The Denison review. [volume] (Denison, Iowa) 1867-current, 1916-02-23
On another page OF the par

pears an account of a woman suffrage
meeting at the Presbyterian church
on Sunday afternoon. ii the report of
the meeting is correct, and there is no
doubt since the account was furnished
by one who attended the meeting and
was friendly to what TRANSFERRED, per-
son, in order to escape criticism of be-
Ing lined up with forces Of the devil.
should Immediately come out in favor
Of5equal suffrage The point was made
that ailHgood people should favor wO.
man suffrage because bad people are
against it; that saloon keepers, gamb-
lers. and thugs are against the move
ment and, therefore, good people
should favor it; that the great states
} men of the nation are for it and this
fact was offered as another reason
why people should be for it.
!, No one can presume to criticize the
good purposes Of the speakers who
drew conclusions Of this character, but
the danger is that the cause they rep
resent will suffer rather than profit
from such argument. 1t is not true
that all good people in the country are
for woman suffrage, nor is it true that
ali bad people are against it. 1t is
not true that women generally are
clamoring for suffrage. There are
many communities in Iowa where. ac.
cording to reports Of women engaged
in suffrage work, the women refuse to
take any interest in the movement.
We presume il an expression should
be taken in this community today, not
q ma ority of the women would be in
favor of woman suffrage. IT is not
tine that all the great statesmen OF
the country are in favor OF woman
suffrage, but we do find in many local
tiles that politicians are coming Out
for it simply because they are i'm
pressed with the idea that the move
lnent IS growing and that it may heir
them politically.
The arguments in favor OF equa
suffrage today are just what they hav,
been in the past and yet with the per
feet organization which has been main
tanned. the country has been slow tt
favor it and for the reason that it is
debatable question whether womeI
would be benefited by the change anC
whether society would be improved
~ having It come. 1t will not do tt
say that. because person becomes ar
advocate of woman suffrage that those
who do not favor it are wrong in NOR
ais. because there are thousands o
christian mothers in the land who
strenuously oppose the movement ant
would not vote ii the opportunity
were afforded. Many Of the leading
statesmen and writer's do not believe
II would work the benefits claimed fol
IT. There is nothing in the contention
that women have not sufficient intelli
gence to vote, because such claim Is
without any merit whatever. The i'm
p0rtant question is whether giving
women the right to vote will better
y their condition and improve society
and it is this question which in the
past has stood in the way OF equa
suffrage.
1--WE admit many of the argument:
used against the enfranchisement o
women do not appeal to US, but We
have yet to be convinced that because
a person does not join the movement
that he should be classed with the
fhrces of the devil and on the side o.
Gamblers and thugs. If the contest Is
"a be waged along the lines that those
Who are not for it are lacking in mora
qualities and those for it are on the
other side, we doubt If the movement
win succeed. 1t is not so much 9
moral question as one Of public pol
iey. We find no fault with one whc
fielfeves in giving the women the righ,
- vote and in what is said we do mol
intend to take sides on the question