Fort Worth daily gazette. (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1882-1891, 1886-11-20
Two.THIRDs OF 1 PER CENT.
How School Suffrage for Women Works Il
masshohusotts.

How school Suffrage for Women works ia
shchusotts.
In 1879, writes Boston correspondent
TO the Milwaukee Wisconsin, the Massa-
chusetts legislature was besieged by the
women snffragists OF the state TO enact a
law comforting upon the female popula-
tlon tho night Of voting for school com
mittees. IL was urged that there was
crying demand for the prlvll eye
among the women OF the commonwealth,
particularly the mothers and the school.
mistresses, and that votes were needed to
take the school affairs out OF pollt cg In
the cities Many legislators and some
women who had decided opinions against
full female suffrage were lnduoedt TO favor
or OF least, not 10 oppose, the scheme.
Accordingly, a law war passed which,
with an amendment In 1881, gives all wo.
men who have applied for and paid a poll
tax OF 80 cents Omen have TO pay at least
~ before votnp) or any other tax, the
right TO be registered as legal voters for
school committees, and TO have tleir
names continued on the list indefinitely
without new applications, 40 long as their
taxes are paid.
Women had been serving in school
committees all over the state for many
years previous To the passage OF this law
Out OF 45O,O 600 women who were Thus
endowed with tho franchise, 1871 voted
IN 1881, 1886 In 1892, 1869 In 1883, ana
lseO IN ls6i--iess than one in 200 And
this vote was nearly all In tho cities.
Ia lst5, tho woman suffraglsts, smart
lng under the revelation OF the lnsIg.
nincance OF their numbers aud the hollow
ness OF their claims, and ready TO move
heaven and earth TO Increase their vote.
made desperate attempt 10 frqhten
their sisters Into assuming the burden
which had been thrust upon them by the
legislature. They passed around the
word that In Boston. containing
ono-rtth OF the whole population
OF Massachusetts,, the Roman Catholic
women were registering ia large numbers
Tor the purpose OF getting control of the
public schools, In the interests of a church
openly opposed TO free unsectarian edu-
cation, and that the votes of Protestant
women were necessary TO defeat this
scheme' Under this pressure the vote
was doubled In Boston, bringing the total
Iemale vote Ia the whole state Ia 1888 up
TO S,227.
The secretary OF states communication
TO the senate OF January 20, 1886, reports
$3.50 legal voters In the commonwealth
ah AhN"t va 80 pNl AtuNt Ol inc bhI NOh
adult males. The census OF 1885 shows
$685. 76 women above the age OF twenty.
one. Allowing the same percent.
age OF possible voters to the
whole number OF adult females
as In tho case OF the males, and we md
that rs per cent. OF the total OF s,475
adult females would give is6,8l0 women
entitled to school suffrage after register.
Ing. Yet all the scare and all the frantic
appeals brought out only 1927 votes, or
less than two-thlrds OF per cent
AS 70 the truth OF the stories about
Roman Catholic registration, there IA no
way OF getting at the figures, But II is a
significant fact that AZ the election the
names favored by the Roman Catholic
portion OF the community were success
ful, and the ticket favored by the women
sunragists was overwhelmingly defeated,
the only names they saved being those