Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1916-05-20
UFFRACE IS
HEARD BY MANY.
Mrs. Carrie Chapman Gait
Talks to Immense Crowd
Urging Votes for Sex
ASKS MEN TO GIVE
WOMEN A CHANCE

lellS OF OOnQlClOnS fOunQ
in Europe; Takes Fling
at Anti's Methods
"On June s, we ask you men of Iowa,
the sovereigns of this state, to take
your crown of your head for Just q
moment and touch it on the head Of
the wife by your side, AZ ia
the graceful custom of royalties
abroad, uplifting her from the position
of subject and seating her on the
throne by your side, that you in Iowa
may go on ruling forever together" !"
Mrs. Carrie Chapman Gait with these
words, evoked storm of applause
from the immense audience which
packed tho Grand opera house Thurs
day evening to hear this widely known
woman discuss the subject so close to
the hearts, Of Iowa woman-their en-
reimbursement. Her sweet, womanly
presence and charming manner won
the hearts Of her hearers, while her
clear, logical arguments, her state
ments backed by facts and statistics,
appealed to the reason Of all. She
was presented by M. G. Gilmore who
was introduced by Mrs. ]. X. Dysart,
chairman of'Wapello county's suffrage
organization.
by all the rules, admittedly, a wom-
an Is person and therefore women
are people," said the speaker. "Abra-
ham LINCOLN at Gettysburg called the
United States a government of the
people, by the people and for the peo-
ple.' If she Is a person 1854 days Of the
year, what Is she on election day,
when she is not counted as person!
The nation cannot exist One-half gov
erned by the men and women, and the
other half governed by the men alone.
The difference between an anti and
a suffragist, is that the former does
not wish to vote and is determined
that other women shall not, while the
suffragist may or may not want to
vote, but is willing that the other wom-
an may have the same choice. In
regard to the old argument that wom-
ems place is the home, let me ask,
how many women do stay at home all
the time? Do not your wife and moth
er, visit for society and charity go to
church, reading circle. the theater,
clubs, dinners, bridge parties and
teas? Why should they not take, at
the longest, an hour once year, to
express in way that counts their
sacred opinions? Even the antis do
not stay at home. They have come
all the way from Massachusetts to tell
the men of Iowa to keep their women
at home. l hope you men appreciate
their solicitude.
Here In Iowa the women are intel
ligent enough to help keep the schools
going, religious enough to help keep
the churches going, charitable enough
TO help care for the needy and law
abiding enough to help maintain the
police forces. Are they not to be
trusted? Why does Iowa hesitate? No
human being can stop this next step
in democracy, for it has grown and
will continue to grow as does every
lofty ideal. We fear new idea and
oppose it as every new belief has been
opposed by the majority since time be.
gan. History shows that no large
class ever began anything Mrs Gait
scored hit when she told in her dryly
humorous way of the struggle which
has always been incident to a progress.
sive move. She referred to Kent, one
of the greatest of legal lights, who, in
his books, wrote Of the struggle when
the question came up OF enfranchising
all men, instead of just the land own.
ers The latter declared that men in
general were too ignorant, too hyster.
ical and emotional to be trusted with
universal suffrage. The descendants
of the men so referred to by the land.
ed persons, are now asked to refuse
the ballot to women for the same
reasons, declared Mrs. Gait.
Mrs. Gait, who Is woman of varied
attainments and liberal education, has
travelled extensively abroad in the in
terests of the cause, and her discus
sion of women in Europe and Asia was
interesting in the extreme. Universal
or partial suffrage has been granted
for many years in almost every coun
try across the water, among them be
ling Sweden, Norway, Herzegovina
Bosnia, Russia, Denmark, Iceland, Ger
, many, Finland, England, Ireland, Scot
! land and Wales. She has had the priv
+; ilege of sitting in the municipal parlia
ments Of many of these countries
where women meet on equal terms
with the men. In China, at the close
of the revolution, ten places were vol
UNFAIRLY given to women in the frs
assembly Mrs. Gait was an interest
ed spectator at the first session. Ha
! waiian men and women. meeting hel
as she landed there few years ago
told Mrs. Gait that they were al
ready and anxious to enfranchise wo
men, but feared to submit the PROPOSE
ton to the United States congress les
| 1t be vetoed.
CONTINUED on page 81