The Iowa plain dealer. [volume] (New Oregon, Howard County, Iowa) 1867-1895, 1889-04-04
MOVEMENTS IN MAINE.
Progress Of the Cause Of Woman Suffrage
IN the "Pine Tree state"


Progress Of the Cause OF Woman suffrage
In the spine Tree state"
There is genuine Woman Suffrage
Revival in Maine, says II. Il. Black
to Eastport numerous petitions in its
favor, signed. it is said, by about
twenty thousand citizens. have been
sent to the Legislature. Remonstranccs
have been forwarded BY about one
thousand and two hundred women.
mostly Of Portland and Bangor. The
petitioners include many women of the
highest social standing. large tax
payers, ami almost without exception
the leaders in charities, reforms and
bcncficicnt public enterprises. They
arc representative OF the best mental
and moral elements OF the State. The
rcmonstrants arc largely composed OF
society women,' influential in that
class whose men are often most remiss
in the exercise Of their political duties
and everywhere ayerse to change. u
is a strong argument for the proposed
measure that women of this class re-
monstrate on the ground that ii the
right is conferred they will regard its
exercise as a responsibility and a duty
--unwelcomc, but imperative. This
fact affords a well-grounded hope that
when the women OF this class vote. the
very men who have hitherto refraincd
will vote with them. thus adding two
votes where now we have none.
In the House ex-Goyernor Robie rep
resents the Grangers. 10000 strong,
who have by resolution endorsed wo-
man suffrage. ard he is himself an ar
dent suffragist. The chairman OF the
Senate Judiciary Committee. a man of
great ability and force Of character,
voted for woman suffrage two years
ago, and is believed to be in favor Of
the bill. Senator Libby, Of Portland.
is also understood to favor it. Many
leading Republicans and some Demo-
Gratis, among the latter Senator Looney,
OF Cornish, have expressed their inten-
ton to vote for the measure.
II is proposed to give women citizens,
otherwise qualified. and who can read
and write, vote in town and munich
pal elections. In 1880 there were in
Maine male citizens over twenty-one
years old 195, 223. of whom 8,56i were
illitcratcs. and 11.776 OF foreign birth.
OF women over twenty-one. there were
1923, OF whom similar proportion
nDn1 1,t nf hsrfh nd
8,0O5 werc illiterates. Woman suf-
frage. therefore, would add to the 1885,
223 male votes in town and municipal
| elections lSl,71S women who can read
| and write. ten out OF eleven OF whom
are OF native birth. The effect, there
fore, would be to raise the standard OF
education and still further to Ameri-
canizc the politics of the State.
Kansas has recently given municipal
suffrage to its women. There is a
striking parallelism in the character
and political condition of Maine and
Kansas. Both are largely Republican.
largely American. with minimum of
illiteracy, and both have prohibition In
their State constitutions. Let us hope
that Maine, like Kansas, will grant
municipal suffrage to women.
In Maine, two years ago, a woman
suffrage constitutional amendment re-
ceived majority vote in both Houses,
! but failed of the needed two-thirds.
Municipal woman suffrage, for its en-
actment, needs only majority of both
| Houses with the assent of the Governor.
II reason and not prejudice governed
tho opponents, we should expect a
much larger vote for this more limited
measure than for change Of constitu-
ton. II this bill pass. the Legislature
will continue TO be elected by men
alone. II the participation Of women
in town ard city elections prove un-
welcome to the men it will be speedily
repealed. Ard its repeal would be
the Creates possible obstacle to its
further agitation. On the other hand.
il it proved satisfactory, prejudice
would disappear, and further advances
would probably follow. Surely if the
friends Of suffrage are willing to abide
by tho experiment, its opponents can
afford 10 do So But prejudice never
discr;minatcs, and the remonstrants OF
two years ago will oppose this bill as
ychcmcntly as they opposed the con-
stituticEa! amendment.
Meanwhile the uniform success oil
full woman suffrage during the last
twenty years in Wyoming and Wash
ington Territories, Of municipal woman
suffrage in Kansas, Canada and Great
Britain, and OF school suffrage in four
teen States, can not fail to impress
every man who will open his eyes. And
the fact that in the u. S. Senate, in
December. 1887, two-thirds Of the Sem
ators, from Maine to California, north
of Mason and Dixon's line. including
one of the Senators from Maine, voted for
woman suffrage constitutional amend
,nent. should have great weight with
the Maine Legislature.
.