The West Virginian. [volume] (Fairmont, W. Va.) 1914-1974, 1915-04-19

or prevent all bad practices There.
VIII be IN incompetent officers, corrup-
ton In office, unwise Legislation SO
long as the human race fingers on the.
ttther side of the millennium.
But woman Suffrage is. nevertheless.
distinct substantial step. In my tudg-
ment, toward the lessening of the evils
and lettering the conditions OF poll
tics. Her influence in politics, like
her influence in every sphere OF life
in which she moves. is for the good.
Both Just and Wise.
feel quite certain that those who
have closely observed the effect of
woman suffrage through a number of
years will pronounce it both Just and
wise. l am equally sure that IL the
question in my state were left to the
male vote alone woman suffrage would
be continued there.
saw a statement the other day that
in those states where woman suffrage
prevails the better class Of women do
not take part in politics and do not
vote, while the more undesirable or
wholly undesirable do take part and
do vote. / am sure that this is not
true.
While speaking about the question
of not voting. allow me to call your
attention to the fact that in a late
presidential election in one of the most
populous states of the Union, a state
where woman suffrage is now up for
consideration, more than 100000 vot-
ers remained away from the polls.
Investigation disclosed that the
greater portion of those who remained
away were business men who could
have voted with but little incon-
venience, living in thickly settled COM
munities-no such STAINLESS betrayal
of the duties and obligations of citizen
ship. even proportionately, can be
charged to the better class" OF
women in any suffrage state.
If l had my way about it I would
forfeit citizens right to vote when,
through no reasonable excuse, he
failed to meet this prime obligation OF
citizenship. That would be far more
sensible than to make the right to
vote depend upon sex.
Will Not condone Wrong.
You may argue until doom's day
that women are no better than men
and have no higher ideals and will
vote about the same way, yet politi-
zeal gathering will inevitably act upon
the theory that it Is not safe to rely
upon the woman to condone a wrong
or ratify a questionable transaction.
Permit me here to say in this con-
nection that while as good women as
live are sincerely opposed to sunrage
and while men disinterested and pa
triotic are opposed to suffrage, and
most sincerely so, yet it Is neyerthe-
less true that every evil and vicious
influence in politics is opposed to
woman suffrage.
There was time in the history of
governments when it was not so i'm
portant that women be permitted to
vote, for the business of the govern
ment was largely that of defending
by force against opposing foes. But
the business of the state in these days
is far otherwise. There is no phase
OF our social life, practically no sphere
or being into which the state does not
intrude and about which politics does
not obtain.
Moral Questions Now Arise.
Almost every conceivable question
is now settled in the domain of poll
tics. The question of the care and
growth and education of the child, the
sacred circle of the home and family,
birth, education, marriage are looked
into. supervised, directed and moulded
by the state. Everything in these
days for veal or woe feels the impress
OF politics. Nothing is too sacred or
too small for the states consideration,
and in its last analysis practically all
great questions of today are moral
questions.
Politics has, therefore, entered into
womans domain, usurped the place
which once was supposed to be practi-
cally under he dominion, and why are
women, under such circumstances, de-
MED the most potent instrument for
calculating results in politics-the
ballot?
The supreme question of the future
in this republic is that Of rearing