Audubon Republican. [volume] (Audubon, Iowa) 1894-1925, 1916-03-02
PROMINENT WOMAN
SPEAKS IN AUDUBON


Under the auspices Of the Colum-
bian Club, Miss Elizabeth Perkins, Of
Des Moines, spoke at the. regular
monthly meeting Tuesday afternoon
at the home Of Mrs. Ed johnson.
Miss Perkins is daughter of Hem
ry Perkins. founder of the Sioux
City Journal SO well known through
out the state of Iowa. and . niece Of
the late George d. Perkins, and is q
woman of high culture and refine
ment She was formerly teacher Of
history in West High school, Des
Moines, but for the past fifteen years
her business has been conducting
parties abroad, making numerous
trips to Egypt and Palestine. On ac-
count Of the present war, she was I'M
able to continue her work, and being
an ardent believer in suffrage and q
member of the State Equal Suffrage
Board, Miss Perkins is contributing
her services as campaign speaker.
All who heard her were impressed
with her .forceful, convincing logic,
her womanly intelligence and gra-
ciousness of manner. In the after
noon she said, in part:
Equal Suffrage IL only step in
the necessary readjustment to cham
ges which have already taken place.
We can no more keep the old style
woman with VI than we can keep to
the use Of candles, stage coaches or
homemade soap.
ITO those admitting the world does
move and yet question granting the
ballot, let me state briefly why I
think It should be granted.
First:-Because 1t 10 logical and
right. Our government II founded on
two facts. That all governments de-
rive their first powers from the con-
sent Of the governed. No taxation
without representation. Women are
governed, but have no voice in the
government. Wome. are taxed, but
have no direct representation. Why
is II the only place in the world man
represents woman Is at the polls?
1f'a woman commits murder, who re-
presents her in the prisoners dock at
the stand? II she steals from her en-
ployer, does her father. brother, hus-
band or son, serve out her term in
PRISON."
As other reasons for suffrage she
spoke of the direct influence being
better than the indirect. You
sometimes hear, "Why do women.
care to vote?" "They are well taken
care of, they get all they want with
out the ballot" Admitting we get
everything, although I think 1t NOT
true. how do we get 1t? In "a direct
dignified way? No! We must work
through some man. We must coax
until from sheer exhaustion, men
grant what we ask -.
Two concrete examples illustrate
the point. Miss Mary Mcdowell who
worked for Is years to get the city OF
Chicago to improve the disposal OF
garbage in the stock yards district.
failed year after year. Children died
ike flies in the summer. After the
women Of Illinois had won municipal
light. Miss Mcdowell brought up the
subject, and In Is days won what as
a voteless petitioner she had worked
Is years for. In Massachusetts, where
they have not tho right OF suffrage
women worked for SIS years for q
INV giving thssmotber eqs.al right
with the father over their children.
In California where women won the
ballot In 1911 the next year an equal
guardianship law was passed. Who
can defend the indirect way against
the direct?
In the evening a public meeting
for both men and women was he'd
at the court house. Miss Mary Davis
chairman of the suffrage work In
Audubon county introduced Miss Per-
kins. While the court room was not
crowded, very great interest was
shown and all expressed, themselves
as profoundly interested. 8.
In Miss Perkins talk on "True
Democracy" she said In part: I'VE
believe that q democracy II q govern.
ment Of the people, by the people
and for the people. and that women
are people. THAT no state can be
true democracy in which one half the
people are denied the right to vote.
That women need the vote for the
same reason men need It. That DEM
ocracy bids everyone stand up and be
counted. and that on election day no
one may be counted for more than
one, "-Coutributed.