New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1919-01-05
Women Voters of
West Follow Mems
Lead i'm Politics
Except in Matters of School
and Home the Feminine
Ballot Has Not Made
Amy Radical Changes


he ballot.
The Non-Partisan League of the
great wheat states, the Dakotas and
Minnesota, and its little brother, the
Society of Equity of Wisconsin, is at
tracing or ropelling the feminine vote
IN direct proportion to the voting
strength of the male element of the
population. Where the on-Partisan
League has strength among the men
there the women, in the limited suf-
frage to which they are entitled, vote
for the leagues policies. Where the
league is weak among the men. as in
the cities, there the women are also
antl-leaguers.
Here is an excellent example of the
situation, in the recen. election Of a
state school official in North Dakota:
Under the state laws the schools in
certain cities, the states chief centres
of population, maintain their schools
without state financial aid In these
centres the Non-Partisan League is
weak. In the rural districts the
league is strong.
At the election Of this state school
official the non-partisans made des-
perate effort to poll the full strength
of the feminine vote. The anti-leaeuc
candidate, supported by the solid
women's strength of the city voting
centres, carried all the cities, while in
the less populated rural districts
women as we'll as men went strongly
for the league candidate
Taxed Without Representation
Here was the result: When it was
found that the league candidate was
beaten by the city voters, the state
authorities, who happened to be lea
guers, promulgated a ruling that the
cities, inasmuch as they did net par
ticipate in the distribution of the state
school funds, were not allowed to vote
on state school questions. Therefore,
the entire vote, male as we'll as female,
Independent of state aid, was thrown
out and the non-partisan candidate was
declared elected. That the city taxes
we're used for the country schools.
thereby constituting taxation without
representation of the city voters, has
nothing to do with the suffrage ques-
ton, and is merely mentioned as q
hint of the method of operation of the
b,1er Of
of the Northwest: the more or less
Bolshevik Non-Partisan League.
The result of the election, however,
is pointed example of the truth of
the declaration that the women folk
of a district follow the balloting ten
denotes of the men voters.
To this assertion the suffrage leaders
reply that the women voters have not
yet learned independence of thought.
and are still inclined to vote in &C
cordance with the wishes of their men.
The suffrage leaders believe that with
extension of suffrage the women will
learn to think Independently of their
men folk, and that a truer balance of
the public mind will eventually be at
tanned thereby.
Tie opponents of wonan suffrage,
women particularly, declare that the
feminine mind is not so made as to
operate separately from the mental
processes OF the male of the race, and
that as long as there is a family, so
long will the members of that family
vote alike on public questions. There
fore, they insist, the addition of the
woman's vote is merely increasing the
total number of ballots cast without
any serious effect upon the proper
ton of balance between parties or
factions.
Women Sometimes Independent
This has been proved true in the
State of Wisconsin, in the Society Of
Equity districts and the cities, Just as
1t has in the Non-Partisan League dis
tricts of the wheat states Roughly
speaking the Non Partisan League
movement has swept as such through
Montana, the Dakotas and Minnesota.
Reaching Iowa and Wisconsin, it has
broken into a different party title, with
out essentially altering the methods
and policies of the farmer vote
In the latter two states it is the So
ciety of Equity which is adopting the
policies which the Non-Partisan League
is following through the wheat states.
AS to the outcome of the woman's
share IN the future elections this much
must be said: In school and sanitation
questions, those pertaining to women's
special sphere, the women are taking a
direct personal interest and are show
ing significant tendencies to- indepen-
dent thought, thus combating the
claims of the anti suffragists, who
prophesy that the woman will always
vote subsequently 20 the wish of her
husband, father or brother The evi-
dence IN this respect is strongly for
the standpoint of the suffrage leaders.
who say that this is proof that as
woman becomes educated to the ballot
she will vote more and more indie
pendently of the masculine arguments.
This is borne out in Wisconsin
notably, where the women have long
been privileged to vote on school aues
tions. Here they are placing their club
leaders upon the school Boards and
standing firmly for higher standards of
matte and more of the practical in
education. In this respect they have
been more progressive than the men.
The Non-Partisan League bases its
hopes OF the future in the woman suf-
frage movement upon using the
woman's interest in home problems as
a lever to bring her to vote more and
more steadily for better conditions for
the farmers. as tending to uplift the
home life of the agriculturist.
The fact, however. is that every yot-
ing tendency of the women Of these