The Greeneville daily sun. (Greeneville, Tenn.) 1918-1920, 1919-06-11
Women Seriously
Consider Duties
Of the Franchise

WASHINGTON, June 11.-How
woman suffrage works in actual prac-
tice was told today by Representative
Osborne, of California. Captain Os-
borne referred especially to what had
been the experience in his own home
city of Los Angeles.
at was the idea of many of the
opponents of woman suffrage" said
Representative Osborne, "that one of
it's results would be a general demor-
alization of women, especially those
who might take an active part in
politics; that it would coarsen them,
and class of women would develop
that would take the place of the fem
mine side of the ward politicians and
heelerS' and hangcro-on around the
polls of our large cities. Such an
ticipations have entirely failed of
realization. There are no women
'hangers-on' around the polls on cleo
ton days. The political duties of
women are performed in much the
same womanly way as they perform
other duties. Out of Difference to
women the polling places are usually
more. comfortably ana attractively To-
Gated than before; that it is, not in
livery stables, uncomfortable tents,
and so forth. Usually about half the
election officers are women, with the
result that wholesome decorum has
replaced the loud talk and boisterous1
conduct which formerly prevailed at
the polls Often men accompany
their wives to the polls, and it is not
unusual to see young matron wheel
a baby carriage to the polling place
and leave it in a shady place outside
while she goes in to vote. | do not
remember ever having seen a woman
worker about the polls soliciting
votes, though | have occasionally seen
women modestly passing out tickets
or printed matter for some cause in
which they were interested, usually
of an improving and reformatory
character.
$50 far as candidates and nomi-
nees for office are concerned, | be-
lleve that they are called upon to do
a little more work than formerly.
Women take their duties as voters
seriously, and in order to hear what
candidates have to say for them
selves and the cause they represent,
they arrange 'neighborhood meet
ings' in private houses, where the
women gather from given neighbor-
hood, with sprinkling of'men. These
meetings often have quite a festal
and social air, with illumination of
the grounds and japanese lanterns
hanging from trees and shrubbery
1t tests candidates nerve to attend
and address a half dozen such meet
ings of feminine audiences in an even
ing, with perhaps a meeting or two
in purely masculine surroundings
downtown 1t is not to be supposed
that the women who attend these
meetings are of the seyere-faced and
blue-stockinged kind usually asso-
ciated in the uninformed mind with
ciated idea of women interested in
politics. On the contrary, they are
usually the best Of women, whole
some and sweet-minded matrons and
young ladies, forming the most at
tentive and appreciative audiences
that a public man could address.
Usually candidates have commit
JSCS VI NpllCIi w AO~ODCi dJI anu elo-
sist the regular committees of men.
Most of the women members do not
take an active part, but permit their
names to be used on committees for
candidates whom they believe to be
specially worthy. This is not always
so. Some women take an active and
effective part in the campaigns. In
my own city of Los Angeles we have
a considerable number of able and
noble women who take an active and
unselfsh interest in politics, among
whom is scarcely one who has ever
been candidate for public office on
her own account This is not be-
cause they are not capable, for they
are remarkably so. They would adorn |