Woman and the Republic: A Survey of the Woman-Suffrage Movement in the United States and a Discussion of the Claims and Arguments of Its Foremost AdvocatesJohnson, Helen Kendrick
History
Woman and the Republic: A Survey of the Woman-Suffrage Movement in the United States and a Discussion of the Claims and Arguments of Its Foremost Advocates
Johnson, Helen Kendrick
Women -- Legal status, laws, etc. -- United States; Women -- Suffrage -- United States
For a time, women served on juries, and there is testimony to the fact
that in many respects they served well. But the practice of calling them
was soon suspended, and never has been renewed. The only public office of
consequence held by them was bestowed by the Republicans but a year or two
ago, when Miss Reel was made State Superintendent of Schools. In our late
crucial election, Wyoming and its woman suffrage gave their voices for
Populism and Free Coinage. The scale hung in the balance. Why, if woman is
a greater political power for good than man, did she not turn it for the
principles which the State had held were best? The true test of the
working of woman suffrage lies in a study of the legislation connected
with it, and this will be presented under its appropriate heading.
The scenes of shameful defiance of law and order in the midst of which
Colorado admitted woman to the ballot are of more recent occurrence and
are fresh in memory. Populism never has played in Colorado the part that
it has in Kansas, but "anything for free coinage" has been the motto, and
in abiding by it the State brought in, and afterward turned out, Gov.
Waite, of disgraceful memory. Again, last year, there was Republican-
Democratic-Populist fusion to beat the gold standard, and much Populist
rule was again the result. One good authority writes me that women "have
introduced an element of order and respectability upon election day that
was never observed before." He says he thinks that, "as a whole, the
people are very much satisfied with woman suffrage and believe that it has
resulted beneficially in so far as it has made politics a little better
than they were." Another says that "the influence of woman in politics did
not prevent the last Republican caucus of Arapahoe Co. from being the most
disgraceful in the history of the State. The Convention, though presided
over by a woman, was completely in the power of the 'gang,' and sent to
Pueblo the most unworthy delegate ever sent." This gentleman also says he
has "heard numbers of intelligent women state that they were sorry the
ballot had ever been given to them." Orderliness at the ordinary elections
is expected here, without calling upon women to act as "moral police" at
the polls. So quiet are they that it has been found practicable to place
coffee-stands in charge of women near some of the booths, when women have
requested it in the hope of preventing drunkenness. A friend said to me
some time ago: "You know that I have been a Suffragist. I am most
thoroughly converted. I have been three months in Colorado. It is enough
to cure any one."
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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