Evening capital and Maryland gazette. (Annapolis, Md.) 1910-1922, 1916-03-23
CONCEPTIONS OF
WOMAN SUFFRAGE
State Organizer Tells Of Few Facts
Says Men and Women Must
Prepare for State Of
Supermen.
TIME-HONORED ANESTHESIA.
Not What Women Win Do With the
Ballot But Whist the Ballot Will
Do for Women.

many marveis. cities spring up in
day. Millions 81 paOpie are fed and
lcused because the fires in factories
never die ont Nations gov stronger
because their ships carry priceless
cargOes 10 the ends of the earth There
is q greater wonder the psychological
e4ect OF these activities upou men and
women the dawning OF a social con
sc.ence the development OF political
conceptions TIE most spectacular
re9etlCs is the woman suffrage move
meDt
Fifty years ago handful OF ideal
lists voiced the ne naud for woman en-
reimbursement To-Day. millions of
women. from the Atlantic to the Pa
cihc. are stretching out eager hands
70, the ballot OF all the children Of
he labor movement. woman suffrage
is the most vigorous, and has been the
greatest factor in molIing the social
cOnsciences of our women ANY suf-
fragist might give an Interesting an
alysis OF the development of her con-
ception of the woman suffrage move
ment. with its primary consuming fire
IF emotionalism which became mcdi-
led into quiet, deep, logical belief in
the tenet Cf political equality. The
0iCrity OF women can remember
when they did not realize that women
had ever voted. or should vote.
At that time they perhaps read so-
mems magazines, bromide novels or
sensational pnil4sophies They list
oncd 10 The political utterances OF the
men Of the family They were prob
ably fierce. unthinking nartisans in
any one OF the political camps Thcy
sometimes attended political mass
meeting TO see what it was like"
Ihey We're observers, and a No. 1 re-
lccturs OF other peoples brilliance and
perfect daughters or wives or moth
5rs." If they we're restless or unsat-
is6ed, two grains of quinine warjed OH
he attack of malaria"
Then came the suffrage propaganda
with its doctrines OF equal opportuni-
lies. Perhaps hey wondered why they
dad not thought of it before; why they
had been so weak and ignorant. Streets
we're dirty milk was bad: laws dis
eliminated against them; women be-
came old at % in mills and factories;
children We're breedwinners at 10
years Visions of social misery scared
heii soul, and left them protesting
niSerably What were men thinking
of to let these conditions exist ON
Gals were negligent men were tyrants
10 arrogate ali the power in commit
nifty affairs Meetings must be or
9anizcd. literature distributed. every
body interviewed Women must have
q voice in these matters And they
called meetings OF friends and neigh
bors- kindly souls immersed in church
and home who I'm reply to impassioned
pleas murmerred, 1t may be true
'Thon came the suffrage campaign.
a.. passage fruo J1wn 70 town. from
county to county Civic responsibility
was merged into conception Of the in
tcrdependeui relations eff the citizens
of State. State vide Legislation OF va-
rious kinds was needed men would be
affected by this legislation; perhaps
men were ignorant of these questions,
ignorant as they had been. They woulG
explain carefully They stool on
store porch. or courthouse steps. and
told Of the need Tor woman suffrage 70
a silent. curious crowd who wanted to
see what n suaraeist looked like. They
met with kindness and consideration
because they were women. and were
earnest and thoughtful They left
behind them a few converts. some OF
them men and some of them women
People were not so bad after ali, All
chat was needed was to talk with them
Men lid not mean to be tyrants. it JUS,
happened so;perhaps women also were
10 blame because of their indifference
and dependence. 1t was true that lib
erly was mental thing, and all the
votes i'm the world would not of them
selves make women free. This thing
Of arguing woman suffrage should be-
rome at logically; men were fair, they
would give q hearing. strip away tho
sentimentahsm from the suffrage ar
Guments: get down 10 basic facts. anC
| lei me matter stand on its merit.
There was the legislative fight
which developed calmness. courage
ana resourcefulness. then-happy vic
tory-the referendum to the voters
/ WIN women ever forget the iorcely
fought campaign before the people
when physical AMI mental endurance
/ were tried 10 the uttermCst: Whel
speakers visited every corner of th'
| state. pleading demanding. arguing
/ Tor am ave vote? Can the meetings
T. ever be forgotten Speakers locke.
| down upon a thousand uptdrned faces
tense with interest The supreme op
/ portuuity steadied the voice, and clear
Ca the brain. Super6cialities wer
brushed aside; only elemental truth
Z were worthy this moment We live d
8 democracy: men fought and 'lied q
write their political ideals on the his
tory books Of the nation; these ideal
must live. must be q vital part of I'll
life Of the nation A nation derives ii
+ lust powers from the consent OF tn
I governed. and women are governe
even as men. il is impossible TO prom
Use that women viii be wiser than meI
give them a fair chance for themse4ve
The women OF the nation, the wome
of the world. ask FOR the vote beeaus
IL is 5ust and right: women must v0t
for the same reasons that men mus
vote: democracy demands woman SUI
rage! The franchise is wanted nc
eo r,,uch FOL. the sake OF equality. bU