Shepherdstown register. [volume] (Shepherdstown, Va. [W. Va.]) 1849-1955, 1916-05-18
SUFFRAGE HISTORY
REPEATING ITSELF
Every Step Taken Has Been
Along a Logical Line
Of Progress
VOTES FOR WOMEN GREATEST
Every Argument Employed Against
Equal Suffrage Was Worn Out
in Opposition to Enfranehls-
ing the ProIetariat.

There is no argument Whlen 10
for or against woman suffrage tnai
has not also been used for or against
manhood suffrage.
When man first began to fight Tor
his suffrage the rulers used the argu-
ment that it would take too mucn
time: that they should not be taken
from their work; that they were not
educated in politics.
All these arguments are today used
against woman suffrage.
The women are people and II they
are. it seems they should have a
voice in our government.
They can sue and be sued.
They can be arrested for any viola
ton of the law.
They can own property and must
be taxed thereon to support the gov
eminent.
In fact, the only place that the law
knows sex is at the ballet box.
Part of Worldwide Movement.
The fight the women are making
for the ballot is nothing more than
part of a worldwide movement to OBJ
tain the franchise.
Originally, only the king voted.
Then the barons seized the fran
chise.
Some time later all landholders &C.
quired it.
The United States finally gave the
suffrage to all white men.
Later it gave the suffrage to the
negroes.
Il would seem that the next logical
step is to give suffrage to the women
This is a logical step because only
the ballot box knows sex.
Hunger knows no sex.
Want knows no sex.
Property knows no sex.
Necessity knows no sex.
Land knows no sex.
The ballot box once knew rank.
It once knew land tenure.
It once knew income in money.
1t once knew color.
Rank Swept Away.
All these qualifications of rank and
privilege have been swept away and
in the steady sweep OF democracy the
oppositlon to woman suffrage Will
seem as senseless as the former OPP
position to manhood suffrage now ap-
pears.
When the Federal Constitution was
written the men could not vote for
more than one-sixth Of the govern
mental officials.
They could not vote direct for
President.
| fhey-could not vote for united
States judges.
They could not vote for United
States senators, as well as a number
of other Offices.
In a number Of the State Constitu'
tons at that time. the men had very
little rights of franchise.
In these States it was go years
before they could vote for governor.
It was so years before they could
cast a vote for senators and 80 years
before they had voice in electing
their judges.
It was only recently, after a fight
of 115 years, that the men acquired
the RIGHT to vote directly for United
States senators and even now the
| men have no voice in choosing United
States judges.
Certainly Not Fad.
Some say that the fight the women
are making for the franchise is moth
ing more than a fad.
Nothing can be called a fad which
has such a widespread and progress
sive development.
In half the territory of the Unitee
States the women have the right te
vote.
They have the same right on Nor
way, Iceland, Sweden, Denmark, New
Zealand. In Ireland, Scotland and
Wales, as well as Canada, women
have the right to vote in municipal
matters.
Inevitable as Progress.
That the suffrage will be granted
to women Is as inevitable as pro.
| gress.
This fight is nothing more than the
broadening and stabilizing Of democ-
racy.
1t will not cure everything and the
women do not claim so.
They do contend that 1t will i'm
prove conditions and they point to
every place 1t has been tried as proof
Of this contention.
No place that suffrage ever has
been tried has It been given up.
The women are not fighting this
battle with the sword, but they are
appealing to our common sense.
Women are using the same argu-
ments for their franchise that the
men used for hundreds OF years to
acquire their franchise.
If there Is no reason why It should
have been denied men In the past,
there is no reason why suffrage
should be denied women TODAY.
Watch ChiId's Cough.
Colds. running OF nose. continued irri-