Newark post. (Newark, Del.) 1910-1969, 1916-10-18

worker Oh ONO, was the principal
speaker of the evening at the anti
suffrage meeting held in the High
School on October 10th. miss
Price," Mrs. Thompson said by
way of introduction, sis news
paper woman of wide experience
and thoroughly acquainted with
conditions in her home state. The
speaker treated her subject in ar
gumentative fashion. She said in
part:
Early suffrage in this country
dates back sixty-fve years. The
early workers or first group of
suffragists, were known as "Wo-
mems Rights Advocates What
they asked for was the repeal of
laws which Disseminated against
women, rights which all of us be-
lieve we should have, and rights
which they said could only be got
ten by the ballot. They referred
to the law which in some states
prohibited women from holding
their inheritance, laws dealing
with the custody of the child, etc.
all of those things which have
come-which we have gotten with
out the ballot.
The second group of workers
asks for the vote because they
claim, we are better than men, we
are wiser, more intellectual, more
capable of becoming far-seeing
statesmen. This group claims that
in twenty, ten, or five years, we
should have better government.
They Gle i'm tn grant, ng of
the vote to women will advance
the temperance movement, give
protection to the woman in indus
try, advance labor for the protec-
ton Of children and the general
moral uplift of mankind.
Taking up these claims one by
one: First, All kinds of temper
ance regulations have come, and
there is absolutely no connection
with their coming and suffrage.
Eleven states in the Union had
adopted temperance legislation be-
fore one had adopted woman suf-
frage; Ohio and Nebraska have
stronger temperance laws than
any suffrage state. Montana and
Nevada, suffrage states, have been
pronounced the wettest in the
Union.
Second: AS to the protection of
women. | have heard speakers re-
peatedly misstate facts. They go
among working girls and tell them
of the better conditions under
which they would work if they had
the ballot. My laundress firmly
believed that she would get more
money for washing my clothes if
she had the ballot. In such in
stances people lie, and lie wick
eddy. The best laws for wo-
men in industry exist where wo-
men do not vote. Mr.. Thomas,
secretary of the Labor Union, once
stated to me we cannot get an
eight hour law for men without
first getting it for the women In
Ohio the fifty-four hour law was
made by factory gills without one
vote, opposed by the combined vote
of the labor unions.
Third: About our children
Ohio, an anti-suffrage state, main.
tains that if child is absent from
school or delinquent the parent is
responsible, and he is therefore
held accountable for the child's
conduct. In Colorado, a suffrage
state, the child is branded as de
linquent. | once heard Owen Love
joy say that Ohio Can anti-suffragt
state) had the best laws for tn,
protection of children to be fount
anywhere. Harriet Stanton Blatcl
the great suffrage leader, hersel
declares, we are foolish to asl
for the vote on the ground o
changing the laws DR.. SHAY
asks for it on the ground of indi
vidual right-innate right, declar
ing even if it affects for the worse
| am still for suffrage. 1t seems
me a dangerous and unpatrioti
thing to say when you ask for
you don't care what it does to you
country.
All of our greatest jurists hav
decided there is no inherent / igI
to vote. l say we have no right
accept the vote unless it will wor
out for the good of the govern
ment. Our loyalty means a viii
ingness to surrender individu;
right for the good of the state.