The Madison daily leader. [volume] (Madison, S.D.) 1890-current, 1915-10-13
VOTE BENEFIT TO
WOMAN AND STATE
Prominent Washington Citi-
zenS Tell Of Uplitt.
BETTER POLLING PLACES.
National Democratic Committeeman
John Pattison Asserts Women I'm
proved Them In Tone and Character.
Another Declares Voting Is Human
Right-Hss Helped Washington.

proved Then In Tone and Character.
Another Declares Voting Is Human
Right-Hss Helped Washington.
Neutrality-suspicious. of the best ways
to find out how equal suffrage works is
to listen TO what the people In the
equal suffrage states have TO say about
woman suffrage. The testimony of Mr..
John Pattison, national Democratic
committeeman of Washington, carries
weight not only on account of Mr.. Pat
tison's position, but because Ii is found
ed on facts and not ON theories. When
Mr.. Pattison was interviewed he con-
fessed frankly hat at first he was OPP
posed to woman suffrage on sentimen-
tai grounds. He had been taught to
put woman on n pedestal. and he didn't
just see how he was going to keep her
on a pedestal If she persisted in going
to the polls. He now Acknowledges
that to have been a false alarm and
says that If IA return TO the old order OF
things were put to the voters today 30
per cent of the male voters would vote
for woman suffrage. In a long and in
innate connection with politics he has
seen the convention halls and polls,
(which formerly were too often the
scene OF drunkenness and violence, Inn
prove In tone and character by the
presence of the women delegates and
voters"
Women, he finds, have shown an
active and helpful interest IN ciyics
and school matters. In municipal af-
fairs they are keen. earnest workers,
but national politics they are inclined
TO leave 30 the men.
When Mr.. Pattison was reminded
that opponents of woman suffrage in
the east held that equal suffrage had
proved harmful TO the western states,
he negatived the idea emphatically.
ut has been the best thing that has
ever happened to u.s." said Mr.. Pat
tison. "Our women of the west are
the best mothers in the world, the best
wives In the world. the sweetest sweet.
hearts in the world"
"Why shouldn't they be-" was the
. way Mr.. Charles Lund, former chairman
: Of the state Republican committee, an
! swered the question. SHOULD women
voter 'They are just as capable OF
I voting as the average man; they have
|. the same brains. the same interests
the same feelings and p%rejudices. Suf.
. frage has been a good thing for Wash
ington. and 1t has been a good thini
, for the women There have been NJ
radical changes, but there has been 4
!, perceptible improvement I'm the tone o.
!, politics"
Mr.. Arthur Lee, president of th'
school board Of Spokane. had this t
say on woman suffrage: IF the wo
n men OF Washington want the response
bility of the ballot the men of Wash
ington want them to have 1t. Equa
! suffrage is still a comparatively re
cent innovation I'm Washington. and !
: il hardly fair TO judge women's ca
2 pacity for government In the few
years that they have had an oppor
:. tunity to voice their opinions. But
certainly has not worked any harm {
the government and In instances ha
= been of real benefit"
MI. nhAAfN - AibNAAs aaANAh'S -
the Great Northern railroad. I'm indor
ing woman suffrage says: 'Some poop
seem 10 have an idea that voting is
Of ceremony that people perform labor
" ously, with much expenditure of tin
H. and energy. All we do in Washingto
ne Is to go first to the primaries, the w
man with her shopping bag or som
Q. times with her market basket, and I'll
r. man with his newspaper, and when "
10 get to the primaries If we don't kno
: anything about the candidates we |
quire from some n who does knoN
the women asking questions just as Il
men do. Then he trots of TO his OFF,
at and she to her shopping or to her HON
" and we don't consume any more OF OF
u time with politics until election da
~ Then we go cast our votes. Ii really
~ very easy-not exactly an arduous al
III nerve racking performance to ruin
woman's character or break down h
health. We believe in equal suffraI
in Washington just as we believe
wives and homes and children"