The Washington herald. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1906-1939, 1915-03-21

| to the suffrage agitation. docs il not
show the lengths the men might go
after the ballot had started its work
as the outpost of feminism?
The logical division in mems and
women's work is drawn more pre-
/ Cisely at the point of politics. than
anywhere else. 1t is a mans game, as
much as the care of babies is 4 wo-
manly occupation. " ~ not that sine
is not Intelligent" enough 10 vote,
but that she has higher destiny,
that is inconsistent with her devotinS
| to politics the time and energy she
needs TO further progress. pracTical-
ly everything women have accomplish
ed in the march of progress has been
by their indirect" uncounted. nom
pa rtisan, social and moral Influence.
and the point should be noted that il
is this that some men arc ready TO
make all women give up he cause some
have protested a preference for the
plunge into politics.
il is a question of exchanging an
exalted place i'm the formation OF pub
lie opinion for a craftsmanship i'll poll
tics. as most women realize.
Many of the men seem unable TO
understand why the women them
selves, should oppose the ballot for
their seX-but this. briefly is one of
the compelling reaSons-because wom-
an feels and knows that she would
lose her best opportunities to benefit
her sisters and herself. and to main
tain the high respect, and enjoy the
sacrifices her wornan's power-and
Charm-for an inConsequential vote.
Women cannot consistently ask for
place in meu's political race, and
THEN insist that they be helped ever
all the hurdles because they are nat
urally handicapped in the contest by
their mission as mothers. Woman
needs man as 4 friend, not as COM
petitor.
In every normal civilized State, the
woman becomes relieved more anH
more of the hard work and drudgery
in order TO have time for the Guilt
walton and inspiration of those things
that make "A nation great 1t is only
in 4 stale of decadence, such as the
Romans We're i'll at the time Cato
made his wonderful and effective ar
Eument against woman suffrage, and
women in politics, that some women
almost exclusively of the leisure
CLASSIFIED woman's sphere too dull
and desire TO usurp the places of
men. But the peoples instincts. and
especially the judgment of the vast
ma jority of women on this question
are right. And the record proves that
the more the people themselves learn
about feminism the more overwhelm-
ingly do they reject il. with all it
means.
For instance. it was forty-fve years
before woman suffrage became estab-
lished in eleven Sparsely settled
States with over 5000 fewer women
than live in Pennsylvania alone. And
the average ma jority that caused all
these States to adopt woman suffrage,
was but $50 votes per State. That n,
a ma jority of a6.2SJ votes were Sc
cured for suffrage in these eleven
States they got from 1859 to 1914. But
from 1895 to 1914, eleven States with
over three times the population of
the suffrage States. overwhelmingly
rejected votes for women at the polls
by an average majority OF over $4,000
votes per State; while four of the
States that defeated suffra ge-Wiscon-
sin. OHIO, Michigan ana Missouri.
averaged majority of over 100000
each. against il, or more than the
combined ma jorities for all the suf-
fraSe States.
But if we look at the thing as from
1912. we find that Nevada and Mon
tana. with combined population 100.-
600 less than the city of Pittsburgh.
and with the smallest percentages of
women to men in the United States,
were the only States 10 grant sur
frage. On the other hand. since No
vember .. 1914. we find that another
eleven States have rejected woman
suffrage-five at the polls. which are
included in the previous summary, and
six within the last six weeks in their
legislatures.
1t is true that on the other hand.
four great Eastern States, New York.
Pennsylvania, New Jersey and Massa-
chusetts. have allowed the suffragists
a chance to submit the question to
the voters in these States this year,
that if the suffragists themselves had
had any hopes of carrying these
States. they would not have spent
$50, 900, as they confessed, in trying
to get Congress to pass a national
amendment on January IL. 1876
where they were also defeated. So
there is little danger that the vote
will be forced on women against
their wishes any more. All we have
to do is to hold these four States
against fcminism this year, and then
the agitation will become as impo-
tent as the Presidential ambitions OF
Theodore Roosevelt or William Jen-
ninEs Bryan-a danger of the past,
which the people have been wise
enough to discover and prevent.