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Show Kate Field on the fcunrago. Sixteen months ago, on the platform of the World's fair congresses in Chicago, Chi-cago, I stated that, never having believed be-lieved in universal suffrage nnallied to universal intelligence and honesty, I had never publicly advocated woman suffrage. Logically I have always believed be-lieved that women had as much right to the ballot as men. I denied the right to both sexes. I have always olaimod that Buffrage is a privilege and should be granted as a reward of merit regardless of sex. If woman suffrage leaders had taken the same ground, I would have joined them long ago. I was convinced that whenever a majority ma-jority of American women wanted the ballot they would get it I never met a man who did not assent to this conviction convic-tion and who did not second my assertion asser-tion that the worst opponents to female nffrage are women themselves. Why, then, did I experience a change of heart in Chicago? Because I had be gun to look into our naturalization laws and was terrified at facts. Because I discovered tint the new states were in the hands of aliens, not citizens of the United States. Because I saw that female fe-male immigration was much less than male immigration; that ,1 large major-Ity major-Ity of female voters would be American born, and that the sooner the forces of anarchy and rebellion were met by the conservators of home and law the better for the country. I heard the threatening of riot that broke out a year later, and it seemed to me time for women to come to the fore. What I thought 16 months ago I firm rj believe now. |