Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1915-03-26
New Points for Suffrage.

The New York World presents the
question Of granting suffrage to wo-
men in q new light. It declares that
women in general must vote to neu.
tralize the present influence Of the
few women agitators. Strange as 1t
may seem. this leading Democratic
newspaper has discovered grounds
upon which it advocates votes for
women, in part as follows:
Votes for women will not improve
the quality Of government, but 1t will
make women more intelligent and
more responsible, and hence society as
a whole must inevitably benefit. The
ballot box is mighty university. 1t
has proved SO in the case Of men and
it must prove so in the case Of women,
or all the experience Of history is
false.
Moreover, the political influence al
ready exerted by a few women makes
it highly desirable that all women be
enfranchised in order to re-establish
the balance. Under republican in
situations power without responsible
ity Is a grave evil. Women today
have great power in government, but
no responsibility. Various organiza-
tons Of women, which probably do
not represent 10 per cent. of the sex.
maintain at times a veritable reign Of
terror in legislative bodies by pre-
tending to speak in the name Of all
women. In consequence half the
country is now bedeviled by some
form or another of harem government
which in no respect is true express
sion Of public opinion. Legislators
who are no better than they ought to
be are forever making ridiculous con-
cessions to women agitators on the
theory that official sympathy with
such moral warnings is shrewd
method of diverting public suspicion.
The statute books are loaded down
with foolish laws dictated by a few
crusading women and enacted in
spirit of THE ladies-God bless
them" An overwhelming majority of
women have had no voice in this
legislation, and they disclaim all re-
sponsibility for it's results. But the
statutes remain, the situation grows
worse from year to year, and all laws
fall more or less into contempt
through this legislation bred of fanati-
cism and hypocrisy.
We know what would probably hap
pen if government were in the hands
of women, and Anthony Comstock.
Charles Edward Russell and the anti
saloon league were accepted as the
spokesman for all the disfranchised
males. Yet something of that sort is
going on all the time in state capitols
in the name Of women. The only
antidote to the influence Of some wo-
men upon government is the inf1u-
ence of all women upon government.
When all sex limitations upon suf-
frage have been removed the political
power of those women who are OBJ
sessed with the idea that government
must assume the spiritual charac-
teristics of a communist prayer
meeting will be restricted to their
own votes and the votes of those VINO
are actually in sympathy with them.
But if the claim that votes for wo-
men will purify politics is sentimental
nonsense, the counter-claim that VOTES
for women will wreck the home Is
equally absurd. Protecting the home
is one Of the favorite re0eations OF
American Bourbonism. The home is
the oldest of human institutions. IL
is older than government. 1t is older
| than religion. 1t is older than creeds.
1t protects itself. 1t is not govern
ment that maintains the home, but IL
is the home that maintains govern
ment. 1t was because of homes tina.
governments were established. An
| institution that has withstood the
vicissitudes of centuries Is not likely
to collapse because the women OF
community spend half an hour IN a
voting booth on the first Tuesday at
ter the first Monday in November.
If the home could survive St. Paul. IT
can survive the ballot.