ocrats fear the woman voters'
support was only temporary. The "wet" fears the increased dry vote;
the "dry" the increased controlled wet vote. Certain very numerous
elements fear the increased Catholic vote and still others the
increased Jewish vote. The Orthodox Protestant and Catholic fear
the increased free-thinking vote and the free-thinkers are decidedly
afraid of the increased church vote. Labor fears the increased
influence of the capitalistic class, and capitalists, especially of
the manufacturing group, are extremely disturbed at the prospect of
votes being extended to their women employees. Certain groups fear the
increased Socialist vote and certain Socialists fear the "lady vote."
Party men fear women voters will have no party consciousness and prove
so independent as to disintegrate the party. Radical or progressive
elements fear that women will be "stand-pat" partisans. Ballot
reformers fear the increased corrupt vote and corruptionists fear
the increased reform vote. Militarists are much alarmed lest women
increase the peace vote and, despite the fact that the press of the
country has poured forth increasing evidence that the women of every
belligerent country have borne their full share of the war burden
with such unexpected skill and ability that the authorities have been
lavish in acknowledgment, seem certain that women of the United
States will prove the exception to the world's rule and show the white
feather if war threatens.

Ridiculous as this list of objections may appear, each is supported
earnestly by a considerable group, and collectively they furnish the
basis of opposition to woman suffrage in and out of Congress.

The answer to one is the answer to all.

Government by "the people" is expedient or it is not. If it is
expedient, then obviously _all_ the people must be included. If it
is not expedient, the simplest logic leads to the conclusion that the
classes to be deprived of the franchise should be determined by their
qualities of unfitness for the vote. If education, intelligence,
grasp of public questions, patriotism, willingness and ability to give
public service, respect of law, are selected as fair qualifications
for those to be entrusted with the vote and the opposite as the
qualities of those to be denied the vote, it follows that men and
women will be included in the classes adjudged fit to vote, and also
in those adjudged unfit to vote. Meanwhile the system which admits the
un