The West Virginian. [volume] (Fairmont, W. Va.) 1914-1974, 1916-10-10
Says ". VA. VOTERS
ARE NOT STUPID
DIR. Shaw in Interview Here
Explains Jury Woman
and Baby.

In an interview with DR.. Shaw she
stands sponsor for the statement that
she believes suffrage will triumph in
West Virginia at the November cleo.
ton. Her faith in this cause is her
belief In the intelligence of the West
Virginia electorate. In the interview
DR.. Shaw said:
1.-THE ants are conducting their
campaign from the wrong angle. They
are undertaking the intelligence Of the
people OF the state and for that reason
II no other, they are doomed to defeat.
For the average West Virginia voter
Is anything but stupid. He knows the
difference between truths and half
truths and he is not apt to be deluded
BY the brand of arguments or the type
OF stories which the opponents of sui.
frage are so desperately circulating.
But the ants refuse to give him credit
for either intelligence or fair minded.
ness.
Take. for instance the famous sob
story OF the young mother in Spokane.
Washington. who. according to the an.
It's. was forced against her will to per.
form jury duty. This story has been
circulated all over the state in an
eleventh hour effort to injure the sur.
frage cause by creating the impression
that the women in all suffrage States
are compelled to serve on juries
whether they want to or not and even
when they legitimate reasons to be ex.
cused
As the story first came to my ears
It was IL tho effect that the mother
OF very young baby was summoned
for jury duty. and when she protested
the Judge said. Madam. your time for
protest is past The inference which
those who heard the story were OK.
pected to draw. OF course. was that
by gaining the ballot the women OF
Washington lost all right to claim
fair treatment as citizens of the state.
The facts in the case however. are
no tas stated by the ants. telekraph.
ed to Judge Hueneke who presided in
the court at Spokane where the Incl
dent occurred. He replied as follows:
Under our law any woman can be
excused from jury duty by simply say.
ing she refuses 10 serve because OF
her sex. The lady In question said
nothing to anybody at the time about
having a nursing child until after the
Jury had retired TO consider the case.
Had she mentioned the fact when she
was examined as to her qualifications
the attorney would have retained her
70 rIury duty"
Commenting further on the case DR..
Shaw said that It Is utterly absurd to
charge that jury duty Is proving a
hardship for the women OF the State
where they have the vote. "Their ne.
culiar interests" she said. "haye been
carefully taken care of by statute IN
II ost OF the states. and even here In
West Virginia. II they were called I'M.
on for jury duty on an absolute eouaii.
ty with men there Ia not the slightest
prospect that 1t would cause any trou.
bic The con:ss always release mon
from jury duty when they have a legit.
ina.e excuse. AS rule there Is a
strong pressure on the part OF some
men to be called to jury duty and the
iurfcs Of the most Of the conatte, arc
largely made up OF such men. The
ordinary citizen who does not exert
his political pull upon the Jury com.
missioners is seldom called.
"As matter Of fact. IL woman suf.
rage should carry in West Virginia
women could not sit on any Jury until
a statute had been passed making the
necessary provision for them to do
so. The prospect OF an unwilling WON.
an being forced into a Jury box the min
ute that she has become enfranchised
Is therefore an absurdity. In some
states It was many years after WON.
en- voted before the statutes were
changed and In none Of them have won
en- served on Jury very frequently
When they have It has usually been
in cases having largely to deal with
women and children. where women
were better able to judge conditions
than men.
'In conclusion I might saw that the
women themselves have no desire Ia
shfrk any OF the responsibilities that
come with the ballot even II they
should be called to sit In a Jury box
II there was legitimate reason for
their not being called they would en-.
pect to be accused. The antis do NOT
pay any compliment to the intelligence
OF the men Of West Virginia when thew
try to create any other views on thu
situation"