Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1917-01-29
ANTI-SUFFRAGE STATISTICS.
Mrs. McMahon's Percentage Figures
Are Corrected.

70 the Editor of The Star:
Under the heading Anti Replies to
Senator Shafroth," your issue of jan
uary % contains brief statement
given out by Mrs. ]. Alex Mcmahon, the
lady in charge OF the headquarters of
the District of Columbia Association OPP
posed to Woman Suffrage. This state
ment, as an official utterance of the
anti-suffragist body, merits considera-
ton. 1t consists of four paragraphs.
The first paragraph Is devoted to the
last election in Illinois. 1t says: "The
facts are that the official vote shows
that 1.136.OO1 men and S76,70O women
voted in that state for the presidential
candidate in 1916. or a fraction over
$50 men to every 100 women" Apply
ing our school boy arithmetic to these
totals of the official vote we find that
not "a fraction over $50 men," but a
fraction less than 1870 men-to be exact.
l2S.5 men-voted to every 100 women
The proportion, $50 men voting to 100
women, can be obtained only by the in
genious process of adding to the actual
1895 men who did vote 205 men who
did not vote, and so arriving at the
$50.
The second paragraph is devoted to
the last municipal election in Chicago.
II says: The official vote at the CITY
election. April 4. 1916, shows 326,19s
men voted and only 24O1S5 women. or
232 men voted for every 100 women
who cast their ballots" This supposed
giar1ng disproportion is emphasized by
repeating at the end of the paragraph.
Yet we find 232 men to every 100 WON
en- voting in Chicago" Again employ
ing our arithmetic we find that 326 80
Is to 24O,195 as 1858 to 100. That is,
that for every 100 women who voted
1858 men voted and no more. Onlv bv
the convenient process of adding 90 2
imaginary, non-exiStent men voters to
the 1858 actual men voters can one
obtain the proportion of 232 men to
loO women. 1t is to be remarked that
in Illinois women possess full suffrage
for certain offices. but not for all 1t is
striking fact that despite q limited
and hampered suffrage they made so
magnificent showing at the polls
The third paragraph is devoted to the
voting record of Wyoming and Della
ware. 1t says that In 1915 Delaware
men cast more votes for President than
the combined votes cast by both men
and women in the oldest suffrage state
Wyoming" Were this statement cor
rect. it might be partly accounted for
by the larger population of Delaware.
which. in 1915. had 211.198 Inhabitants.
or 27.050, more than the 174l4S inhabi-
tants of wyoming. But the statement
| is incorrect. Delaware cast $3.50 votes
and Wyoming 51,S42. The excess is very
small, but sufficient to refute the state
ment.
iiio 1ool ia PdidBTdpH DeSlQS as fol-
lows: when people are inoculated
with the votes for women germ they
seem to lose all respect for actual facts
regarding the cause and seem to try
TO delude themselves with false figures,
misleading and illogical conclusions !"
do not desire to question the elegance
or the courtesy Of this expression. Ger
tainly. however. no such criticism of
us who believe In equal suffrage can
appropriately come from any person
responsible for the extraordinary state
ment which l have discussed
EDWIN A. GROSVENOR