The farmer and mechanic., 1915-10-26
WHY WOMEN SHOULD VOTE
Address of Chief Justice Walter Clark Before w G
7. u. Convention


states they have partial woman,s snf.
irase, the woman being eligible 10
vote either for schools or for hon6c
or measures Of taxation, or have
municipal suffrage Throuehout Cana
"a they have this partial suffrage and
the prime minister has announced
.hat ne Will submit to the coming
armament the measure of full suf-
Irage for woman equally with men
The Queen of Holland who with rare
aDlhty has succeeded in keeping her
country out OF the vortex Of war
though surrounded on all sides by the
warning nations Of Germany. Belgium
and England announced recently in q |
speech from the throne that the oues- |
lion OF full suffrage would be sub |
initted 10 this Parliament with her
recommendation for it's adoption It |
Is no wonder that she thinks other
women competent to take share in
the government equally with men
Wnen she has been SO successful in
that line herself. In Italy there are
indications of similar action Through
out Great Britain and Ireland women
| nave had the municipal suffrage, the
| right TO vote in city elections, for 80
years. and they have been shamefullv
] postponed in achieving full suffrage
| by a Parliament which was elected on
| a pledge to give them full suffrage
| and Which has voted by two-thirds
vote Z different times for the bill on
| It's second reading only to be thwarted
by great Influences which are said to
be largely in the interests of the great
| breweries of the kingdom
Many Give Support.
There are other smaller localities
and countries which have adopted
equal suffrage in whole or in part
In l.
look at the development in the last
few days. The President of the
United States has announced his ad-
hesiOn to equal suffrage and his belief
that it will benefit the exercise of the
suffrage by all. The Secretary of
War the Secretary of the Treasury
the Secretary of the Navy and other
secretaries besides the personal sec
retary of the President, Mr.. Tumulty
have made the same announcement
In fact SO far as known not a single
, member Of the Cabinet opposes eQual
, suffrage. Vice-President Marshall
! Champ Clark, the Speaker of the
House (and Mr.. Wilson's leading op-
r ponent for the nomination at Balti
9 1HOre) favors suffrage did one o
| his ab1est predecessors, Thomas B
e Reed. J. r. Mann, the Republican
: floor leader in the House; and ever
/, Joseph G. Cannon, the eX-speaker o.
/ the House and stand pat politician
r, of the most pronounced order. have
: announced themselves for equal suf
r frage. Theodore Roosevelt twic,
: President of the United States and th'
d leader Of the Progressive party is alst
h a. pronounced advocate of this grea
t measure of equal rights to ALL
: In the last national campaign th
It Progressive party, the Labor party
e the Prohibition party and the Socia
" lists all placed in their platform
= plank demanding equal suffrage. Tn
e Democratic and the old line Republi
can platforms were silent on the sub
n ject it is very certain that if eithe
h Of these shall place g plank demand
n ing equal suffrage in it's platform a
d the next national convention the Othe
Y will do the same. Archimedes tn
Ie great engineer said that il he coul
" only find fulcrum. place on whic
Al to rest his lever, he could turn tn
IF world over The women have fOun
"a their fulcrum and their lever. The
+ cast one half the votes already in |
=, states which elect One-fOurth OF tn
70 United States Senate. One-slxth OF tn
a. House Of Representatives and one
e. fifth of the Presidential elector
~ There are 100000 women who no
al have an equal right with men to vot
ro for President and it is beyond an
~, | o1estion that no man can ever here
"a after be the candidate of any part
he for President who is opposed to eQu'
Wv suffrage. No political party could a,
~ ford to risk such a candidate with 4
~ 0cO. 900 women holding the balance
a. power.
Powerful Influences Against.
90 Besides this Z states are to vote
less than q month, upon the admissif
Of women to the ballot box. Amor
en- these are such states as New for
lie massachusetts,, Pennsylvania and Ne
an Jersey. NO one can IoreSee no" 'hI
,as states will 60 We know the powerf
d. Influence of inertia and Of opposite
ch to change and the effect of the va
ee sums that Will be spent by the liqu
no and other interests opposed to su
ir- frage. But if any Of these star
ng should show q nlaJori's iol
pa | measure, even q pO"eI1u1 Notc