The Birmingham age-herald., 1915-07-17
bEYER AGAINST
 WOMAN SUFFRAGE
Cullman Man Says Laws Must Be Made by Those
 Who Can Enforce Them

io AitS 1-uilbi bl I ile AEe-fttIdiu-
 The columns of your paper devote great deal of space to the question of womans suffrage and the propaganda in this state seems to be quite active to force the legislature to submit an amend ment to the voters of Alabama to give the women the ballot.
 A number of your readers In various parts of the state have sent in eommuni- cations favoring the cause of the ladies, and several weeks back an enthusiastic gentleman from south Alabama even went so far in his advocacy of the "cause" as to state that womans suffrage would give us better farming methods, better roads, etc.
 In the name of Allah, while he was at it, he should have also claimed that with the ladies voting we would see the Brit ish army winning victory, peace declared in Europe. prosperity under a democratic administration and a few more impossible things.
 am a long ways from believing in woman's suffrage for the simple reason that where it has been tried it has proven a failure to bring about that mother ing influence which it's champions claim for It. We ought not to rush into giving the women the vote until we study the suits of this experiment in states which have granted 1t. When man votes for wonan's suffrage he admits this: That in governmental functions men are in- competent to govern wisely or have not properly protected the rights of women.
 
 ans suffrage means, and you cannot get around it. l deny both of the propo- sitions, for 1t is a fact that better laws for women arc found in the nonsuffrage states than in the suffrage states. To the second proposition I can only say that as a general thing, since the beginning of time, men have been the rulers of the world, and if now and then a woman has occupied a throne and ruled, through accident or otherwise, l defy all the suf- fragists in existence to deny that in the government of the nations affairs she was advised and guided by men and not women. In other words, she sought ad- vice from statesmen and not states women. Another question I would like to have answered by the suffragette is this:
 Why is it, if we need the "mothering" influence in our legislation so bad and that it is imperative that we have it ito give us better roads and farms,' that we find so few women legislators in the wom- an suffrage states? l suppose that it will be conceded that the right to vote carries with it the right to hold office, and women are not excluded In these states from holding public office. The states that have full woman's suffrage are as fol- lows:
 Arizona Members in legislature, 5l; women members, 9
 California Members in legislature. 100; women members. o..
 Colorado Membefs in legislature 100, women members, ?.
 Idaho Members in legislature, 94; wom- en members, l.
 Kansas-Members in legislature, 165; women members, 0.
 Oregon-Members in legislature, 90; women members, 2.
 Utah-Members in legislature, 33; Wom- en members, ?.
 Washing gton-Members in legislature, 1&; women members, 0.
 Wyoming Members in legislature s4; women members, 1.
 Total members in different legislatures, SIS; total women members, 10.
 We find from the above figures that but a trifle more than 1 per cent of the leg islatye membership in the suffrage states is composed of women. Where IS the ''mothering influence in those states? Why are not women elected to office in greater numbers to make laws? Perhaps some will say that women are not office seekers, and for that reason we find so few at the state capitos. But this will not square with the assertion of some of the leaders Mrs. Harriet G. R. Wright. one of the first women legisla- tors elected in Colorado, advised the H. linois women as follows: Let the Illinois women be advised and insist on recogni- ton in the partition of offices from the start. Else they will find themselves spending a weary time later trying to get the least of offices"
 Neither can one claim that the men vot- CTS in these states outnumber the women voters, so as to bring out the proportion in legislative representation as shown above.
 California has S9O,000 men, 665. GOO women; Colorado 269 900 men and 21300o women, etc. No, it cannot be attributed to that Attribute it to the fact that, come what will. men are going to do the governing, as they have always done. Men never will live under laws made by women and children, from the simple req son that women and children cannot enforce laws after they have made them.
 When rats want advice
 They never seek mice.'
 Like Jefferson. l believe that a democ- sod hn cnah rhnp ,n made the laws ceased to be those who could enforce the laws"