The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1916-02-01

and also as a wnge-earner, she haV'
| Ing been employed by tho Federal
government in the gathering OF chic
labor statistics. Mrs. Otey quoted the
Virginia bill OF rights, and declared
| that woman suffrage was a vital fun'
| Namenral principle of Democracy.
| She declared that the time has come
| for Virginia TO enfrauchise women
and to make them politically free
! The essence of Christianity. she SAID,
| is the spiritual equality of people.
| IF women's souls stand equally with
mems in the spiritual, W not rec
ognize them in this world?' she
fasked.
Mrs otey contended that women,
wage-earners and taxpayers, Shouts
have the right 10 voice themselves IN
matters OF government which anect
them as waEe-earners and taxpayers.
She called attention to inequalities ir
the inheritance laws OF the state as
TO men and women, and declared II
unjust that women should not have
direct representation IN matters OF
Democratic government.
Women of Virginia" she said, are
wounded in their seIf-reSpect, and
there is something lacking in those
women who cannot see this
I6S.00o Woman Workers i'm State.
Time was" she went on. when
there was no woman employed in
eainful occupation. There are now
l6s,000 women working for their llv-
ing in the state OF Virpinia--22 per
cent of the states woman ropula-
ticn." She went on TO show that Such
a change IN conditions made II i'm
psrstf7e that women should have the
ballot without the ballot, she de-
clarei, women are Handicapped. and
she Cuot~i labor leaders and working
men ti,St ~ greatest power they pos
sess IS f. the ballot. In Richmond
alCrk. shs sHserted, there are $1,000
worrrs, working for their living.
These women, fighting the battle OF
life. should have tho same privilege
20 vote that reeu have. She said the
arguments aga-trst woman suffra &c
ara based largely upon sentiment.
She declared that every woman who
is the righf kind II a mother will
take t4-~ tire 4=f.tsA; +4+at-t4A-- cte
Tor the mother will make her CO.
equal guardian, with her husband, Of
their chthiren- That woman does
want tia vote che believes, is proven
by the fact that there are more wo-
men oreanized for equal suffrage In
the United States than there ever
were men organized for the franchise.
Grunge t0r Suffrage
Mrs, ]. Z. Ivhitner, Of Roam oke. said
the women are raising the children
who will be the future rulers of the
land-ruIers when this COUNTRY VIII
be called upon to assume more of the
worlds burden than now, indicating
the additional responsibilities that
wifi come after the close OF the war
now raging. She spoke of the farm
as the backbone OF the nation and of
the women on the farm as the back
bone of the farm. There is no class OF
women wh4o contribute more 70 the
welfare Of the nation than do these
farm women, and she told the com
mittee that tho National Grange,
made up OF farm men and women,
endorses equal suffrage.
TT Is woman's sphere 20 make life
livable," said Mira. Whltner, ''She
must be MADE to feel ct homo in
the world, and the ballot will give
her this feeling. Woman suffrage is
tho supreme expression of mother
hood"
Mrs whitner concluded, pointing
out that, after Virginia has so long
led the nation 1t would be source
Of modification to Virginia that it]
women were the last to receive the
franchise.
Mrs Jones I'm Opposition,
MrR Fred Jones, opposing the res
olut3on, said sh~ moved 10 oppose wo-
man suffrage because she cannot SIT
/ still when there In evil impending.
/ She urged the committed to report
! against the resolution as extending the
! ballot TO women. she believes, viii
bring the colored woman into politics,
The colorea woman, dominated by the
colored man, who Is dominated by
the INSCRIPTIONS politician, would be
a menace to the happiness and liberty
Of the people. I'VE women who don
want to vote" she said. would be
compelled 20 vote TO protect our
homes" Mrs Jones also declared that
politicians seeking office. whether
known or not to the young woman,
would annoy them with solicitations
for their votes.
Mrs. Jones made reference TO the
society columns and their reports OF
pink teas and other functions in
which women and their daughters
serve punch TO young men. Does
that look like prohibition would
flourish in our homes. with women
having the ballot? she asked.
She argued that the property OF
women is amply protected by the
same laws that men make for the pro-
lection of the property Of men, She
said the influence OF women over men
fl sufficient TO protect the women
the women OF Virginia don't want
to vote" she concluded.
It was then that a woman I'm the
body Of the House rose and declared
that Mrs. Jones does not repres eni
the anti-suffrage association and that
she spoke against the wishes OF that
organization.
Rev. r.. j. Wicker Speaks.
Rev. John J. Wicker, resunlfnR the
argument for proponents of the reso-
luton remarked that 1.-The lady who
spoke may not represent the anti
suffragists. but I doubt they have a
better speaker He referred to the
fact tnaa Roosevelt, Bryan and Will
SON, three OF tho greateat figures in
the world today arc for woman sur
frags.
There are many good men eEaanss
equal Suffrage he said, "but have
never heard OF a bad man who is for
t."
He argued that woman should co
what che can DO we'll al gnan and that
man should do what man can do az
we'll as woman and urged that women,
with education. with refinement and
instinct and a womans5 heart, should
have the same right 10 shape the cea-
tiny of the country as has man.
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