Womens suffrage

Argument Against Women's Suffrage, 1911 Prepared by J. B. Sanford, Chairmen of Democratic Caucus

ARGUMENT AGAINST SENATE CONSTITUTIONAL AMENDMENT NO. 8

Suffrage is not a right. It is a privilege that may or may not be granted. Politics is no place

for a women consequently the privilege should not be granted to her.

The mother's influence is needed in the home. She can do little good by gadding the streets

and neglecting her children. Let her teach her daughters that modesty, patience, and

gentleness are the charms of a women. Let her teach her sons that an honest conscience is

every man's first political law; that no splendor can rob him nor no force justify the

surrender of the simplest right of a free and independent citizen. The mothers of this

country can shape the destinies of the nation by keeping in their places and attending to

those duties that God Almighty intended for them. The kindly, gentle influence of the

mother in the home and the dignified influence of the teacher in the school will far outweigh all the influence of all the mannish female politicians on earth.

The courageous, chivalrous, and manly men and the womanly women, the real mothers and

home builders of the country, are opposed to this innovation in American political life. There

was a bill (the Sanford bill) before the last legislature which proposed to leave the equal

suffrage question to women to decide first before the men should vote on it. This bill was

defeated by the suffragettes because they knew that the women would vote down the amendment by a vote of ten to one.

The men are able to run the government and take care of the women. Do women have to

vote in order to receive the protection of man? Why, men have gone to war, endured every

privation and death itself in defense of woman. To man, woman is the dearest creature on

earth, and there is no extreme to which he would not go for his mother or sister. By keeping

woman in her exalted position man can be induced to do more for her than he could by

having her mix up in affairs that will cause him to lose respect and regard for her. Woman

does not have to vote to secure her rights. Man will go to any extreme to protect and

elevate her now. As long as woman is woman and keeps her place she will get more

protection and more consideration than man gets. When she abdicates her throne she throws down the scepter of her power and loses her influence.

Woman suffrage has been proven a failure in states that have tried it. It is wrong. California

should profit by the mistakes of other states. Not one reform has equal suffrage effected.

On the contrary, statistics go to show that in most equal suffrage states, Colorado

particularly, that divorces have greatly increased since the adoption of the equal suffrage

amendment, showing that it has been a home destroyer. Crime has also increased due to lack of the mothers in the home.

Woman is woman. She can not unsex herself or change her sphere. Let her be content with

her lot and perform those high duties intended for her by the Great Creator, and she will

accomplish far more in governmental affairs that she can ever accomplish by mixing up in

the dirty pool of politics. Keep the home pure and all will be well with the Republic. Let not

the sanctity of the home be invaded by every little politician that may be running up and

down the highway for office. Let the manly men and the womanly women defeat this

amendment and keep woman where she belongs in order that she may retain the respect of

all mankind.

J. B. Sanford, Senator 4th District.

Received by Secretary of State Frank Jordan on June 26th, 1911, for publication as part of a

voters' information manual. Document is currently filed in the California State Archives under: Secretary of State Elections Papers, 1911 Special Election.