The Telegraph-courier. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1888-1946, 1916-05-04
BRAY rs IN DIsFAvoR.
Suffragists Say He Took an Unfair Poll
and That in Wards Canvassed
They Were Skipped.

sufragists nowadays.
Charging that the senator was not
fair and gave no proof that the canvass
of his district for the purpose of seeing
how many women wanted to vote was
honestly taken, and moreover making
the sensational statement that the SEN
ator omitted to have his canvassers
take the vote of certain women known
to be favorable to suffrage in the wards
canvassed, Mrs. FL. M. Youmans of Wau-
kesha, president of the Wisconsin Wo-
man Suffrage association, gave out an
interview to News reporter.
She commented upon the senator IS
recently published article in the Allan
tic Monthly, said to have been based
upon his experiences in making the can
vass above referred to.
Bray Writes Of Self.
Mrs. Youmans said that it is, she
supposes, apparent to readers of the
article in question that, although writ
ten in the third person, the experiences
referred to are those of Senator Bray
himself.
cit was he," said Mrs. Youmans,
"who made the canvass in his district
which comprises Winnebago county,
including the cities of Oshkosh, Nee
nah and Menasha, in the autumn and
early winter of 1914 after he had been
elected to the state senate.
Having decided, as he says in his
article, that the only way he could
! determine for himself whether or not
women should be given the ballot was
to submit the question to the women
themselves, he made up his mind to
have some ballots printed and take the
| poll in his own way
Had It All His Way.
He did, apparently, manage the
whole canvass himself-he selected the
precincts for the experiments, engaged
and directed the canvassers and count
ed the vote. He did it all.
A canvass conducted in this wav
may have satisfied Senator Bray's re-
; quirements, but many people undertake
ing such a poll, the results of which
were to be given publicity, would have
thought it necessary to surround the
poll with such safeguards as would
prove to the public that it was fairly
and honestly taken. The choice of
wards to be canvassed, the selection of
canvassers and the directions given
them, and especially the counting of
the ballots, might we'll have been
placed In the hands of disinterested
persons.
Weren't Asked for Opinions.
1t is fact that a number Of wo-
man sufragists living in those wards of
the city of Oshkosh where the canvass
was taken, say they were not asked
for their votes
"senator Bray, as a rising young
politician had every reason to desire
that the poll should result as it did
result In what sort of predicament
would he, who desired only to voice the
will of his constituents, found himself
II the women of Winnebago county had
voted in favor of woman suffrage. as
the men of Winnebago county voted
against it in 1912. Now he has q
buffer, warranted to wear we'll and last
long, against any troublesome appeal
by woman sufragists to his intellect or
conscience.
"Suffragists know well that we have
not majority of the German women of
the state. Senator Bray assures us
one-fourth of the German women in
that portion Of his district where the
vote was taken voted for woman suf-
frage. This is encouraging. He tells
us majority of Irish women were
against woman suffrage, that a Fclose
majority Of the Scandinavian and Emo
L1sh and most Of the Welsh had voted
yes
am assuming that by the term
English in the last sentence, Senator
Bray means English speaking and so
includes American women, those native
born OF native parents. It was proven
In the woman suffrage election in 1912.
and is, believe, corroborated by re-
suits IN other states, that communities
having a majority of voters native born
OF native parents are more likely to
favor woman suffrage than communi-
ties where the foreign born and foreign
parentage predominant. An exception
to this statement must be made in ia
vor of Scandinavians who are very
friendly toward woman suffrage.
There are Austrians, Belgians
Greeks, Hollanders, Hungarians, Itali-
ans, Russians and representatives of
other nationalities in Senator BRAY IS
district He does not tell US how thew
voted. But comparing the meager per
centage given by Senator Bray with
the nation statistics for Winnebago
county contained in the United States
census bulletin population, Wisconsin
page 22) it is difficult to see how SEN
ator Bray got his final results - seven