The true northerner. [volume] (Paw Paw, Mich.) 1855-1920, 1874-11-06
FEMALE SUFFRAGE.
account Of the Origin, Practice. and
Prohibition Of u0mdn's Voting Ia
.NI.c Jersey, from 1897 20 1907.

(Read before the Historical Society Of New Jersey
January 2lst, 1885, by William A. Whitehead)
BY the Proprietary laws, the right OF
suffrage in New Jersey was expressly
confined to the free men of the province,
and, in equally explicit terms, law
passed in 17V9, prescribing the qualifica'
tions of electors, confined the privilege
to male free holders, having 100 acres
of land in their own right, or worth ESQ,
current money of the province, in real
and personal estate, and during the
whole of the colonial period these
qualifications remained unaltered.
RIGHTS LONG UNCLAIMED.
By the constitution adopted July I'd,
l776, the elective franchise was con-
ferred upon all inhabitants of the
colony OF full age, who are worth ESQ:
proclamation money, clear estate in the
same, and have resided within the county
in which they claim vote for twelve
months Immediately preceding the
election and the same, OF similar
language, was used in the different acts
regulating elections until 1890 ; but |
have not discovered any instance of the
exercise of the right by females, under
an Interpretation which the full import
of words, " all inhabitants was sub
sequcntly thought TO sanction during
the whole of this period.
10 1890, however, a revision of the
election law then ii force was proposed !,
and upon the committee of the Legis.
lafure to whom the subject was re.
ferred was Mr. Joseph Cooper, of West
Jersey, prominent member of the
Society of Friends. AS the regulations
of the society authorized females to vote
in matters connected with the State,
and to support his views quotes the pro,
visions of the constitution as sanctioning
such a course. Ii was therefore to
satisfy him that the committee consented
to report bill to which the expression,
he or She" applied to the voter, was
introduced into the section specifying
the necessary qualifications, thus giving
legislative Endorsement of the alleged
meaning of the constitution. Still, no
cases Of females voting by virtue of this
more definite provision are on record,
and we are warranted in believing that
the women of New jersey then, as now,
were not apt to overstep the bounds of
decorum, or intrude where their
characteristic modesty and self respect
might be wounded.
This law and its supplements were
repealed in 1897, and it is some proof
that the peculiar provision under re-
view had not been availed of to any ex.
tent, if at all las is evil consequences
would otherwise have become apparently,
that we find similar phraseology intro.
duced into the new act. The rig ht of
suffrage was conferred upon " all free
inhabitants of this State of full age,
etc." thus adopting the language of the
constitution with the addition of the
word " Free" and no person shall be
entitled to vote in any other township
or precinct than that in which he or she
doth actually reside, etc. aud in two
other places ls the possible difference in
the sex Of the voters recognized
THE FIRST OCCASION
Oh which females votel, of which any
precise information has been obtained,
was at an election held this year 900 |
al Elizabethtown, Essex County, for
members of the Legislature. The can
didates between whom the greatest ri
valry existed were John Condit and
William Crane the heads of what were
known year or two later as the " Fed
eral Republican" and Federal Aristo-
cratic" parties, the former the candidate
Of Newark and the northern portion of
the county, and the latter the candidate
Of Elizabeth and the adjoining country,
for the Council Under the impression
that the candidates would POLL nearly
the same number of votes, the Eliza
BEETHOVEN leaders thought that by IA
bold coup detat they might secure the
success of Mr. Crane. At late hour
of the day, and, as / have been in
formed, just before the close of the poll,
q number of females were brought up,
and, under the provisions of the existing
laws, allowed to vote; but the maneu.
yer was unsuccessful, the majority for
Mr.. Condit, in the county, being ninety
three, Notwithstanding. These proceed.
ings were made the topic of two or
three brief articles in the Newark Sen.
t'asel, in one of which the fact that " no
less than
sEvENTY-rIvE WOMEN WERE poLLED
at the late election in a neighboriug
borough" was used as pretended ar.
gument for the admission of females to
Office, and to service in the diplomatic
corps; while another ironically asserts
that 4" too much credit cannot be given
to the Federal leaders of Elizsbethtown
for the heroic virtue displayed in ad
vancipg in body to the poll to support
their favorite candidates"
So discreditablc was this occurrence
thought that, although another closely
contested election took place the follow