“Suffrage Cause is Espoused by Men,” Oregon Journal, March 18, 1912, 18.
-Transcription
SUFFRAGE CAUSE IS ESPOUSED BY MEN
The Men’s Equal Suffrage league held a meeting in the assembly room of the Olds, Wortman & King store Saturday evening, which was attended in the earlier part of the evening by about 60 people, but which toward the close attained proportions almost double as the women finished their shopping and dropped in. Attorney William Davis, president of the league, presided as chairman of the meeting, which was addressed by John H. Stevenson and Judge W.N. Gatens of the juvenile court. The members of the Anti-suffrage league were invited to be present to take part in the discussion, but failed to join in.
In his introductory speech Mr. Davis said:
“This coming election I have no doubt that the suffrage amendment will carry, as you can always trust to the politicians who have their ear to the ground ready to seize on any popular movement to further their causes, and you will notice that they are as hearty in the support of this measure as they were in the support of the initiative and referendum in 1902.”Mr. Davis then introduced Mr. Stevenson who made the next address. Mr. Stevenson said the principal argument he had heard the antis use was that the increased cost of the elections will be prohibitive on account of the greater number of ballots that will have to be printed and of the immense amount of help that will be required to tally them. He said that though he was not a prohibitionist he believed that as the women were the most interested in this question they should settle it.
Judge Gatens said that he believed, contrary to the belief held by many, that the presence of women at the polling places would cause a cessation of all loud and boisterous conduct.