The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1916-02-05

With Mr. Bowser, as we all know, to
think is to act. Mr.. Bowser thought
and he acted. In going home he came
across a corner meeting of suffra-
gettes. A woman who was a fair
speaker was making an appeal to a
score or more of Eskimos, Laplanders
and Turks, who had just landed and
hadn't yet time to learn the English
language. They stood around gazing
at her blankly and was wondering if
she was telling them to go back home
and resume their fishing, or advising
them to pitch in and get their fair
share of the political graft that was
to be divided up on every corner, when
one of the leaders of the movement
approached Mr.. Bowser and said:
You are an intellient man, sir. and
L believe you have our cause at heart"
You are right, ma'am,' he replied
as he raised his hat.
Il felt that I was, and perhaps YOU
would do US a great favor. When the
lady is through with her remarks will
you take her place, and make a stir
ring appeal to this audience? Let
them understand that part Of the
they can. Providence will bless you If
you do"
Mr.. Bowser was taken off his feet by
| the request, but we know him to be a
man who will call a bluff every time.
Some Persians, Egyptians and Chinese
came up just then, and he hesitated
! for a moment and then the speakeress
/ got out of breath and cut her speech
short, and he took her place. What he
said to the crowd in the next ten min
utes may have convinced them that
every woman in America including
chambermaids and cooks, should have
/ the right to vote twice on election day
and maybe it did not. He was cheered
when he came to the end of his re-
marks Most of the audience had been
Z in a mo ri For h0r
| learned that one of our customs was
to cheer a man who shot off his mouth
in public.
| Mr.. Bowser reached home a new
man, and as soon as dinner was over
! he said to Mrs. Bowser:
Il have won your cause for Won
| Woman suffrage will win at the polls
| in November by majority of mill
| lions"
What do you mean?" she asked:
And he told her about the meeting
on the corner-the Eskimos-the lap
landers-the Turks-the Egyptians
and the Chinese.
He told Of his fervid speech and the
way they absorbed it. He told her of
how the welkin rang with cheers as
ne stepped off the soap box and he
thought he saw a shade of disap-
pointment come to her face instead of
one OF eagerness and delight, as she
got ready to ask:
Mr.. Bowser, you know am deeply,
interested N this thing. I should have
liked to have heard your remarks, but
as was not there, will you please re.
peat them as far as you can remem-
ber?"
They were imprOmptOS, Mrs. Bow
ser. as all my best speeches are" he
answered as he drew himself up with
great dignity. However, I think I
can give you a pretty good idea of
that thrilling little speech. 1 bega
with my eyes fastened upon a Lap
lander and let them wander to an Fs-
1imo and then to a Turk as 1 cried
out:
81 Fellow ountrymen: We have
wives and daughters and mothers and
sisters. The man who disputes this
fact is liar and a scoundrel. They
are women. They belong to the sex
which Herod, Cicero, Plato and num-
erous other old back-nuTnbers re-
garded as no more account than the
tails of their oxen. They cuff them
they beat them; they made slaves of
them. In their days wife dare not
sit in the presence of her husband
unless she had a special invitation and
L card of admission to pass her in.
Her place was in the woodshed'
Hers l paused to get my BREATH -
said Mr.. BowSer to Mrs. Bowser, '-and
I realized that l had made q good
start. SO I flourished my arms and
went on.
What IS a woman? Who is a