The Kenosha telegraph. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1860-1888, 1879-12-25
WOMEN WITH THE BALLOT.
Exercising Limited Right Of Suffrage in
Massachusetts.

Massachusetts,.
The Legislature of Massachusetts,
last winter, enacted a statute giving to
women the right to vote for members
of school committees, an office to which
they were made eligible by an act of
three years before; and at the recent
local election in Boston, and for the
first time in the history of that city,
women presented themselves at the
polls for the purpose of exercising
their limited right of suffrage. Not
many, writes a correspondent, availed
themselves of the privilege. Only $50
presented themselves for registration,
Notwithstanding the fact that the num-
Der of males registered exceeded 1000.
Those who voted were mostly middle
aged women, there being only a few
young ladies at any voting precinct.
The elevating influence of women at.
the polls, which is one of the stock ar
guments of the woman sufragists, was
not realized in so marked decree as
to Scall for any especial commentator
of the experiment on this account, al
though there was something of an
avoidance of profanity in the presence
of the fair sex. Smoking was not pro.
hibited in the voting places, and not
few of the newborn voters hesltated to
approach the ballot boxes through the
clouds which offended the nostril and
INSTRUCTED the vision. 1t was notice
able that those who smoked cigars gen
orally withdrew them from view upon
the entrance of the ladies, but those
who used the more piebeian pipe
smoked right on. The look Of disgust
upon some of the faces of the fair ones
expressed repentance of the expert
ment, although those accosted on the
subject declared that they enjoyed it
thoroughly, and were glad to av8il
themselves of the privilege which they
believed would open up the right OF
suffrage to all women. Few fingered at
the polls, but one intelligent matron re-
manned long enough to congratulate the
stronger sex upon at last having their
eyes opened to the injustice of taxation
without representation to any class Of
"citizens."
Ballot distributors were present in
nearly all the wards, with the tickets
specially prepared for the women voters,
but they were hardly needed, for in
nearly every case the voter produced
from her pocket or reticule the ballot
which she had previously selected or
prepared. One young woman, evil
IDENTIFY school teacher, took a ballot
from the distributor, and proceeded to
scan it with all the care of a proof
reader, and, having discovered a typo
graphical error, produced her pencil,
and made the necessary correction be-
fore dropping the ballot in it's place
Another was offered straight ticket
which she declined, and, calling for
pastors, prepared her own ballot, Gov
ering the names of the women thereon
with those of men OF her choice, evil
IDENTIFY believing that, although women
were competent to vote, they were not
qualified to hold office, or else that a
mistake had been made in not placing
herself in nomination. Most Of them
came to the polls with an uncertain
and mO0esG manner, as though the
business was-strange and perplexing to
them, while others marched up with an
air SO nonchalant as to give the i'm
preston of having voted for every Pres
ident from Washington down, or else of
a most successful course of training for
the event under an experienced coach.
Nearly every woman came without es-
cort and departed without the company
of gentlemen. One man came to the
polls with his wife and daughter, and,
after selecting a proper ballot for him
self, gave like one to each enc of his
companions, and they marched up with
their lord and master and deposited it
with far less independent air than
those assumed who came in at the same
time unattended, and who were not
bulldozed, SO to speak. One woman
seemed to demand the right of suffrage
who had not complied with the statute
in regard to registration. She was told
that her name was not on the list, and
that, therefore, she could not
vote. She insisted that the law
gave her the right, and made an at
tempt to deposit her ballot. She was
hindered by the guardian of the box On
the part of the Warden. Then she de-
parted, but not without giving utterance
to her opinion that woman suffrage in
Massachusetts was delusion and
snare.