The Pleasantville press. (Pleasantville, N.J.) 1912-1929, 1915-10-16
RALPH W. WESCOT1
REPLIES TO SEN
ATOR MARITIME.
Gives Facts and Statistics to
Prove Equal Suffrage Helps
Good Legislation.

Ralph w. WescOtt Of Haddonfield,
N. j., attorney-at-law and son of At
torney General Wescott, is m of the
most active suffragists in the southern
part of New Jersey. He claims the
distinction of having been one of the
few voters of the state to have seri-
ously studied the pamphlet prepared
by the District of Columbia Associa-
ton Opposed to Woman Suffrage and
franked out in the name of Senator
MARITIME.
When interviewed lately Mr.. Wes-
colt gave out the following statement:
IAN examination of the statements
made in the leaflet showed them to be
out of date, superficial and often de-
liberately misleading. The authors of
the pamphlet have set out to prove that
woman suffrage is a failure and hat In
states where women vote they do not
avail themselves of their privilege. If
woman suffrage is a failure 1t is
strange that no movement has been
started to abolish 1t. All the equal
suffrage states, except Kansas and Wy
oming, have the initiative and referen-
0uLI, oO dAy jill COulu ln1lldIC IL lCpcdl
of woman suffrage and submit it to the
voters for their decision. Not only has
this never been done, but there has
v been any agitation to do it In
any of the states concerned. II We
look at the broad facts We shall see
that suffrage, appearing for the
first time in Wyoming In 1869, has
spread to ten adjoining states. All the
newer suffrage states border those In
which women have been voting for
years. The men who have given votes
to women In the west are the men
who lived nearest the suffrage states
and had the most intimate personal
knowledge of the workings of woman
suffrage. 8
when it Is remembered that New
York state ordered a constitutional
convention with a vote of scarcely
100000 more than the vote of the Chi
cage women ip 1914 and that In 1912
only 100000 men voted for the pres
ident of the United States and Mr.. VIII
son was elected by about 100000
votes-not. a majority of the voting
men, but about one-fourth of the male
electorate-it is rather a presumption
for men to say that women have not
been interested in voting.
1.-THE pamphlet sets forth that the ex-
preston taxation without representa-
ton is tyranny has no such meaning
in the equal suffrage movement as it
had in the Revolution. This may be
very true since conditions are entirely
different. 1t is also true, however,
that any woman owning stock In any
private business votes ON that stock.
No corporation in America would dream
of forbidding a woman stakeholder to
vote on any matter submitted to the
stockholders for their decision. Mel
Their does the corporation ask how she
acquired her stock-whether by gift, in
heritance or her own exertions. The
fact that she stands on the books as
owner is sufficient. The plea that wo-
men should be denied representation
: because their property has been placed
in their names by male relatives would
tell equally against any man who in
herited his property.
1.-The plea that most of the property
neld by women mas ,Deen acquired by
the male members of their families we
regard as unjust. Men would be churl-
ish indeed If they did not accord to
women a contribution to the wealth of
the world that cannot be calculated. A
consideration of the 100000 women
wage earners in this country, a large
number of women property holders and
the incessant work of women In the
home shows that they are the creators
and possDssors of a vast amount of the
country's wealth.
'The few trivial cases cited in the ar
ticle in an endeavor to indicate thai
ONE fail to vote in the interest oil
the child and home are lost In compari
son with the bare outline of what has
been done In equal suffrage states"
Concluded on page ~