Savannah courier. (Savannah, Tenn.) 1885-1979, 1889-05-16
OF MINOR IMPORTANCE.

ftTtiCits VI SOmmcTce heCeife MOTe 0Ou-
sidera tion Than Women at the Hands of
Legislators.
The fact that bills in favor of miInici-
pal suffrage for women have just been
voted down in Maine, Massachusetts,
Ohio and Dakota furnishes fresh proof
OF the disadvantages at which dis
frauchised class always is. Since 1858,
when the petition of Louisa Alcott's
mother for suffrage was refused, there
has been an almost continuous move
ment in some form forlegal or political
rights for women. OF late years the |
effort has been especially for municipal
suffrage. The petitioners for this
measure, in the State of Massachusetts |
alone, have in some years numbered |
more than $4,000 But though it is
thirty-six years since suffrage petitions
began to be sent up, women are still a
disfranchised class, If they had been
voters, and had petitioned for any thing
that had so substantial basis OF justice
as has the present claim for equal polit-
ical rights, it would have been impossi-
BILE to deny it.
Take the case in Maine last year.
The House of Representatives wanted
81, 900 with which to pay their postage
There was certain feeling that it was
not right to take that money from the
taxpayers, and that the $4,000 letters
whose postage it was to pay would not
be written. Nevertheless, under q sus-
pension of the rules, the bill was pushed
through and the appropriation made.
The power to get it was in the hands
of those who wanted it.
Lobstering is great business inter-
est in Maine. Petitions on behalf of
the lobster poured into the Legislature.
1t was discussed how short he ought to
be at one season, and how long he
would be at another, and how much he
would grow in twenty -four hours. His
case went from one committee to an
other, and finally, in conference COM
mittee from both houses, the lobster
bill passed. The men interested in the
lobster had votes. They were on the
spot to urge their own measure. They
were not left thirty-six years without
protection to their canning of Holsters
as women have been left in the great
matter of personal rights.
The Maine farmers had found the
crow a pest to their corn, and the farm.
ers gave their fellow-legislators no
peace till they offered a reward for the
body Of the crow. But when 10000
petitioners, including the best women
of Maine, asked for municipal suffrage,
the Maine Legislature, though it was
very polite to them and granted them
hearing in the hall of the House,
finally gave them 'leave to withdraw"
despite the fact that some of the men,
bers spoke we'll in their behalf Maine
women asked for reform school for
girls, but they could not get it. One of
the Maine Senator's told me, 1--WE have
law to let girls of thirteen marry,
and when they marry they come into
possession of all their property. What
more can you wantp Gould you have
had such law If the mothers had
votesp" asked. Il do not think we
could" was his honest reply. But
nei ther the mothers nor any women OF
Maine have votes, so they stand outside
and wait, while the lobster and the
| crow are attended to.
In Massachusetts, after weary years,
and after all objections had been an
swered, we were told that 'when wo-
men showed they would use suffrage If
they had it," the right would be Sc
cured to them. Every one remembers
the pitiless storm through which 10000
women in this city went last fall to
vote, after having first asked to be
taxed that they might vote for school
committee Again we went up to the
Legislature with the names of thou
sands of petitioners. The committee
gave us ample "hearing." They re-
ported bill. The question came up
in the House, and some members spoke
we'll for the bill, and then we had
"leave to withdraw" by vote, includ.
ing pairs, OF 139 to 30. There was not
woman member to speak for her
cause; not single representative
elected by women to feel responsible to
them as his constituents.
In 1874 two men were arrested and
shut up in the same cell. Both were
drunk. In the morning one of the mer
was found dead. The other received 9
life sentence for murder. Not long age
the representative of Ward s, in this
city, and the mission priest of the Stat,
prison, set out TO secure his pardon
They interested the representatives o
Ward s in his case, and with the effor
they and others made the pardon wa
secured, and the man restored to all hi
political rights. The pardon may hav
been deserved; but mark the contrast
A man arrested in the first place 70
drunkenness, and afterwards serving
life sentence for murder, is so easily
by the efforts OF two or three men, re
stored to full political rights, and al
lowed to vote for all the offices Of tn
city, State and Nation. But when Ma:
sachusetts women, after more tina
thirty years of petitioning, came to tn
Legislature with the names of thou
sands Of women. asking only for
fraction of the suffrage, to the whole {
| which this parioned criminal il wa