Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1917-07-12

three OF our reasons.
4, rand is an anonymous letter.
signed Anti" containing two or three
sentences which the writer. obviously,
would be ashamed 70 utter and be
known az the utterer. With those sem
fences our readers have no interest,
hut while an anonymous communica-
ton always starts the heat under our
celluloid because of the cowardllness,
OF the means employed to carry an in
suit. we shall try to answer the ques-
tons asked in the same spirit they
would have been answered If one of
cur anti suffrage friends had called in
person The nrst embodied demand
reads:
Ever since you have been in the hen
nsbec Journal II has been a radical suf-
frasist. radical prohibi,ionist. radical
you give any GOOD reason why you are
suffragist?''
The second reads like this:
of late the anti-surra gists of Augusta
have been more active than before while
the Journal editorialy. has hardly
'neeped are you becoming converted to
our side Of the question. or have you ex.
hausted all there 10 TO be said in favor OF
woman having the ballot?"
Fearing there may be others among
the anti suffra gists who have misun-
derstood our position and perhaps
SEINE who are cognizant of the letter,
We would say TO oY anonymous friend
that the FIRST three reasons that come
20 mind have always Obeen good"
enough for US. They are just as
bright ind strong and cogent today as
they were in the hour they came to US.
They do not fade or tarnish; indeed
time and events but add lustre and
character to their attributes
And. what is still more significant
dear Anti" we have something like a
thousand others almost as good"
But hrst OF these three we shall
place, The Enemies Suffrage Has
Made"
No act or plea of Suffrage could so
strongly recommend il to US as the
ever present and living fact, illustrated
and demonstrated in thousand ways
TO every newspaper man, that the
brewers, distillers, booze wholesalers,
saloon men. and every other beneficiary
% that mighty organization fear and
hate the suffrage movement. Every
Lattery and bevy of civic unrighteous-
ness. every unclean thing hiding in the
unsavory places. fears the ballot Of
womanhood.
Second Of these three we would
make. The Duty of Womanhood to Do
Its Part"
Woman can no longer hide behind
her physical weakness" She is no
longer a clinging vine. She no longer
exists as the pretty plaything of the
by forces higher than human into
physical and mental activities that
give the lie to all these. Man is begin
ming 10 understand and to DEMAND
that woman do her part-and that
rart IL as big as she sees it. She can
rot dodge II with a clear conscience on
the old excuses. Man knows. as God
knows, what she can and MUST do.
and ALL know that she knows she can
DC II.
The third reason uppermost in mind
Who Object to Others Doing What
They Themselves Do Not Want to Do"
Equal suffrage will not compel any
~6nan to vote. any more than it COM
pes any man to vote. No woman need
sacrifice her social duties" for the
sake OF saving her children from the
schemes of political plug uglies. No
woman need waste" half hour from
her gossip cares to go TO the polls un-
less she so desires. She CAM trust to
the wisdom and righteousness of the
bruiser who insults her on the street,
to vote in her stead-the laws he
would make and enforce would be so
much better than her efforts could pro-
duce,
But that she should expend her en-
erxies. neglect her household and So
ctety favors for the sake, purely and
simply. Of preventing some other wo-
man from opposing ignorance and evil,
aruuses our combativeness, and we
propose 20. FIGHT the selhshness and
narrow -mindedness OF anti-suffrage.
In answer to the second question of
Anti" we are NOT becoming con-
verted by the arguments of that side.
because they have none. and we hope
70 prove in coming months that we
have not exhausted our reasons for
supporting suffrage.