The Indianapolis sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis, Ind.) 1880-1904, 1885-03-29

I'M woman n everywhere building ior herself and
~ generation. PROM al sections OF this world,
brsf reports OF Individual an organized work.
nsws Items, thoughts. suggestions Ard inquiries
are invited fer these columns
Address all such communications 10
FLORENCE n. kDKIsson.
To- Elm ST.. indianapolis. Ind.
There was one lady in the graduating
class OF the indiana PnysO-Medicel College
this yer, Miss Laura b.. Jennings of Bnsa-
ton, III.
A bill has beer introduced in the Illinois
House for the establishment OF a State Pris-
on md Rsformstory for women aud girls,
under the control OF a board oftrustees con-
pckec Of women.
A bill giving women the right to vote at
school elections has passed both branches OF
The WrcoIsin Legislature. The bill fer a
constitutional amendment giving women
foil suffrage was pnt upon passage, March
rs, and re cefved AZ votes against ~, bat
lacked the constitutional majority. 81 affirm
alive votes.
A surprisingly large vote has been given
by the RI ode Island Legislature In favor of
. resolution to submit a woman Suffrage
amendment to the constitution. It passed
the House, but there was a technical error
In the bill. The Senate corrected and passed
the bill and returned 1t to the House which
again voted in its favor. "a to II. But as 81
voter. a majority OF all members both prees
eDt and absent. sre required to pass q meas-
ure the bill failed. An effort will probably
be made TO have it reconsioered.
The fall text OF Governor Pierce's veto of
the Dakota Woman Suffrage Bill is given in
n other column. The defects 70 which ne
- A .ff--f-~f ~ s-.Lff-t- - 49,
20 represent women. The bi | was prepared
and ably championed by men who are firm
believers in the principle involved, and yet
IL fell far short la its provisions OF justice
toward the class il was designed 20 beneht.
Although ii rendered women ineligible to
hold Office and did not include municipal
s~ufffsge, 1T was better than nothing. 1t bad
been considered by the Legislature for weeks.
had passed the House by q vote of % TO 10.
and the Council by q vote OF ii TO 10, and
had received the support OF many CT the best
citizens. both men and women, in the Terri
tory. Now that so high authority has de-
cIsyed that If q women is good enough TO
vote. she Is good enough TO ne voted tor" it
10 to be hoped that in the severai States where
women are eligible to certain offices and
have been elected thereto, the Governors
and LEGISLATORS will see that
s a1:ums converse i. OF e Soss5n0F f losissi'
that IL . woman is good enough to be voted
for. she 10 good enough to voie.
The assertion that women do not want the
ballet is of all objections the most Hat, stale
and improbable. NoLe so blind as those
who will not see. During the past year Pc
titions with about IS, 600 s;gnasures-two-
thirds women-asking for woman suffrage.
have been filed with the Massachusetts Leg
islature. yet 1t is solemnly averred that the
mass of women in that State are opposed to
the imposition of political responsibilities"
r he ...ft.. k.l1 -. ~htn .tfv Ma
1885,, at least 10000 women through their let
teJs and delegates expressed q desire to vote,
q yet numerous Indiana Legislators as
sumo that a half dozen agiiators constitute
the woman suffrage element IN this State. A
few years ago. Q petition was presented to
the Illinois Legislature asking for the
Home Protection Ballot signed by 1S5, 900
women, who have since largely declared
for the full ballot, and yet the first and
strongest demur,to the woman suffrage argu-
ment made by MIS-. Haggart a short time
ego at Springfield IVES that the Illinois
women were not DESTROYS of the ballot. The
same objection was msde when the question
was pending IN Washington Territory, new
ertheiese nine-fenths of the women there
voted at TIE last election, and 1t Is alto.
gether probable that the wide. awake, pub
nc-spiritsd women of Dakota would have
leee been granted.
A private letter received from the wife of
. men.bsr who strongly advocated the bill
In the Dakota Legislature. says hat the
whitley element used every means in
their power to secure its veto. while q letter
from another lady says that ''the P~resbyte-
lian minister. Mr.. Austia, and wife worked
early and late for the defeat of the bill, Mr..
Austin preaching . ~virulent sermon against
IL"
1t is not altogether a pleasing
sieht-the church and the sa-
Ianu of.snrnO hands frrashn~ ~ nrouAn
the investule of women with political
power
1t il possible that Governor Pierce may be-
come convinced that the women of Dakota
shoulc have be en- consulted previous TO his
action en- the bill. A special from Pierre
Gays that a petition for his removal Is receiv-
ing numerous signatures in that locality, and
that "ths woman-suflrage ladies will prob
ably circulate similar ones IN many parts OF
the territory"
The women who want to write are a legion.
One whote daily work lies within the pre-
cincts OF n~ewspapnrdom naturally becomes
acquainted with the number. desires and
qualifications 81 this class. Many regard
writing for sae papers as the most acces
sinle occupation wherein a woman who finds
bersel1 IN distressed circumstances or In need
Of extra pin money can cara som ething With
out sacrificing her dignity or leaving hel
rome to labor. or possessing special qusiih.
cations
1t 10 pitifu', the letters that come some.
times from women In delicate health O. with
little children, or in other circumstance
which prevent them from undertaking more
arduous iabors; from teachers tired of their
vocation: fIom school girls wanting money
TO complete their education. The writers
tell their needs, their hopes and ambitions,
inclose samples Of their work-essays on
thYeadbare themes, weak stories and weaker
poems, sometimes fairly written, Outlines
misepelled, -ungrsmmaticsl and skstchy-
and request q permanent engagement as
sspaid contributors" This phase
Of feminine effort is worse than
p:tiful. 1T is discouraging, because
IL show so little comprehension of the re.
quirements of the work attempted, such ut
ter ienorsnce of the fact that in this as in
other professions, only skilled labor, the
pYodHcfs of Aleut or of exnerience cammand