The daily Gate City. [volume] (Keokuk, Iowa) 1855-1916, 1915-10-24
Men DIDN'T AIwavs Vote.

Men Didn't Always Vote.
I'VE have the idea someway that
men have always voted. Up to the
signing of the Magma Charta in Eng.
land 700 years ago, no one save the
king. voted in Great Britain, and not
until 1884 was suffrage for men gen
eral in that country. The revolution
airy war in this country was fought for
the right of representation of men in
the government. We hear a great
deal about a woman's influence, how
|she doesn't need the ballot. An Incl
dent in Des Moines overthrow that
'womanly influence argument effect
lively recently. On the board of the
Visiting Nurse association are fifteen
OF the most influential women of that
city, most OF them property owners
and few are yer. large tax payers.
The visiting nurse work out-grew our
budget and we needed another nurse
We knew that the visiting nurses
were great agency to better the con-
dition of the poor, and that they were
an economic asset to the community.
Accordingly we went year after year
in our best clothes and with most
|womanly manners and asked the su-
pervisors for $500 to pay the salary OF
court house needed painting or the
bridges were out and they were sorry
but they hadn't the money. After
doing this six or seven years and
seeing money spent freely for other
things, 1t occurred to us to send a
delegation of men. The delegation
which went. asked for the nurse and
got it. They didn't have 'womanly in
nuence,' but every man represented 4
vote.
May Not Change Condition.
Perhaps the vote will not to any
great degree, change the condition Of
any one Of you in my audience, but it
will help the condition of the 10000
women In Iowa who are engaged in
industrial pursuits. Even if you don't
want to vote, for the reason given Ly
the Iowa woman who said I have a
good husband and big front yard for
my children and don't need to vote
you have no right to keep the fran
chise from the women who do want it
and who need it. Some women say
III haven't any interest in voting or
in politics. you can't give your chilli
a drink Of water without having an
interest in the city water supply;
you can't turn on the electric light,
or light the gas without an interes:
| in the integrity of the man holding
the franchise and in the terms of that
franchise. You buy candy for your
child, or sailed nuts for the table, or
tailored suit and you have an inter
est in the tenement inspectors and Ill
the pure food laws I shan't ever
forget the old italian woman who died
in Chicago tenament of tuberculosis,
with pan of English walnuts In her
lap which she was Smelling for one
of the candy manufacturers who
makes the candy which retails at a
dollar pound.
Believes Continent Favorable.
That the continent in Iowa is at
least ostensibly favorable to suffrage
is attested by the fact that no man
of any prominence in the state is
speaking against it, and no newspaper
of influence is opposed to it. The
generosity Of the press is very mark
ed in the space they give to the cain.
paign. Many leading papers have de-
clared for it editorially.
THE great danger to successfully
securing the right to vote on June 8
is indifference on the part OF bot'i
men and women. There are a few
opposed to 1t, many favor it and
multitude are Indifferent. There are
four things we must bear in mind. that
Iowa is a campaign state, that the re-
suit depends upon the women, that
unless we create a sentiment in Its
favor. indifference will kill the meas
ure and it may then be years before
the opportunity will come again. The
women of community are respons-
ible for the results in their commun