Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1916-05-02


gave them familiarity with a wide
NUMBER OF representative Friends.
Emma Salinda Hamilton,
1904 North Court st.
Editor Courier: Your paper of the
tWenty-seventh, contains a letter from
woman who does not believe In Civ
ing the franchise to women. She ex-
Plains why she Is an anti-suffragist by
quoting eleven answers to the cues.
ton, why should any woman be an
anti-suffragist? as given by the Anti
suffrage association Of Massachusetts.
The first reason is, Because large
majority OF women are either indiffer-
ent to suffrage or are opposed to it."
These women give no authority for
this broadSand sweeping statement. 1t
1t only fact proposition set down by
certain women Of Massachusetts, and
can only be answered in this state by
the coming election, as 1t has been an
swered In many OF the other states in
the union. But perhaps good refuta-
ton Of the charge of Indifference, made
by these Massachusetts women, is to
quote from other parts of this self
same letter The suffrage advocates
are styled active" and ardent" while
the ants dislike to take part in the
campaign" With these conditions
prevailing and coupled with the fact
that woman franchise Is firmly estab.
lished In 20 many states and that it
has been Endorsed by one of the great
national parties, 1t would seem that the
claim that large majority of woman
are Indifferent is placed upon shaky
ground.
In one clause these Massachusetts,
women would have us arbitrarily to in
fer that this large majority of women
are opposed to suffrage or they would
work ardently and actively for it and
that they are really antis but too BASH
full to take a part in the campaign.
We are given the opinion-just pure
opinion--of these women Of the Bay
state, as II it were the last word to the
intelligent voters of Iowa and our wo-
men are supposed to take their polit-
ical beliefs from them as styles are
taken from Paris.
These women of Massachusetts are
much disturbed over the prospect that
if franchise is granted to women, they
the antis-will have to lay aside
their tatting and go reluctantly to the
polls in order to counteract the per-
nicious influence Of their sisters The
writer of this article has passed some
little time in Boston, but she was so
fortunate as to meet practically none
of the women, who might, with cause,
give this little band anxiety.
kI,r,~ ,~l, M
any day one may see scores OF ignOr-
ant foreigners lounging on the benches
and smoking their pipes and jibbe1 eg
away in some outlandish tongue. I'm
their mental book Of Who's Who in
America it is not improbable that
they have George Washington classic.
ed as a sublimated crook and Jesse
James as president Of the United
States. The influence of these men at
the polls-men cast In shiploads like
flotsam upon the shores Of Massacl1u-
setts-does not seem to disturb these
women in the least. 1t Is only when
the danger of the ballot in the hands
Of their educated and intelligent sis
tiers threaten them that they become
aroused.
This little band. Of Massachusetts,
women are suffering, also when they
think of the burdens that will be fore.
ed upon them il suffrage is granted to
burdens of civic duties
and the responsibilities of office. With
q dozen candidates for every Office, we
need not entertain any fears that Of.
fees will be forced upon us, willing or
We notice that such Is not
the case among men. We also notice
that some men do not vote II they do
not wish to do so. and there is no like.
lihood that law will ever be passed
compelling all women to vote. II she
wishes to make no effort to assist in
her home and her inter.
ests, that is strictly her own affair.
Then these women to whom we are
referred, are sorrowful over the
thought that woman suffrage will put
all women upon the same plane OF ac-
tivities as men. The ballot does not re.
duce all men to the same plane Of &C.
tivities. We have men soldiers and
sailors and men cooks and milliners.
There are men who pillow and men who
design and make dresses for women.
There are men who build houses and
men who 60 down into mines and men
who write poetry and paint pictures
and produce other works Of art.
Again, these women Of MasSachu