Daily capital journal. (Salem, Oregon) 1903-1919, 1916-10-13
OPEN FORUM
x 4 !: 4 x !: 4. 4 x x i. x X X
The Vote of the Four Million.

thS VOtC VI Jut our MILLION,
10 the Oregon woman voter, who.
ike the writer has given of time,
thought, strength and money to the
work of securing the franchise for
Oregon women, writing, speaking. de-
batting for the cause. and. having
helped to secure it, content to devote
Further energy to the study of the
problems we craved the privilege of
helping to solve, the spectacle of our
eastern sisters (whether suffragists or
antis) coming pell nell across the con
t1nent into "the wild and woolly
west" to tell us how to vote. is as
amazing as it is unwelcome. Current
literature, their source of information.
is also available TO us, and most of us
can "read an write and figger."
We declined to join national wo-
mans party, and we do not favor
cracking the political whip over the
presidential candidates heads, to force
them into line in the matter of the
Susan B. Anthony amendment. even
though we greatly desire to see this
simple matter of justice done to all
American women, and feel the humili-
alton of having that highest and finest
act, the privilege of which American
citizenship tantalizingly passed above
the heads of our less fortunate, un-
recognized sisters, and dropped, un-
solicited into the hands of the litter
ate, half civilized Indian, and for
the asking, into the hands of the for
eigners, indiscrimiately to the deserv
ing, and the vicious, the loyal or the
spy.
While President Wilson Is stubborn
policy of stately state granting of the
ballot to woman-(the mcrcifully CD
cutting off of the dogs tail, an inch
at time)-man lifelong monopoly
of voting naturally has left prejudice
to some, gives us that tired feeling.
We are, we hope, broad minded enough
to set down that diocycrasy to
the president s early-his lifelong
southern traditions, and pocketink our
pardonable resentment, we do him sim
pie justice to acknowledge that he is
our foremost American citizen; truly
christian gentleman; loyal, humane,
patriotic, of wide culture, deep learn
ing, of upright principles, unquestion-
ably honorable, modest and kindly, yet
filling the highest office within the
power of Americans to give with dig
nifty, and best of all and above all,
conducting international affairs with
rare tact and wisdom. A man-sized
man for what is surely a man-sized
job, tiding over these hours of crisis,
truly combination of qualifications
leaving little room to be desired; q
character, which should and does ap-
peal alike to men and women, but how
especially to woman whose greatest
concern, after all, is the welfare of
her household-her husband, her sons,
whom he has kept out of war; her
daughter whose honor has perhaps
been preserved because he kept us
out of war
The hard earned and slowly saved
sum. laid up for the "rainy day" or
for old age, is still safe, because he
has kept us out of war. And so, we
predict that the great majority of our
enfranchised women will feel no ham
pering by party or big business con
siderations, no coersion into support
of the mudslinging candidate, but will
gratefully cast their ballots for the
man who now stands at the helm of
our ship of state and who has guided
it so wisely and so safely through the
breakers into our heaven of peace.
(MRS.) PEARL NJ. BARTLETT,
r. +. D. No. ., Salem.
(Mrs. Bartlett, formerly of Grants
Pass. now of the Willamette valley,
was chairman of the suffrage work for
Josephine county during the campaign.
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