffrage banners.
Little Chinese girls in long trousers,
| who look like little boys, and small
boys one can't tell from girls learn to
hop like birds and be butterflies and
crusaders ''allee samee Melicans" in a
kindergarten OH Mott street.
Over on Washington street small
sized Syrians just imported from Pal
estine climb up rickety stairs to Il
dingy little room where q sweet voiced
woman explains to them in Arabic how
to tell a green ball from a red. She
| teaches them to sing about merry
sunshine" in the language of their new
land and TO salute their new flag.
These are the sections Miss Lavinia
Docks new squad Of suffrage workers
knows by heart.
Here suffrage banners written in Ian
suages old in the days of the Tower Of
Babel but translated by cordial resi-
dents into suffrage slogans traverse
| the crowded streets.
On several excursions to Chinatown
! to canvass voters. Miss Dock says. she
| and her squadron carried the Chinese
banner. which met with great interest
and amusement. The wife of a China
town native missionary. who Is heir to
| all the Chinese traditions about women.
even to her little bound feet. believes
in votes for women. Her daughter has
been to an American university. A full
| blooled Chinese voter. born in this
country. expressed the new ideal for
women. II would like my wife to be a
| citizen" said he.
The Turkish banner was written by
Il liberal young Turk and has been car
ried in the suffrage parades by a Turk
ish-Jewish girl who works in u factory.
A Turkish woman came to a suffrage
meeting only u short time ago and
asked If she might take the banner
home so that all her people could read
it, I'VE ask for the women to have the
vote given them In 1915"
The Syrian banner was translated at
the Office Of Il Syrian paper. Al Boyan.
| Most Syrian men with oriental ideas
oppose votes for women. but American
ization softens their %prejudices. Those
who have learned modern ideas want
their wives to vote. They have even
permitted their women to form a
| Syrian Woman Suffrage association at
l26 Pacific street, Brooklyn.
The Greeks make domineering ,Oppo-
nents of woman suffrage. but their
wives want the vote just the same.
The liberal Greek often becomes an
archistic in his thought and considers
the vote useless and undesirable for any
one" comments Miss Dock. Against
this slight respect for the franchise his
vote respecting wife will make a good
offset.
.ArmenianS are usually strong for
; suffrage. In spite Of the seclusion in
which their women have always lived
they want the vote for them.
In this district. which Miss Dock sc
ably covers. 1t is said that every nation
ality in the world Is represented. To
most of them suffrage banners have
spoken in their own tongues.