The Sunday Oregonian., February 25, 1912, SECTION SIX, Page 2, Image 66

THE SUNDAY OREC.OXIAX, PORTLAND, FEBRUARY 23, 1912.
Equal Suffrage Club, the First in America, Comprising
Leading Men of State Will Fight for Women's Rights
Lifelong Opposition Leader Switches to Women's Side.
Move Will Sweep the State, Say Champions.
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VOTES fop womtn!
rented and scarred from the
bumps and Jolts of 40 years
of bad lack In Oregon thla llt
tl phrase, which baa caused mur
a lively fuss and lost many a
Valiant fight at the polls, baa come up
smiling. UnCauntea tjr defeat, un
abashed by criticism and unmoved by
scorn it la In tha ring for another
round. One mora It baa become an
Issue.
Bat listen! It has doffed Ita petti
coats and donned pants.
No longer Is It to look solely to wom
en for Its support It has won the men.
Oregon now has a men's equal suffrage
club tha first In the United States
and It Is launching a general plan to
win for tha women the right to vote;
a rljfht which women have not been
able to win alone. It Is to be a wom
an's fight In a man's way. No police
riots are planned nor will there be any
bloodshed. It will Just be a plain old
fashioned man's political campaign.
The women of Oregon hare come for
ward with their demands for enfran
chisement three times and each time
they have been brushed aside by tha
mala who Is mora deadly than tha fe
male at tha polls.
And now they are back for more.
Tha organisation of a men's equal suf
frage club to fight for women'a rights
Is considered tha most Important epoch
In th hlitnrr of lh n u i 1 luffrlr
fight In Oregon. In the membership of
tha club are soma of the leading men
of tha state, embracing all classes and
denominations. Religion and clasa and
political affiliations have been cast
aslda for the occasion and If tha women
do not win the ballot next November It
will not be became a big fight Is not
put up.
And hero Is how It Is to be done. The
men ara to organise committees
throughout tha state, have speakers In
very town and hamlet, present peace
ful demonstration not the Pankhurst
kind and keep Uncle Sara's Postofflce
people busy distributing literature and
letters. In the constitution of the state
la a clause extending the right to vote
to "every white male citizen In the Uni
ted States of tha aga of 21 yeara and
upwards."
It Is proposed to amend the constitu
tion, eliminating three words so that
tha suffrage clause will read." all cltl
sens of the United Stales of the age of
SI year and upward a" A change of
three small words and the 40 years'
struggle of the women will be over.
At the bead of the men'a club Is W.
It. Davis, a Portland attorney, who
vntil a abort time ago opposed wom
an's suffrage. Ha fought tha move at
a -very torn nnder the belief that tha
proper place for woman Is at home. He
enjoyed tha pictures In the funny
papers depleting woman assuming the
duties of man at tha polls. In business
And at homo and be took tha stump.
when necessary, to speak against Ore
g-on allowing women to venture from
lbs fireside to mingle In politics.
But alas! there came a change. When
tha women played an important part In
tha recall of Gill In Washington. Mr.
"Davis says be begun to aee the other
Tie of tha women'a suffrage proposi
tion and It was not long before he de
serted the ranks of tha opposition and
Joined tha women. He began digging
around at the roots of sentiment and
found that be was not the only one of
bis sex who bad been converted.
Then came a campaign ta organise a
men'a equal suffrage club. The move
net with hearty support on all sides
and on January 11 a meeting- was
called and tha club was organised. The
meeting was held at the Commercial
Club and was attended by a large num
ber of prominent men of Portland and
ther parte of the state, all of whom
were anxious to assist the women In
their fight. Mr. Davis was elected
president of the club; Judge Kavan
ansa. . vice-president; Arthur Lang
guth. secretary, and Alfred Crtdge.
treasurer. W. H. rear. Richard Delrh
and Robert A. Miller were elected di
rectors. MratenUs firm Rapidly.
Membership cards were printed and
.circulated wltli the. result that witbJa
few days the club bad a membership of
4000 persons. Today the number has
been Increased to 6000 and the cards
have not reached beyond tha borders of
Multnomah and one or two of tha sur
rounding counties. A committee com
prising Postmaster Merrick. Alex
week. Will Daly. Dan J. Malarkey
and C. W. Fulton was appointed to draft
bylaws and necessary papers to organ
ize the ciub. This work baa been fin
ished and the club la now a full
fledged entity.
Arrangements are being made for a
convention In Portland In July at which
every county will have representatives
and at which the subject of women's
suffrage will be presented In Its true
light as men of Oregon see it. Already
the organization has the support of
prominent men In many of the towns of
the slate. Here Is a short list for ex
ample: R. R. Butler and N. M. Slnnott.
; too Dalles; r rank Davey. Burns;
Stephen A. Lowell. Pendleton: Judge
Csmpbell. Oregon City: M. V. Parsons.
Eugene: Milton A. Miller. Lebanon; C.
I. Rauch. Albany; U E. Warford. Al
bany: C. B. Merrick. C. W. Fulton.
Judge Cleeton. Rev. Albert Ehrgott,
Dan J. Malarkey. p. Soils Cohen. Alex
Sweek. Ben Selling. County Commis
sioners Llghtner and Hart. John F.
Logan. John M. Gearln. C. E. d. Wood,
Joseph Teal. Governor West. Circuit
Judges McGinn. Catena. Kavanaugh.
Morrow and Gantenbeln: George W. Jo
seph. Arthur Veazle. Clifton N. MacAr
thur, and many others of Portland.
The -State Federation of Labor in
dorsed the movement at The Dalles re
cently and tha State Grange has voted
In favor of It. Labor organizations are
promising support and many cluba and
societies have got behind to push.
Many of those Interested are recent
converts while others bave alwaya been
supporters.
In the state clubs are to be organized
to work In harmony with the headquar
ters in Portland. They will help dis
tribute literature, win promote public
mass meetings and do everything else
In their power to convert the unbe
lievers. Campaign clubs have already
been formed at Pendleton and Burna
and others are to be formed In various
parts of a dozen or more other counties
within the next few weeks.
"A change of 12,000 votea from anti-
woman to woman will do tha work.1
declarea Mr. Davie, president of tha
Male buffrage Club. "At the last elec
tion the proposed amendment of tha
constitution was defeated by 24.000
votes. 1 nis means we will have to
change 12.000 to turn the state over
to the women. We believe we can do
It very easily with a straight suffrage
rule. Tne last amendment was limited
in Ita scope by requiring women voters
to nave property before belna- enfran
chlsed but this time we will open tha
gate to all women over 21 years of
age. Many of the women opposed tha
last proposed amendment because of
the property qualification but they
will be In line this time with all tha
support at their command.-
Replies te Oppoaeats.
But Is woman competent to vote?
aska tha casual observer. Isn't aha
a little too effeminate In ber ideaa to
make laws for the control of man?
Wouldn't mere man be liable to suffer
from tha feminine vote on subjects In
volvlna cherished habits such as the
open thlrst-parlorT Should the woman
depart from the bake oven and tha
cradle to participate In political cam
paigns. Would motherly love be a
good Ingredient in the general mix
ture of sentiment which goes to make
up laws for the control of man In his
pursuit of money and happiness'
Throw any one of these arguments
which Mr. Davis used to make. In his
fare today and there will be a sudden
recoil.
"All good In the world has Its roots
In motherly love. declares Mr. Davis
In his new role of champion of wo
man's suffrage. "The mother takes
us all when we are twaddling about
the kitchen getting Into mischief and
puta Into our heads the prlndplea
which we follow through Ufa. She
teaches ns what la good and what Is
right and gives us the first idea of
what to expect when we do wrong. If
the mother can handle thla great
problem why should she not be abla
to take an Important part in regulat
ing ua in later life, the guides tha
child to maturity with a loving care
then we cast her aside aa incapable
of making any suggestions as to what
we should do.
"The mother will more nearly vote
for what la right than the man. She
i-Ul vote for right as a matter of
principle not for buslnesa reasons or i
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any selfish purposes. She knows Ufa,
law and Justice as she sees their ef
fects upon her household and tha
household of her neighbor and not aa
It afreets her business Interest. She
knows the heart of a woman. She
knows what laws are needed for tha
working girls and women and she
knows what lawa are needed to pro
tect her home and her children. Tet
during all these years she has had
nothing to say further than what she
could say by begging votes from man.
She baa had no vote and It has been
up to the man to say what protection
she and her home should have. .
It may be true that all women
would not do what waa right at the
polls. But look at the men! How many
of them do what they earnestly think
Is right? Or do they look at their
business Interests first? There are
more good women to have a good In
fluence at the polls than there are bad
women to have a bad Influence. There
are some women who, perhaps, are too
effeminate but the average woman Is
Just effeminate enouKh to know what
Is right In law and life.
"How about the kitchen? you ask.
At present the woman who Is inter
ested Is spending more time out beg
ring for votes than she -would be if
she had the right to vote herself. She
would have the right to say In her
vote what she wanted in the way of
Justice and would not have to cam
paign among business-Involved men
In an effort to secure her rights.
Better Lawa tor Women.
"From a Biblical standpoint woman'a
suffrage la right. The Bible says that
tha woman shall stay borne and bear
children and there Is no doubt about
that being proper. But man has made
laws which stand In the way of this.
or probably It would be better to say
riave failed to make laws to uphold
thla holy command, nomin Is forced
Into the world to shift for herself.
Look at the Instance back East where
women were found worklnrr In smelt
Ing plants doing labor which caused
their death wlthtn a few years and
children were so worked that their
bodlee and lives were dwarfed. The
conditions under the regime of man
have worked against woman until non-
she Is Just as much a part of the world
outside the home aa the man. Why
should she not have a voice in the
law? The man-made laws have not
made It possible for ber to live up to
her proper place In life.
"The woman Is opposed to any con
dition of society which drives women
out Into the world to do the labor
of men and she Is opposed to any con- I
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T)TZ.
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Is
dltlon which permits children to a;o
Into aweatshops and wreck their lives
to satisfy the selfishness of the bis;
business Interests. And why should
they not take that stand? It Is their
duty to raise the children and their
duty to throw around them the protec
tion which Is required to give them a
place in society.
"The sweatshop tactics ara the re
sult not of the survival of the attest
war which has characterised all time.
but Is the result of the worst form of
tyrannical selfishness that can be Im
agined. t ho can think of a worse
torles where they are worked to death
and children are worked until they
are no longer human beings but mere
slaving animals? And all because
they will work for less wages than
men."
And so we find W. M. Davis, former
anti-woman suffrage warhorse In the
new role of one of the most radical
of women's rights advocates. He ad
mits It Is golngr to be a lively fight,
but says he expects to win with his
backing; pf strong people.
The anti-suffragist declares the
problem Is two-fold In its scope. The
crime than taking; . women into lac- JTauestion today la bow to get votes
for. women. When this is solved there
will pop up" the all-Important question
for mere man to solve, how to get
votes "from" women. The opposition
says most women are for anything1
that looks like reform whether it is
reasonable or not and regardless of
how it affects business Interests. When
an Important proposition involving
vast Interests Rets into the hands of
the women, they say, there Is consid
erably more trouble -retting; votes from
women than at present getting; votes
for women.
But the suffragist bobs up in the
face of such an argument with a reci
tation of the experiences of other
states. It is declared by the sup
porters that the women have done
more for Oregon's neighbor states than
the men were able to do In the way of
reasonable legislation.
And so the flght goes on, women
demanding the right to vote and some
men remaining dubious about taking
the chance.
Mrs. Donlway's Brave Fin-bt. '
To the progress of the women's suf
frage spirit in Oregon up to the time
the men took a hand most of the glory
belongs to Mrs. Abigail Scott Duniway.
who took up the fight 41 years ago and
is still actively engaged, although
weighted by 78 years of life. When
she became convinced in the early
days that women's suffrage was right
she started campaigning. She fought
for the principle in many parts of the
Northwest and as years wore on se
cured a strong following of women
and men. In her labors she walked tn
state over, traveled on horseback, in
stages and in trains and streetcars
and lastly with the development of
transDortation facilities, in automo
biles. And she is still at it, although
her cause has been checked by de
feat. As soon as one defeat was of
ficially recorded she was In the field
for another neht.
And so her principle, which required
so many hard years of fighting to ie
velop. is In the hands of man for wha
promises to be the final and winning
lap of the race.
Listen to what some of the promt
nent men supporters of woman's suf
frage have to say:
C. W. Fulton I have been for suf
frage since 1887, and although never
actively engaged in a campaign to win
the ballot for the women, have done
what I could to help the cause. I be
lleve in it as a matter of justice
nothing more. Women should have the
right to vote.
Dan J. Malarkey I first saw the
light two years ago when I looked Into
the question carefully and without
prejudice. I had not been r. woman s
suffragist before that time, probably
because I took no interest l. the prob
lem and did not investigate. W hen
saw It was to become a real Issue I in
terested myself and was converted.
R. B. Slnnott When I was a boy at
my home at The Dalles, Mrs. Duniway
came to visit my mother. As I was
playing around the house she put her
hand on my shoulder and asxea: aiy
boy, when you grow up are you going
to be for equal suffrage?' I gave her
my promise and now 1 am in the field
to do anything 1 can to win ior Mrs,
Duniway and the women generally. It
Is right and Just. What more could be
reauired?
County Commissioner Llghtner Yes,
I am for equal suffrage. I believe it is
right. I have looked into tne problem
only recently and since have been will
ing to give the cause every dix oi sup
port I can.
John F. Logan I believe in equal
suffrage and will do what I can by
Btumplr.q- the state to win the fight. I
have always been for it, on tne oroaa
ground of Justice and right, and will be
with It until the scrap is won.
C. N. McArthur I am so convinced
that equal suffrage Is right that I am
debating the Question witn opponents,
I have made a careful Investigation of
the proposition and am thoroughly con
vinced. What can cause a man to fight
harder than to know that that for
which he Is fighting is right?
D. Soils Cohen I have always advo
cated equal suffrage. When somebody.
loner time ago, saia women cannot
fls-ht. neither shall they vote,' I be
came convinced, for I had heard of the
heroic efforts of my grandmother in
the Civil war. She and hundreds, of
other women did as much as the men.
They fought. Why should they not have
the right to vote.
Judge T. J. Cleeton I am of the
opinion that women should vote and I
am ready to help them win in any way
I can. If women vote we would have
better laws, with more Justice and not
so much big business domination.
Will Daly Women's votes will be for
better laws for the laboring classes,
especially women. There will be a
careful regard for laws which will pro- j
vide reasonable hours for the members
of the weaker sex who have to work.
Child labor will be regulated and the
general wage scale for unfortunate
women laborers will be higher.
Judge J. P. Kavanaugh Wowen who
own property are taxed the same as
men. To not allow them to vote is
taxation without representation, the
great injustice against which our fore
fathers fought. There Is no doubt about
the ability of women to vote as intelli
gently as men and they should have
the satn privilege.
WHY WE SHOULD VOTE
Mrs. Catherine A. Coburn Relates
Instances of Injustice.
"I have never been a militant suf
fragist and do not answer at all to the
title suffragette." But I have been for
many years an ardent believer In equal
political rights and privileges for men
and women. Why? Listen. Many
years ago, when I was a young widow
with four young children to support,
I applied for the position of teacher
of the district school at Canemah, a
small village on the east bank of the
Willamette River Just above the Falls.
"I had been left by the sudden death
of my husband with four little daugh
ters, a small home and without means
of support. My thoughts turned to
school teaching, in which, in my girl
hood. I had had some experience, and
after several weeks of preparatory
study I presented myself before Mr.
Pope, then County School Superintend
ent of Clackamas County, for examina
tion in the ordinary branches then
taught in the public schools of the
state, and was fortunate enough to
secure a certificate of the first grade.
Equipped with this certificate I pre
sented myself before the good district
fathers three men with whom I had
been acquainted for years and to whom
my circumstances were well known,
and in common parlance 'applied for
tha school.' They were most kind,
examined my certificate Individually
and collectively, and made answer that
I could 'have the school,' asking:
'What wages do you want? 'Fifty
dollars a month,' I replied.
"A dead silence fell over the three
as they looked at each other with sur
prised, even astonished eyes. I waited,
wondering in my unsophisticated mind
what was the matter. Finally, one of
the two arose, took a turn around the
little room and stopped before me. his
thumbs in the armholes of his vest.
and said In tones of mingled rebuke
and surprise: 'We can get a man to
teach for that.' But I protested no
man can get a better certificate than
I have shown you, and I am accus
tomed to children, their management
and instruction.
But the district fathers were obdu
rate, insisting that they could get 'a
man' to teach the school for $50 a
month, and that It would be absurd
to pay a woman such a price. The
result was that I had to teach the
school for 40 a month, which I did
conscientiously, but with a rankling
sense or injustice m my heart.
'Clearly something was the matter.
My capability in this contest was not
questioned. But my sex was a bar
when I came to compete with men in
my struggle for a livelihood. Custom?
Yes. But upon what was that custom
founded? Upon the might which made
right in the early history of the race
and later upon woman's inequality be
fore the law through the usurpation
of the ' law-making power by man.
Traced a little further, to her total
lack of political power.
I had taken my first lesson in equal
rights in what may be called politi
cal sexology. I nave taken many since,
and all along the years that have in
tervened, years of taxation without
representation, government without
consent; years wherein my political
opinions have been as strongly and
firmly based as have those of any man
with whom I have worked. I have
waited and watched and hoped for the
day of woman'B enfranchisement. An
ardent partisan, I bave never been al
lowed to express my preference at the
polls for the candidate whom I hoped
to see succeed. From the President of
the United States, for whom, as n
A-ierican citizen, I have longed to vote
for many years as a matter of per
sonal pride in citizenship, to the As
sessor who has placed an arbitrary
valuation upon my property, and the
Sheriff who has collected my taxes, I
have had a decided preference, yet
have never been allowed to express
this preference where alone it would
count in the ballot box. Do I believe
In equal rights? Well, rather. I am
woman but not necessarily a fool.
A human entity not a mollusc"