Belding banner. (Belding, Mich.) 1889-1918, 1915-01-20
HIGH SCHOOL WAS
ADDRESSED BY MRS.
HUNTLEY RUSSELL
MADE AN APPEAL FOR WOMAN'S
SUFFRAGE-MR. RUSSELL
SANG

Between seventy-five and one hun
dred women OF the city gathered with
the students Of the high school and up
per grades in he Central high school
building last Friday afternoon to hear
Mrs. Huptley Russell Of Grand Rapids
discuss the topic. What Women Will
Do With The Ballot" In Introducing
Mrs. Russell superintendent Osborne
made the assertion that she was the
leader Of the suffragist movement In
Michigan, and also a leader among
the equal suffrage workers nationally.
To this introduction Mrs. Russell re-
piled:
Il wish in the beginning to disclaim
any right TO the title Of leader or that
the leadership of the equal suffrage
movement is vested in me. True. i
am interested in the movement and
have done quite a bit Of work for the
cause, but ! am, and in fact we all are
only followers Of the great cause of
equal rights that is spreading over the
country so fast.
Now as to my subject, What VIII
Women Do With The Ballot? That
is, undoubtedly, a hard question to
answer. | think that Mr. Osborne, or
any man that has had anything to do
with women, would consider that a
person who could tell what women
will do with anything, would certainly
be gifted with second sight. Should
the question be asked What May
Women Do With The Ballot we
might have room to theorize. 1t is on
that basis that / wish 10 speak this af-
ernoon.
Broadly speaking woman may at
some future time do some of those
things and bring about some Of those
conditions that women cherish so
much at the present time. Women Of
the next generation, even within the
next twenty years, will look with as
tonishment on the fact that we women
or the present day had to meet in
halls, churches and school buildings,
time after time to discuss and debate
this subject of equal suffrage and our
rights to be represented. our cause
is only just, generous right and
christian
1T seems absurd to us that a great
country like ours will boast of Itself
as being a democracy, or even permit
such a title to be conferred upon it,
when only one-haIf OF it's people are
allowed voice in the making OF the
laws, or in saying what will be done
in the country Women are getting to
be intelligent, and are getting broader
views of all matters relating to the
running of the government Yet with
their growing intelligence the women
are Inundated at different times to
hear of great conclaves being held by
men in different parts of the country
to discuss the intellectual attachments
of women. Not so long ago we heard
OF men at such "a gathering discussing
whether women had souls, and at
another they discussed as to whether
women had Drains
Not many years ago women and
girls were admitted into the colleges
of the country for the first time
Michigan was among the first states to
admit girls into the colleges and 1
certainly would have been disappoint-
ed in her, as a state, if she had not
been among the first
Il am one the side Of woman's suf-
frage because / believe it is right No
one can take the affirmative side OF
this question and fail, in my mind.
There are several reasons why
women should be allowed the ballot
First as Mr.. Russell says, There is no
argument against it. Second il is
L
the men should bear all of the burden
OF running this government. They
have enough to do in their other walks
of life. Judge Lindsey says that
women can always be depended upon
To vote on the moral side Of any ques-
ton Again if women voted we would
have a more educated vote. Statistics
show that one-third more women
graduate from our high schools each
year than men The ratio OF in
telligence is doubly increasing in
woman's favor by the immigration of
SO many ignorant male foreigners.
There are over 5000, 600 working
women i'm this country that are denied
the right to vote.
Michigan women are doing all in
their power to secure the right to vote.
They had the ballot two years ago, If
they had been wide awake enough
to have demanded it. Someone has
said that the truest charity is that
which helps persons to help them
selves. We are attempting to do that
for the men. Eleven states have al
ready given women the ballot. We
hope that Michigan will not be the
last one to enfranchise the other half
Of her population"
George f.. Wagner opened the pro-
gram Of the afternoon with an excel
lent solo. He was encored and re-
sponded. At the conclusion of Mrs.
address, Mr.. Russell sang his
Did favorite songs The Sword of
Bunker HILL" and MY Dream of the
y. S. A."
The session was distinctively
meeting. Besides the in
structors OF the school and Mr.. Russell
only four men were in the audience.
Following the address at the high
school, Mrs. Huntley Russell was given
1 reception by the girls OF the senior
class. social hour and general get
acquainted meeting was the intent OF
he gathering. Approximately one
hundred women Of the city besides the
girls of the high school attended the
The Whola ayant xxao yarv