Oxford Democrat. [volume] (Paris, Me.) 1833-1933, 1917-09-04

SIT IL . matter Of great regret to me
| that shall be In Western New York on
election day, for should like nothing
better than to 60 to the polls ct that
time and cast my vote In favor Of giving
vote to our mothers, our sisters, our
cousins and our aunts and above oil to
our wives. I am heart and soul In favor
of woman's suffrage In spite OF those
Washington suffragists let loose upon .
suffering world by . too lenient Presi-
dent. I am for woman's suffrage - Q
matter of simple justice to women.
"All the arguments Of the antis, and
all the foolishness Of the notoriety-seek-
ing militants do not change the fnnda-
mental fact that woman IL exactly AZ
capable OF voting intelligently as man,
and In this day and generation when
women are taking so large Q part In the
civic, and industrial, the educational, as
we'll az the social life OF the nation-us-,
ling the word social in its larger sense
there Is not the slightest valid reason In
the world for looking upon her a. an
inferior, but rather every reason In the
world for making her the political
equal to men. wi
/ have taken the trouble to investigate
In California, Oregon, and other western
states and conditions there are bettered
by the influence of women and In GER
tain parts of California men who fought
the cause tooth and nail now that 1t has
been tried have told me that nothing
could ever induce them to (go back to
former conditions. Garrulous orators
from the west have come east to picture
demoralizing conditions which do not
exist outside of their own imaginations.
The unwomanliness of the voting woman
| is favorite topic OF these precious
antagonists of the cause, their observa.
tions having no foundation in fact that
would not be laughed out OF court by
any Judge and jury outside of lunatic
asylum.
In Colorado and California woman has
not been lowered by contact with the
voting booth, but the voting-booth has
been disinfected by contact with woman.
The thug and the saloon no longer
beautify or dignity the American voting
place where woman's influence Is felt,
the chief glory of the American citizen,
the right to govern himself, is not
dimmed by contact with debasing and
corrupting things at 1t used to be on
election.day.
"Tbey tell me that women OF Maine
don't want the vote. Well, don't know
whether they want to vote or not.
know lot of them who do want the
vote, and see no reason why those who
do want 1t should be deprived of it be.
cause there happen to be another lot OF
women who don't. Most men don't
want to 60 to the trenches, but millions
of them have gone just the same. Most
of rs don't want to serve on jury, but
we've got to when we are called. There
are heaps and heaps of things that
don't want to do, but If am q good
citizen 1 must do. The fact that we
don't want thing means absolutely moth
ing. The Kaiser probably would say
that he doesn't want to be thrashed, but
that doesn't mean that a good licking
would not be good for his soul. When a
woman says to me that she doesn't want
the vote my answer always lie, well,
Madame, you ought to want 1t, and
sooner or later you are going to get 1t,
so WHY NOT NOW
"The thing is coming as surely as to.
morrow's sun."-JoHN KENDRICK
BANGS.